First Painting

I work in New York where the word "rush" takes on new meaning.  And I'm a technology project manager working on ridiculous deadlines.

So, my first day of class, I treated the painting like a project - with a deadline.  I didn't relax and was just a stressed when I left as when I came.  It took a few sessions for me to just get lost in the colors, the shapes, and the brushstrokes and to realize that there are no deadlines.

I was afraid to paint anything with people, anything with detail, anything "hard".  I found a painting in a magazine with a sky that I thought might not be too difficult.  I added a horizon and foreground from another picture.  I don't know who the original artist is, unfortunately.

Here's my first picture:

The beginning

I live in the black and white world of Corporate America; my creative outlets limited to designing system flows or user screens to access data. A few years ago, my friend told me about an art class for high schoolers she had joined and suggested I join her to bring up the median age of the class.  After two years, I thought it might be interesting to chronicle my journey to color and form as I find my artistic style. So Grandma Moses, move over, another Grandma is trying to join your ranks.