An Inspiring Quote

"The man is a success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much; who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had."
-Robert Louis Stevenson

Daily Painting - Day 23

An Improved Poppy
5x7 Pastel Quick Study

Do what you love and love what you do!

"Whatever you like doing, do it!  And keep doing it.  Work hard!  In the end, passion and hard work beat out natural talent. (And anyway, if you love what you do, it's not really "work" anyway.) - Pete Docter, animator

Daily Painting - Day 8

Mountain Road 2
5x7 Quick Study

Same inspiration photo as yesterday but different approach.  I lowered the horizon line to put a little more emphasis on the clouds.  I also created the underpainting with cooler colors giving the entire painting a cooler feeling.  Still there is good contrast between warm and cool colors.  I also left out the tree(s) on the right side hoping the mountain range would help balance things out (not sure).