Reminiscing...

#1  Rendering of "Out of the Blue"  Acrylic (sold)

#2  Rendering of the bridge over Bode River,  West Germany   Acrylic (sold)

Trying to find inspiration, I recently started thinking about when I began painting.  My first two paintings were renderings of other artists works, taken from books.  But I had such fun doing them that I was hooked.  I quickly moved on to painting my own subjects, either from photographs or, preferably, from life.

Not having ever painted, I thought perhaps I could try decorative painting on furniture.  I found an instructor in acrylic painting and signed up for a four-week class.  When I arrived at the class, she put a canvas in front of me and told me to choose a painting from one of her books and do a rendering.  Not expecting this, I explained that I thought I would be learning decorative painting, and she explained that she taught fine art.  Fortunately, I decided to stay and give it a try.

My very first painting was the rendering of "Out of the Blue" which is in a lovely book by Carolyn Blish.  I had admired her art for many years, and felt honored to be doing a rendering of one of her paintings.

My second painting was taken from a book on How to Draw and Paint Beautiful Landscapes/2 by Walter Foster.  Believe me, it was a challenge getting the atmospheric effects correct and painting the rocks accurately.

Then my four classes were over and I was on my own.  I have since experimented with various media and different styles of painting.  I enjoy the process of learning and playing with color.  It's truly a journey.