Landscapes can be nice...

3 Trees 3x5 oil

Here's the deal, I hate painting landscapes. I won't even pretend that I enjoy it. I Love to see what a true landscape artist can do and admire their ability to create stunning pieces of art within that genre.

People ask me, can you paint my cow standing in a bed of fallen autumn leaves? Ummm,No.
Can you paint my horse in front of my house with all my beautiful flowers? Ummm, No.

I finally gave up a few years back and decided if they REALLY wanted their house, home farm, laundry , dog and kids included in the background of their painting I would acquiesce for a fee. It usually involved an additional 5 - 6 figure price tag and usually people very politely decided to leave me to what I do best. Minimal, non obstructive background fillers.

The aggravation to this portrait painter is that in my mind is a finished product. The job is for my eyes, fingers and grey matter to translate that mental image onto a canvas. Give me a horse, toad or cow and I can to it. For some reason ask me to paint a blade of grass, replicate a cloud or grow a tree my brain goes on vacation. Apparently if it isn't furry or covered in feathers my brain cells will not participate in the process what so ever.

For some reason unknown to me, occasionally I attempt to educate myself and try to convey a mental image in to an oily representation of what landscape is in my noggin. Todays painting is my attempt to make it a bit more fun and less stressful for my neurons. I actually like how it turned out.

Maybe it was that fact that I did not have a photo reference, or I did not sit out in the open tediously trying to capture every tidbit of bark and maybe it was the use of non tradition "earth" colours but on a whole I liked the outcome.

So maybe this was a bit like playing golf...now that I have had one good shot I'll keep trying landscapes with the belief that I can sink that hole in one!!