I think a lot of artists who come to the profession later in life find it as a means to relax or to express themselves.  I find all that true.  But if that was all there was to it, it would be just another hobby that you do when you feel like it.  A REAL artist yearns to paint.  Every day that goes by that I don't have time to paint just makes me feel like I am missing something.  If I am not painting, I am thinking about painting, what I want to paint next, or how to make my current painting even better.  It's like I am missing a part of myself when I can't paint.  

Picking the subject of my next painting is equally as important.  Usually I paint something that has personal meaning to me - Hawaii is one of my favorite subjects as I have a real passion for everything about Hawaii - from the air, to the water, to the breeze, to the people - and I especially love big, crashing waves!!  I also love birds and the detail in their feathers - the expressions on their faces. So when I sit down to paint, I am trying to capture a moment in time that meant something to me and hope that my viewers will be able to step into that moment in time with me.