I recently heard someone say it is more important to love WHAT you paint than to love painting itself. I get that. I do, of course, love painting. But I am more in love with my subject.

Painting can be frustrating when you’re learning something new and when it’s not going well. What keeps me going and keeps me committed to learning more is my love of subject. I want to be better for my subject, to do it justice.

I’m still busy dialing in my new cottage, and I’m excited to share photos when it’s done. But in between appointments with the wonderful people making our new nest all it can be, I’m off painting: hiking with my favorite fur buddy, exploring new dirt roads that lead to magical places, and falling even more in love with Leelanau.

The more in love I am with these places I discover, the stronger my desire to paint it as well as I possibly can. And so I agree: If you want to paint something or someone you love, that is enough. You have the most important ingredient: love.

Along the shores of Lake Michigan makes a great studio.

This is also the impetus for the plein air work. It is not always easy. The wind is a problem, and so can be the black flies, and so it goes, but it’s the lifestyle that keeps you committed to the practice of going outside to learn from nature. It’s worth it when your standing there looking around, listening to the birds taking in the majestic beauty around you, and you begin to wonder how it is you ever work inside.