On the counter Painting

I consider myself a self-taught artist in terms of not having received any art education or any guidance from an art teacher. Everything I have learned so far is from personal search, art books, and online tutorials. From an early age, I had a continuous urge to draw and sketch whatever caught my attention. Colored pencils and markers were my favorite purchase and in general, every artistic material that would help me be creative. As I grew up I experimented with different art mediums such as graphite pencils, charcoal, pastels, acrylics, egg tempera, and more recently oil paints which at the beginning were homemade. For several months, I used to practice Iconography, and apart from learning a different and more guided approach in painting I had the opportunity to get familiar with wood shaping and carving. As a result later on I made my easel from scratch and focused on oil painting. For the past four years and especially the last two I have been practicing painting related to various subjects. I usually paint from a reference photo or direct observation. I paint what I see but almost in every piece I can't help but add brushstrokes driven from my imagination. It can be a different background or an additional part that simply compliments the overall image of the painting. Whatever the medium my aim is to express my emotions through the process and take my painting composition to another level beyond realism.