One of my hobbies is landscape painting but I often neglect it for periods of time. Indeed, I tend to resume painting in mid summer and mid winter when the weather is less inviting for outdoor activities.
Rather than paint at the location or from a photograph, my landscapes are purely imaginary or, more often, inspired by scenery that I have encountered in the past. I prefer acrylic paints (which clean up with soap and water) and generally complete each painting in a matter of hours or days. Somewhat impressionistic, they tend to be colorful, perhaps reflecting my personal view of the natural world. Over the past few days I have completed three of them, which now adorn the walls of our Littleton farm house; to consider selling them would be pure folly.
In my experience, most individuals who paint find that it is relaxing and therapeutic and usually combine the activity with listening to music; as a naturalist, I also find that painting landscapes is a form of paying homage to nature and her varied ecosystems. Finally, the finished product reminds me of pleasant excursions in the past and encourages me to explore other locations. If you have never tried painting, I highly recommend that you take the plunge, regardless of your self-perceived artistic talent.
