Painting after time off

Painting again, after essentially 4 months off is a challenge.  As usual the first large painting is a slow process, painfully reminding me of my method.  I could easily put the suffering off with the justification that I am in Hawaii after all. It feels good tho, overcoming the pain of the process, and having been here before, I know it'll get better as I push through this difficult point and paint more and more frequently.  I spent a good part of this morning perusing the paintings of Albert Beirstadt, Thomas Hill and Edwin Church. Their fantastic renditions of Yosemite Valley are heavy with mood, something I hope to add to my paintings and deciding to remain faithful to my reference or lean towards fantasy is a choice I'll need to make soon with the current painting I'm working on.