I completed the Landscape painting that we started in class. You can find the first lesson on Value in a Landscape HERE and the second lesson on Blocking In Color HERE. After that, it is just playing to add the details and colors that make the painting dance.

I named this painting Moving Upward. It is 8 x 10 and comes unframed. You can purchase it HERE.

I love to explore.
This place where we live in the PNW offers many excellent options to get out and appreciate the natural beauty of this land. And, when you couple that with a love for adventure and exploration, it becomes easy to find yourself wandering through the trails, trees, and, in many cases, up mountainsides.

As I move through places like this, I am compelled to do two things: to stop, rest, and take it all in with thankfulness and appreciation, and to see what is around the next bend in the trail.

The artist in me wants to linger and observe so that I can keep mental references of times and places that I might want to recreate, but the explorer in me drives me to push on and see what comes next.

It is truly gratifying to me when I crest that hill or make that turn to find something more beautiful and magnificent than what I had just seen, especially if I am tired and have considered turning around. Of course, it doesn’t always happen, but I feel satisfied that my efforts are rewarded when it does.

I find this need to explore carries over to life in general. I love learning new things, meeting new people, and seeing new places. It enriches our lives. And when we get to a certain age, it is even more important to drive on and see what life has in store. We never know how much longer we have to get it all done.

As you continue your journey, take time to appreciate where you are and what you have, focusing on all the positives. Stop and smell the roses, as they say. But never forget that something great may lie just over that next hill. So, even if you are tired and want to rest, remember that the journey is the reward, not necessarily the destination. You won’t be disappointed.