working quickly to find a rhythm

work in progress - oil on panel

Started two small paintings today;  this is one of them. It's from a boat trip I took in the Thousand Islands while at my friend Sherry's cottage.  I'm sure this island has a name but I dont know what it is.  I remember jumping off big rocks like these into the water when I was a kid at my friends cottage. We had a tire on a rope that would swing out over the water. what fun it was.

I like flat brushes best. My favorite for small paintings is a # 6 flat.  I used an angled flat # 10 for the big flat areas before switching to #6. It took me about an hour and a half to get to this stage.  I block in and put the first paint application on quickly. Working quickly, intuition kicks in, which prevents over-thinking, somehow giving me a fresher look.  All this, gets me into a rhythm which I find peaceful.   I rarely can finish a painting in one sitting. I need space and distance from it to know when it's done.