I've drawn, sketched, scribbled and painted landscapes in lead, pen & ink, charcoal, conte crayon, oil, acyrilc, pastels, inks, dyes, and watercolours my entire life, going back to a kid. I find it naturally invigorating, especially if there's an extra challenge to the painting of it. I always need to push against something to get the best, I need the tension. I have always done landscapes live, in real-time, in the here & now, no matter the season, no matter the subject, no matter the medium. There's nothing like it.
I don't draw from photographs , except as backup reference, but I always create it live, go back many times if I have to. Smell it. Taste it. Be in awe of it. Whatever the medium, in this case, brush and ink (a stark binary choice: ink or not?), it's not about the image or the design (although those things are important), it's about getting my head right, and getting my gear out, and just doing it. It's not always comfortable. In fact comfort breeds mediocrity.
I painted some of my best landscapes when it was hard; winter, cold AF, pouring rain, windy, whatever, sweltering hot. To me iwas bring it, because the practical barriers and the environmental challenges, and the unpredictable twists of reality are part of the journey, part of the art, the hard part. And it makes for more dramatic work, IMO.
So, if the challenge isn't there, if the inconvenience and natural impediments are not enough, I add to the drama, I make it harder, intentionally. Because for me, I know from experience that it will likely be better. And so it was with Lake Psilocybin. Yes, oh I see, now it makes sense. Mushrooms. I saw a burning sun setting and sea creatures that September evening in Northern Ontario, caught between the surface of my mind, and my memory.