Sometimes I pick a subject - I just want to paint sheep since I have not painted them before - or I pick something that expresses my mood today. More often I see a work by another artist that sets me "on fire" to paint - like this beautiful painting by Ingrid Christensen. Her fabulous paintings keep coming back to haunt me, both inspiring me to paint and reminding me how much I have to learn!

And so I start to paint, yet realizing that the painting will take on a life of its own. Nothing ever turns out exactly as I imagined. But I think that's a bit of the point - to create something "unthought"...existing as something new on this earth.

If I am lucky, today's painting will be a good one. If not, then … paint over it to start something new. Nothing is lost by starting something new, I think, whether its successful or not. It is in the trying that we fully live.