As you may know, my husband is a very talented artist. He just finished an cityscape of Philadelphia that is 48 square feet and took him over 500 hours to finish. He is pretty amazing and the hardest worker I know. We went to Mike's studio this weekend to check his paint supply and see what he needed at the art store. When we were checking out his frequently used paints, I just loved the three paint tubes next to each other. The paints are messy and kind of gross, but gorgeous just the same. What I love about Mike is that he encourages me to try new things, which is what helped lead me to finally try oil painting. I don't know about you, but it can be intimidating to try something new when you're surrounded by experts. When I worked in the art store though, I always told customers that I believed making art or pursuing their passions is for everyone. If you enjoy doing it, that is what matters. I'd rather see someone love what they are doing, than someone who is talented but with no passion. It also helps to get over caring so much about what everyone thinks of you!

It would have been so easy to just steal Mike's paints and use them, right? Ah, but the point is to work on my mixing and use the paints I have. So I mixed and experimented and was pretty pleased with my results.

Here's a detail. It reminds me of a sunrise, clouds and flower petals all at once. I'll admit, this painting is one of my favorites.

Trying new things is empowering! Which reminds me, I really want to make a life list a la the charming Erin Loechner of Design For Mankind by the end of this year and post it. Does anyone want to join me?