Today is my 37th birthday, and this is what I did.
For Christmas and my birthday I asked for oil painting supplies. I’ve never painted with oils before, but I’ve been immersing myself in Bob Ross on Netflix and I really wanted to try it out.
It’s completely backwards in some ways to watercolors, which is the medium I’m more familiar with. Highlights go on last in oils, whereas if you want something light in watercolors you have to do it first, then mask it or avoid painting over it, which is why a lot of people prefer oils to watercolors.
The only drawback to oils that I can see at the moment is the strong smell and the days-long drying time. I’m looking forward to developing my technique and rendering some favorite photographs in oils during the next year. If you’re a person I see regularly, you’ll probably end up with a painting of your own by the end of the year — I certainly won’t have a place for everything I intend to paint!
Erin Bartels 
Gorgeous!
Do you find that painting helps spark more creativity for your writing? I find that creative cross-training is helpful; mine involves sewing and dance.
I’m not sure if there is a direct link, but visual time (painting, photography, just walks in beautiful places) seems important to my overall well-being, which certainly must improve my writing capacity. I’m deeply influenced by landscapes and the moods of places I see, photograph, and paint. To me, sewing is nice in that it is a quicker process than writing a novel with a palpable end result that can be useful and used immediately upon completion. Paintings are also shorter-term projects with the satisfaction of completion, but with less apparent usefulness. š
Really beautiful, especially the trees and clouds; love the mood it conveys, and it speaks to what’s probably an awesome kindness within you.
Foremost, I’m a writer, but I’m a Bob Ross student also and deeply enjoy painting in oils. I’m trying the lose the “technical” feel to painting (my Beaver personality) and put more emotion into my strictly hobbyist efforts. I’m having real fun with what I’m doing, and I believe that’s the point.
Please do keep us posted on your journey in oils… this is a truly lovely start. God bless.
Thank you, Sharon! I’ve now done four oil paintings and I am really enjoying it. It’s nice as a writer, isn’t it, to create in a completely different medium. A rest for the mind and the soul. Thank you for reading and commenting.