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This painting felt too big and too hard, so I broke the process down into steps. First, I decided that the sky couldn’t be beyond my abilities, and I mixed up the blues.

It didn’t seem beyond my grasp to shape the tops of the distant peaks.

How hard could the rest of the sky be?

Not wanting to waste the blue paint, I used it up on the 12×36″ commissioned oil painting without a deadline (THANK YOU, DM!)

I’ve painted plenty of clouds before, and they are very forgiving. That seemed like a good next step. Just mix some gray, and put it where the clouds might be darker, then put white on the bright places and smooth the two together. 

By this time, I was cold and wanted to go in the house. Instead, I turned on the stereo and put in a couple of CDs that I used to love but haven’t thought about in years. With Selah singing to me, I tackled the mountain with all its detail.

The music was going, and I forgot about being cold, forgot about wanting to go inside, forgot about thinking it was too hard, and I painted as if inspired, because maybe I was.

Time flew, I was having fun, and when it was time to quit for the day, I didn’t want to. However, the two CDs were done, and my knees hurt from standing so long.

Selah helped so much that I ordered a new CD from them. (2020 was the release date of “Step Into My Story”; sounds new to me). Yes, I put actual Compact Disks on an actual stereo and listen to it through actual speakers, actually. Why wouldn’t I? I have these items and they work beautifully. I can crank the volume without injuring my ears, and sing along without injuring anyone else’s.