Let me introduce myself

Hello Steemit world

It's great to be a part of the Steemit community, to have the opportunity to share my passion for painting with you. It was my youngest son who told me about Steemit. He's into cryptocurrencies which is where he came across Steemit. Looking into it, he thought it would be a great place for me to share my artwork and get some honest feedback.

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About Me @wakesteveart

My name is Steve and I live in the southwest of England (UK). I’ve been involved in the construction industry throughout my working life. My passion is painting, I'm self-taught and find myself absolutely loving portraits in black & white. I also love running and whether I'm running or painting I find myself thinking about the big questions: Why we believe what we believe and do the things that we do? That sort of thing, nothing crazy.

How it started

I was 53 years of age, which you may think is a bit too late in life to start learning new skills and develop a new interest, but it was then when I decided to paint. I was on holiday in Venice when it happened. Faced with what I thought were some of the most fascinating views I had ever seen before, seemed to awaken something that was dormant inside.

I just had this feeling that I wanted to paint and capture on canvas what it was that had captivated me. So that was it, with no previous training, other than enjoying art at school, I embarked on my journey into the world of art.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s this,
Nothing changes unless you start that change.

I was 50 when I started running and I can honestly say that it definitely changed my life, probably saved my life. But it transformed my outlook on what I thought could be achieved. My life changed and became enriched because I started doing something new.

So now art is enriching my life too, little by little and step by step I’m beginning to see results by just sticking with it, even if it’s just half hour a day.

Be Patient

Now being just a carpenter, I'm more of a visual person and not so much the academic. So be patient with me as I share through this blog the highs and lows along the way. The fun I have had just trying to get my hands and eyes to work together and paint what I see. W​ell I knew it wasn't going to happen overnight and it would have never happened at all if I had never started to put paint on my brush which I’m pleased that I did.

When I made my thoughts known to my family about what I had decided to do while in Venice with my sudden urge to paint, my next birthday brought with it loads of paper, paint and brushes along with a lot of trial and error and unfinished paintings.

Thanks for taking the time to read my introduction. I know this blog joins thousands of others, but I hope it will in some way enrich your life, if only for the few moments while you’re reading this.

Steve.