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I am not the type to keep an ongoing sketchbook handy or spend hours developing compositions. Maybe I should, but nah. I follow my intuition, allowing an idea to unfold in its own way. Occasionally I will play around with elements of an idea but it soon gets trashed or to goes straight to canvas. The following is how this particular series came into being. 

Well the jury is still deliberating on the title question,  but it was a healthy challenge and a lot of fun. While it is still more in 'my style' of work, it is not my usual fare.  It also  has a sentimental value to my family, which makes this more of a personal treasure.  My client is my sis-in-law who, along with my husband, was born in this area - Sidmouth, Devon, England. They spent many summers traveling back 'home'. She and the in-laws had just spent a couple weeks there when she decided she'd like a painting commemorating her trip and background. I used some personal touches specific to her in the work. Below are pictorial insights in the making of this piece. Please, feel free to leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

"When nothing is sure, everything is possible"

I am never sure about what I am doing when I start new work. This is not so much a creative block as it is an overwhelm of ideas. 

I find inspiration everywhere but when I sit down to get it out on canvas, it goes all sideways. 

I stubbornly and routinely attempt to start with a theme in mind, only to be sidelined in a whole different direction. It has taken some time but I finally accept the fact that I am what is known as a 'process painter' - meaning I just start working at it until something appeals to me.