Relaxation through oil painting

Whenever I start to paint I drift into another world and very quickly lose all track of time. It is just amazing how it completely absorbs my attention and working on even a small corner of a painitng brings me into a world of colour and movement, light and shade, trying to capture expressions and moods. When painting people I focus on capturing their character and mood rather their exact facial features.
If ever I thought an activity would be suitable for therapy I think (for me anyway) painting is fantastic. You just drift away into the theme and task in front of you and it really startles me at times when I stand back from what I am painting to see what has been achieved and has formed on the canvas.
I must admit also that, at different times, the painting I end up is different to the concept I had when starting out. This is particulary so in the case of abstract themes but also happens a good deal with figurative paintings. In a way it is part of the pleasure of painting also to see what unfolds.
I am influenced a lot by the colours and designs I see around me and if I go to an exhibition somehow the work of some artists strikes a chord with me and inevitably they will influence my style and themes. I particularly like the 'Impressionists' and other schools of painting from that era and their bold use of colour and brushstrokes has influenced me in what I try to achieve.
For anybody who might be tempted to paint I would encourage you to just get on with using your brushes and build your feel for colours and enjoy the effects you achieve with the paint