I edit out many photos from my shots, and find I'm - here we go - drawn to contrasts! I want more than one thing going on in the image - the rock pool against the ocean waters, the vertical surf against the horizontal sky line of the horizon, the languid edge of the water curling back towards me against the firm curl of land going away from me.
Why paint from photos? Why aren't the photos "enough?"
I paint for the experience of getting into the feel of these contrasts and to bring them forward to the viewer as well as myself, emphasizing the contrasts with brush stokes, color, and composition. I hope to bring the same satisfaction and exhilaration to the viewer as I experience here.