Painting the mood

I'm often asked how I go about creating a painting. It's not about the image, per say, but more about the mood of the story being created. I don't paint what is there but rather what mood I feeling that day, in that moment. In the painted below, it's not so much about the scene at a cafe, but the movement within the scene. The people enjoying themselves is the mood I was in, which creates the story of the story through color, composition and all the people. The colors reflect the emotions within me. My paintings are self-portraits of what's going on in my life at that particular day.

Creating a story speaks to the viewer more than the image. They may not realize it but it's happening! What I, as the artist, feel the viewer can feel too. See if that's for you in this "Afternoon Cafe" painting. Can't you feel yourself there, in the painting? Don't you feel the warmth of the sun as it creates a soft breeze? You are experiencing a painting from the artist point of view. It's all about the mood of the painting, not the image. The image is a stage in which the artist works to create.

Thanks for reading. BTW- This painting is for sale, contact me.