A New Hobby

The end of winter is fast approaching, both from a calendar perspective and an ecological perspective. Winter is a time for many indoor activities, chief among these is having fun with various hobbies. This year I tried a new hobby. I have long admired artists who paint with oils. I dabble occasionally with watercolor but have not previously made any real attempts at oil painting.

YouTube is such an amazing resource for how to do almost any project one might think of undertaking. I have used it for gardening, repair of my lawnmower, travel, cooking and embroidery advice. Naturally, when I wanted to embark on my first oil painting, I watched some YouTube videos. They encouraged me to try my hand. Before I progress any further, please indulge me by understanding my motivation. I have undertaken this hobby, not because I believe I am particularly talented, rather my goal was to have some fun – the true motivation of a hobby.

Andrew, unwittingly became my first victim. I took this photo a few years ago.

Here is my first oil painting completed.

At least you can tell it is a person. I wasn’t displeased with it, so I started another painting.

I found this photo on Instagram. Something about the colors of the spring flowers and the background appealed to me. If I could complete a portrait, I thought I could paint a still life.

Here is my attempt to render this photograph in oil paints.

Just as Andrew’s portrait was discernible as a person, the flowers do look like flowers.

A dear friend’s dog, BoDeane, passed away recently. I asked for a photograph and made my third attempt at an oil painting. Here is the photograph.

Here is my interpretation of the photograph.

I will forever be a dilatant at whatever I undertake, and I am perfectly happy with this moniker. It has been fun to experiment and fill some hours with a pleasant hobby – no matter the outcome.

The past two weeks, I have been engaged in painting of a different sort, so I have not had time to try another canvas. Here I am painting in the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh office.

Photo courtesy of Aria Valdez

New hobbies are exciting. They are about exploration, possibilities, and creativity. I will always have some type of hobby. I cannot just sit and do nothing. While I love to read, I tend to do this only at night. To borrow a quote from Winston Churchill, who was also an amateur painter: “To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have two or three hobbies.” What are your hobbies?