Hi Friends!

Landscape art is my love and inspiration but I realize that my purpose or goal with each session differs. I have so many, maybe too many, varied interests that I think keep me from progressing in any of them. I get inspired by the thought of painting something every day hoping that quantity will help produce quality. This would be more of a "sketching whatever is available or accessible", keeping things quick and portable. Maybe urban sketching techniques would fit here? The purpose is more capturing your impressions and daily life, even daily outings. Small sketchbooks and sketch kits then would be very useful, but I'm not learning how to paint using puddles and washes. Then I see how people keep nature journals, whose purpose is to capture, record, and interact with the landscape. I love this. The finished painting is not so much the purpose but the interaction. This is how I started painting. Keeping a nature journal or a perpetual nature journal seems so enriching and meaningful. Some are quite simple and lovely and others are works of art, but again, these are not long painting sessions. I don't enjoy painting just one object in nature as much as a scene.

Despite all these interests and options, I've not done much of any painting, lately. I am helping to care for my parents, (my dad is in end-stage liver disease) and managing my own household. I am full of so many emotions trying to process saying goodbye to my dad and being a help and relief for my mom. Each day is super busy and unpredictable with some pockets of unplanned downtime that I'm never prepared to take advantage of. Do I focus on quick sketches, or try to get in brush miles, or plan for longer painting sessions? I do enjoy Olly's tutorials and tips so much. Maybe a class would be helpful? I wish I had a real-life painting friend or class, but I have not found any for watercolor. But I know that so many have flourished in much harder circumstances and I want to do this as well. I hope that some of this makes sense. I do greatly appreciate this forum.