A NEW KIND OF BURGER...

As trees get older they lose their chlorophyll. Nice little clouds playing around in the sky. If these lines aren't straight, your water's going to run right out of your painting and get your floor wet. Everybody needs a friend. When you do it your way you can go anywhere you choose. There are no limits in this world.

If you've been in Alaska less than a year you're a Cheechako. Use what happens naturally, don't fight it. I really believe that if you practice enough you could paint the 'Mona Lisa' with a two-inch brush. Maybe there's a happy little bush that lives right there. Van Dyke Brown is a very nice brown, it's almost like a chocolate brown. The only prerequisite is that it makes you happy. If it makes you happy then it's good. We don't want to set these clouds on fire.

Zip. That easy. Every single thing in the world has its own personality - and it is up to you to make friends with the little rascals. Even trees need a friend. We all need friends. This is the time to get out all your flustrations, much better than kicking the dog around the house or taking it out on your spouse. You have to make these big decisions. It takes dark in order to show light. Once you learn the technique, ohhh! Turn you loose on the world; you become a tiger.

Little trees and bushes grow however makes them happy. You can create anything that makes you happy. A beautiful little sunset. Look around, look at what we have. Beauty is everywhere, you only have to look to see it. You don't have to be crazy to do this but it does help. Maybe there's a happy little Evergreen that lives here. You can create beautiful things - but you have to see them in your mind first. Exercising the imagination, experimenting with talents, being creative; these things, to me, are truly the windows to your soul.

I can't think of anything more rewarding than being able to express yourself to others through painting. I will take some magic white, and a little bit of Vandyke brown and a little touch of yellow. That's the way I look when I get home late; black and blue. Just go back and put one little more happy tree in there. Remember how free clouds are. They just lay around in the sky all day long. If you didn't have baby clouds, you wouldn't have big clouds. If there's two big trees invariably sooner or later there's gonna be a little tree.

You got your heavy coat out yet? It's getting colder. You are only limited by your imagination. Let's do it again then, what the heck. Pretend you're water. Just floating without any effort. Having a good day. See. We take the corner of the brush and let it play back-and-forth. It all happens automatically. I'm going to mix up a little color. We’ll use Van Dyke Brown, Permanent Red, and a little bit of Prussian Blue.

We're not trying to teach you a thing to copy. We're just here to teach you a technique, then let you loose into the world. Trees live in your fan brush, but you have to scare them out. Didn't you know you had that much power? You can move mountains. You can do anything. Be so very light. Be a gentle whisper. You're meant to have fun in life. I guess I'm a little weird. I like to talk to trees and animals. That's okay though; I have more fun than most people. We have no limits to our world. We're only limited by our imagination.

Put it in, leave it alone. Just take out whatever you don't want. It'll change your entire perspective. There's nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend. I spend a lot of time walking around in the woods and talking to trees, and squirrels, and little rabbits and stuff. This is a fantastic little painting.