I'm Back!

I'm back!  I took a short break from the small daily paintings because I wanted to focus on something bigger.  I felt the small paintings weren't overall what I wanted to dedicate myself to.  I think they're a great exercise, but I thought it was time to think about the bigger picture for myself.

I am an artist by self declaration.  I am a painter by choice.  I've never been a overly talented artist, it is just something I have always had a knack for.  I never even painted before college.  But I thought, "What do I want for myself?  What kind of life do I want to live?"  And ultimately I chose the life of an artist would be the best path for me.  I want a life where I can create and express whatever I want to.  I want a life where I can constantly learn and grow.  That is why I am a painter.  And I don't know if anyone reads this, but I am going to write in this almost as a personal journal.  (Even though I already have a personal journal).  This might be a way in which a curious person can get an insight into my life as a painter.  

Now that I've vented a little bit, I want to share what I am working on currently.  

This is a painting I have in progress.  I am using an image I have taken of my girlfriend, Renee, at the rose garden.  We spent a day together doing a, sort of, photoshoot for both hers and my purposes.  Also, I just got this new camera! (Fujifilm XE-2) And I was really excited to use it.  I bought it ,using the money I earned from a commission, specifically for taking reference photos for paintings.  It was one of a few recommended cameras from my studio mate, Hiroshi Sato, who is a very good painter himself.  (He's taught me a lot.)  So I settled on the Fujifilm and I am very happy with it. 

Exploring

I am very inspired by how many great artists have painted the figure in the landscape.  Painters like Monet, Sargent, Sorolla, just to name a few, have been big influences for this.  So I am working on different ideas I've had using this subject.

What I love about it

There is a special power in nature that we tend to forget by being separated from it.  I believe it has a special connection to the soul and has a healing capability for much of what modern society suffers from.  Since I grew up in the city, I would fantasize about a life living in nature.  When I think of peaceful places like trees in the forest, or sitting on a river bank listening to bugs and bird sounds, or overlooking the ocean on a cliff, it just makes me feel better.  I get a similar feeling from paintings that have captured those types of scenes as well.  A beautifully painted field gives you both the sense of awe of nature and the awe of a beautiful painting.  So this is part of why I have chosen this subject to explore.