Developing a personal painting style

colorful bird painting by Susan Cohen ThompsonOver the years I have noticed many people commenting that my painting style is uniquely my own. I thought this was a good topic for my blog and hope it stimulates some interesting thinking, so I invite you to write your thoughts and comments.

I have never been good at following instructions, which may account for how I developed my own style. The key is to trust yourself and follow your intuition. One delightful thing about creating art is that the artist gets to choose everything within the piece. I think I am compelled to be an artist because of this freedom.

My painting style developed as an extension of my drawings. I still use my brush like it is a pencil. I like good quality brushes and can wear out a brush after just a few paintings.

What are your thoughts on this topic?