"Homesick - Mt. Diablo, Ca"

"Homesick - Mt. Diablo, Ca"

16" x 20"

 Golden Acrylics on Archival Canvas Panel

This piece, created by Commission for my sweet sister-in-law Kimie and her amazing husband Garrett, has become, by far, my favorite piece I've done in the last 6 or 7 years! Those mountains, on man, did they ever give me trouble!!! Embarrassjingly enough, I started this one with the wrong Mountain in front. I don't quite know what I was thinking... But eventually, I saw my issue and was able to correct it. I honestly kept getting told, "Oh don't worry about it, no one will ever notice," but the thing is, that just never sat right with me... After all, if you're creating a work of art about a specific area, you had better make sure you get the specifics down pat, or no one will actually recognize it in the end. 

So I stuck with my gut instinct, and boy did it ever pay off! Now this piece, once the bane of my existence, has become a favorite in my house, and hopefully theirs as well! It took 4 different complete retakes of the mountains to get the shapes and coloring right, and even though it was frustrating and tiresome at points, once I got that down, the rest was a breeze! It's strange how sometimes the way we see something, even if we see that thing nearly every day, can be so skewed if we aren't careful enough to pay attention to all the tiny little details in the end... So I'm glad I didn't listen - I'm thankful I trusted my instincts for once rather than relying too heavily on other people's approval. Sometimes it's too easy to let your art become someone else's vision and not your own, so it's important to let God guide you in whatever ways He sees fit. And in this, He led me to persevere, and for that I am incredibly grateful!

I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I do, and that you get a true sense of the amazing beauty of our little area. The reflections and the water were my favorite parts to paint by far! Enjoy my friends! 💜

Photo Credit: lucentius on iStock