We can always carry this a step further. There’s really no end to this. Be careful. You can always add more – but you can’t take it away. These things happen automatically. All you have to do is just let them happen. If you’ve been in Alaska less than a year you’re a Cheechako. Everything’s not great in life, but we can still find beauty in it. I like to beat the brush.

Maybe there’s a happy little Evergreen that lives here. I will take some magic white, and a little bit of Vandyke brown and a little touch of yellow. Decide where your cloud lives. Maybe he lives right in here. We have all at one time or another mixed some mud. Just use the old one inch brush. Let’s put some highlights on these little trees. The sun wouldn’t forget them.

And that’s when it becomes fun – you don’t have to spend your time thinking about what’s happening – you just let it happen. Let your heart be your guide. We tell people sometimes: we’re like drug dealers, come into town and get everybody absolutely addicted to painting. It doesn’t take much to get you addicted. I’m going to mix up a little color. We’ll use Van Dyke Brown, Permanent Red, and a little bit of Prussian Blue. If we’re gonna walk though the woods, we need a little path. It’s a good way of getting rid of all your anxieties and hostilities.

Work on one thing at a time. Don’t get carried away – we have plenty of time. You want your tree to have some character. Make it special. In your imagination you can go anywhere you want. The shadows are just like the highlights, but we’re going in the opposite direction. Trees cover up a multitude of sins. You create the dream – then you bring it into your world.

Once you learn the technique, ohhh! Turn you loose on the world; you become a tiger. We don’t make mistakes we just have happy little accidents. Let’s build some happy little clouds up here. This is gonna be a happy little seascape. You don’t have to spend all your time thinking about what you’re doing, you just let it happen. Just let your mind wander and enjoy. This should make you happy.

We’ll paint one happy little tree right here. We artists are a different breed of people. We’re a happy bunch. You have to make those little noises or it won’t work. And I will hypnotize that just a little bit. Steve wants reflections, so let’s give him reflections. We’ll put all the little clouds in and let them dance around and have fun.