This past weekend I went painting en plein air with my friend Asem and ran into some frustration.  Sometimes a painting doesn't go well and there's nothing you can do except to learn something from it.  The weather was beautiful regardless and we had a fun time hiking to our painting spot.  If you live around Bergen County, NJ, then check out our PCD En Plein Air events that I host.
 With the frustration of yesterday, I realized the importance of painting what you enjoy and what you're inspired by.  I did a painting today of a scene that I've wanted to paint for a while and it came out great.  While I was painting, I was thinking about a Sargent painting, Venetian Glass Workers (1880/2).  I've seen the painting a few times in person in Chicago and it always stuck with me.

  I'm also proud to announce that our Pushing Colored Dirt fall 2020 courses are open for registration.  I'm teaching a bunch of different adult courses and you can check out all the awesome instructors that are a part of our crew.  If you have questions you can also email me at eric@pushingcoloreddirt.com
​  I'll be writing again soon because I haven't written enough recently.  Have an awesome week.

  I'm so happy that the weather's taking the turn towards spring.  This winter was brutal for me emotionally and now I'm so happy.  The main reason is that I love being outside because my favorite activities (including painting) are done outside.
 The main reason I'm happy now is that I can ride my motorcycle (and go skating).  I brought my bike out today and I needed to inflate my tires.  So I'm including this very positive review of a new air compressor that I got from P.I. Auto Store on Amazon.  If you're looking for a great tire inflator for your bikes, motorcycles, cars and anything else that requires inflation then pick up this compressor.  A huge perk is that it has an auto shut-off when it reaches the desired PSI (it also has other metrics for measurement if you needed).  For a little extra, you can buy an adapter to attach so you can use any regular outlet instead of a cigarette lighter end.  After I got the delivery, I also got a super nice note from P.I. Auto Store to make sure that the package arrived and that it works well (which it does).
  Another quick tip, courtesy of my friend Richy, is to inflate your tires when they're cold (as in before you ride or drive).  Enjoy the weather everyone and have some fun!

  I took my bike out for a ride today and had some more good thoughts about the comparison between realist painting and motorcycles.  The amount of work that goes into the painting process is very similar to motorcycle riding.  When you see someone on a bike, that's the result of months or years of practice, a really difficult process to get a license, motorcycle maintenance, and many other factors.
 Great riders make everything on a bike look easy, but the truth is that riding is very difficult and always unpredictable; even making a simple turn requires a great sense of balance and coordination.  There is also a bond between motorcycle riders that is beautiful, much like the bond between realist painters.  I think the connection has something to do with being different in a way and almost like an outcast.  
 Riding is an art form that is also constantly perfected exactly like traditional painting.  There's no end goal, but the feeling of riding and painting is the ultimate reward.  I really love painting simply for the feeling and sensations of oil paint.  There's a specific smell that the motorcycle leaves on me when I'm done riding, much the same way oil paint has a specific smell.  I always get a lot of thinking done when I ride and when I paint and I'm thankful every day that I get to do both.  

  I just took my bike out for a ride before the winter sets in.  I'm really excited for the spring to come because my best friend and I are going to do an advanced rider course at the Riding Academy of NJ.  Anyone looking to learn how to ride a motorcycle should definitely check out the Riding Academy.  It's really important to take a safety course before you get on a bike and the Riding Academy has a fantastic program.  I'll write a blog post review after I've taken the advanced course in the spring.