My first painting in years....

Drawing was my first foray into the creative world and, although I'm not much cop, it's something that I go back to whenever I get the head space to do it.  I always feel that, to paint well, I need time and space and most definitely peace.  It's not a "Zen" thing, more that I get so involved that I don't really notice anyone else!  So, after years of occupied baby thoughts, I managed to squirrel away some time to paint. 
It takes a bit of doing in my rush-around life, I can tell you!   I have to try to get a week ahead on work, cleaning, laundry and all those daily jobs to free up a couple of nap-times to the task.  But, the push of my Mother's 70th birthday, gave me the push I needed.
  I knew I wouldn't get the time to sit outside and paint from nature *sigh* so I chose a favourite image from my Honeymoon.  We travelled up to Scotland, stopping off at Lake Windermere on the way.  Now, my husband is the photographer in the family (and pretty good he is too), but this is one I took and I just loved the light and thought it would be a step up from other paintings I have done.
I am finally at the age where I can paint and not freeze up, worrying that any more may spoil what I've already done.  This has always been my problem (and there are only so many times you can say that the half finished look is what you were going for...) but I soldiered on and am sooooo chuffed with how it came out.  So, without further ado, here it is!

 Here you have day 1 and day 2 final colour detail painting and the paintings done by my girls (of course they had to get in on the action)  I framed their work as well for their rooms and lovely they look too.  

Oh, by the way, she loves it!