I love being outside so this is where I paint the majority of my work.  Being on location allows me to spend a lot of time observing my surroundings, especially if a larger work requires me to revisit a site multiple times.  Since I don't use any reference photos, this often creates a helpful pressure to focus, knowing that I have to get my information while I am at a particular place and working under certain lighting conditions.  This is oddly relaxing as I become engrossed in observing all that is around me.

Because I spend this time outside I find I am often rewarded by something interesting showing up.  Birds (including brightly colored warblers and other migratory song birds), animals and people may unexpectedly pass by, allowing me to include them in my paintings.  Unlike a snapshot, the finished piece is not a moment in time but the sum of multiple moments in time. While these details may or may not be immediately evident, I like knowing they're there, the chance of finding them much like  the joy of discovery when spending time outside.