The Feeling of Painting

The feeling of painting outdoors.  The start begins with searching my thoughts about the possibilities.  There is a general anticipation and a sorting process where I think about what kind of day it will be in some of the areas that I would like to paint.  I am thinking what the actual painting will feel like from a best case scenario.  At this point I am not even sure where I will be painting.  These feelings and thoughts are about the colors and what they will be like at the location I am trying to decide on.

When I get to the location I scout it out.  I am trying to pick the best spot based on the time of day.  I am looking for the most interesting composition.  My personal trends and interests guide my decision making.

The board's under painting is determined by the type of day and the potential subject I am going to paint.  Anticipation builds as the board is created.  I get a fuzzy feel for the colors that will work on the board.

I set up my gear and determine the details of the composition.  Based on the size of my board and the subject that I want to paint I lay out the preliminary design in a sketch. 

Once I start drawing everything starts to change.  I feel a tremendous sense of urgency.  As I begin to draw everything begins to fade out of focus except for me, the landscape, and my drawing. 

I lose track of the time.  I am constantly trying to observe the details of the painting.  I am comparing each part of the painting to every other part of the painting.  There is an intense awareness of the painting at the expense of everything else.  There is a feeling of tunnel vision where everything else on the peripheral goes out of focus.  Although I can still hear thing around me it is like someone turned down the volume by half.  My other senses and needs become reduced.  It is like I am at the center of a tornado.  My mind is the calmness and the act of painting is like the wind.  There have been times when I don't realize that I am getting sun burned until I reach this point when the painting is done and I snap out of this trance like state as if I was hypnotized and suddenly brought to.  When I am painting I don't know I am thirsty until I finish the painting.