Most of the time we psych ourselves into not doing things that we desire because we are afraid of failure. I challenged myself last year to paint landscapes for the first time and I was pretty happy with the results…once I got past the fear and the wasteful “comparison” garbage. My father had a gorgeous collection of Plein Air paintings that invited you to enter and walk through the mountains. I know I will never paint like those guys and I don’t plan to, I’m just going to go about it my way and let their spirit keep me company.

So while I’m still working on my toy soldiers, I’ve begun another series of the Santa Monica Mountains, specifically Will Rogers trails. I shouldn’t say Landscape Hell because any creative endeavor is hellish…but getting to the end makes the journey a fruitful one. I’ve had more compliments on my landscapes than any other work I’ve produced over the years. Maybe because I know the area so well, or maybe they are just saying that to be kind! Who cares? When the itch to create comes, scratch it.