Paint by Numbers #1 Painting

I am a self-taught artist-painter located in Plymouth, Michigan, born in Oakland, California. I have lived and worked in the U.S.A., Canada, The United Kingdom, Germany, and Singapore. I’m a self taught painter as are all painters. You must put in the hours at the easel. The only path for a painter is to paint. You are not wasting paint or ruining canvas/paper. It’s only through your own mistakes that you learn to become a painter. How do I start a painting? Something catches my eye; a shadow, a shape, some type of contrast. I see something that is not there, or more than what is there, or different from what is there. This impression will sometimes result in a verbal phrase, a few words. It’s not a title but perhaps an emotion, or a feeling, or a response to what I see. These are the seeds of a new painting. The best of a half a dozen Notan sketches establishes the armature/feng shui, main abstract shapes, value plan and division of space. I can proceed directly to painting unless there is a man made object that requires a detailed drawing. I paint landscapes. Some are impressionistic and others are more abstract. Watercolour is my favorite medium. As with any medium, there are limitations which lead me to add ink, gouache, and acrylic. I will sometimes add accents with conté or oil pastels. For the past 5 years or so, I have focused on painting a series with a single subject. I find these constraints stimulates my creative vision. The southern California beach scene is what I have chosen for my newest series. I work from photographs. They provide an idea about the dream or the reality of SoCal. My imagination takes over and I try to express my feelings about the scene my artists eye sees.