Painting is more about discovery than certainty. I almost always begin a painting with an idea. The idea might be inspired by something someone said, a place I visited, or an event I attended. Yet, also, almost always, the painting takes on a life of its own and often turns out dramatically different from what I envisioned. Take this painting, for example. My initial brushstrokes were inspired by several pictures I had taken of different creeks during my hiking adventures. I was fascinated by the way the sun skipped across the water, tumbling lazily over fallen branches and rocks before meandering into the distance.<\/p>\n
But as I painted, a different scene began to emerge, one that reminded me of colder days when snow covered the same creek beds, providing a different type of light. Spring is beautiful, rich with new life, but there is a quiet purity to freshly fallen snow that is simply gorgeous. Some of the most stunning landscapes I have ever witnessed have been in the winter.<\/p>\n
I find a similar circumstance in life. Despite the best-laid plans, I am often greeted by the unexpected. And yet, it is this same unpredictability in life that usually harbors the best surprises. Behind every winter, whether painted, photographed, imagined, or lived, is a promise. Something new, something different, is patiently waiting just outside your awareness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Painting is more about discovery than certainty. I almost always begin a painting with an idea. The idea might be inspired by something someone said, a place I visited, or an event I attended. Yet, also, almost always, the painting takes on a life of its own and often turns out dramatically different from what I envisioned. Take this painting, for example. My initial brushstrokes were inspired by several pictures I had taken of different creeks during my hiking adventures. I was fascinated by the way the sun skipped across the water, tumbling lazily over fallen branches and rocks before meandering into the distance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[696,3],"tags":[915,913,909,910,912,606,859,916,661,789,911,872,914,607],"class_list":["post-20452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feed-your-spirit","category-health-and-wellness","tag-beauty-pristine","tag-blue","tag-cold","tag-frost","tag-ice","tag-inspiration","tag-painting","tag-purity","tag-reflection","tag-serenity","tag-snow","tag-watercolor","tag-white","tag-winter"],"yoast_head":"\n