I want to be an “Artist”!

I'm what you consider a "So You Wanna Be" but I don't want to be that, I want to be an "Artist"!  It's complicated and I am trying to find my way! This is my most recent painting, I spent many hours these past few days creating it.  For this project, I fall somewhere in the middle but it leans more towards a "So You Wanna Be".  It was created from my own photograph, I integrated a bit of a process both which would make me an "Artist" yet I have not developed my own original style nor did I get into that "flow state" during the creation.  Like I said, it's complicated!

I started reading the book I bought a couple of weeks ago at an art gallery in Port Angeles, Washington.  

While reading and then re-reading both 

Chapter 1 called "Becoming" and Chapter 2 called "The Practice".....

 .....I made notes in my sketch journal.  Before reading any further, 

it was time to put to use some of the take aways I took away so far.

After hiking to Odaray Grandview at Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park on September 23rd, I knew I wanted to try and paint one of my photographs.  I scrolled through them and came up with a few that resonated with me.  This is the one that spoke the loudest!  We were nearing the end of our hike, the rain stopped, the clouds moved away just enough to see new snow on the peaks, the larch trees were prime, the ground cover was a gorgeous shade and there was even a reflection in the puddle.  

The location where I took the photo was at McArthur Pass, where the bottom brush is pointed, just after passing by Schaffer Lake.  The view in the photo, where the top brush is pointed, is Wiwaxy Peaks with glaciers in the background. 

Before placing any pencil sketchings on the paper, I first roughed out on a practice sheet, a few of the items I wanted to incorporate into the creation showing the colours that I felt would work.  

Time then came to pencil sketch a basic outline of the mountains, pathway, boulder and a faint line showing where the trees would begin and end.   After I figured out a plan of what order to paint everything, I then began to lay the shades.  When I felt I made it look the best I could make it look, I declared it a finished creation.  

I want to have my own original style but I don't know what that is or what it looks like or if I will even be able to find it.  Maybe one day it will just be there and I will no longer be a "So You Wanna Be".  I will continue to find my way but oh boy this is complicated!