...and on a rainy day...

Like most painters, I like love to paint outside but I am not always so excited to be out in the cold rain that falls in the mountains in early May.  It is a chilly 47F (8.3 C) up on my mountain and the howling wind is no
t very inviting.

On this day I decided to stay inside and while sipping my coffee, I got inspired!  I was staring out the window at my hummingbird feeder.  I do enjoy watching them and found myself really studying the little male as he flitted about and hovered effortlessly outside my window.  He seemed to periodically check to see if I was still watching -almost as if he enjoyed having an audience for his antics.  Yes, he seemed as "thirsty" as any Hollywood performer so I was suddenly motivated to immortalize him.

I like painting in this manner as much as painting en plein air.  It is still a quick paint but I love having a subject to focus upon and a very abstracted background.  In fact, I even prefer to abstract my subject more and blend him into the background a bit to create a more ethereal image.

The truth is that my studio is my comfort zone but I cannot ever be satisfied by staying in my comfort zone.  That is also a life lesson that I learned early on as well.