Four years ago I decided I wanted to retire early. But before I did, I needed a hobby. So I said I would paint, which I had not done since the third grade. The skeptics cried "What makes you think you can paint?" "Well," I said, "I've looked at a lot of art in museums around the world, acquired some neat artwork for my house, so I think I can do this." Then I took a county class with an amazing teacher, and quickly I developed a collection of my own art. Started with Impressionist copies, moved on to landscapes, wildlife, and places I have travelled. Sometimes I paint a background and let the painting tell me what it wants to be. Often I work from a picture I have taken, a picture I find while searching, or leverage a random background provided by my Windows 10 OS. The painting process is really never the same twice, as I rarely start with the absolute end in mind.

Alas, I still have not retired, with over 950 days left on my countdown clock of my technology career, but I have continued to paint. And when my daughter was eager to hang one of my paintings in her dorm room, I knew I had arrived at a cool place. So now I'm ready to share, and maybe sell, some of my collected works.

My Neighbor's House from the Lake