It's a new hobby that has resulted in great benefits.
The paintings of Michael Bergerman of Humboldt are being showcased at Humboldt and District Museum and Gallery this fall.
"It is a sample of some of my paintings," said Bergerman about his display.
Bergerman started painting last year, but his paintings do not reflect inexperience. He paints in a wide variety of styles, from abstract to impressionist.
"I paint a lot of abstracts with a lot of random colours," said Bergerman. "I'm starting to get into more realism with stuff like (nature)."
Bergerman started painting after discovering some blank canvasses in his house.
"My wife had bought some canvasses four years ago and no one had used them," said Bergerman. "I thought I'd try it."
After his first painting, Bergerman said he was hooked and wanted to continue. He explained he finds it relaxing and a good stress relief.
"It is a nice hobby to do when I have the time," he noted.
He works mainly with acrylic paint.
"The first one I did was oil - since then I have (worked with) acrylic," said Bergerman.
He said the oil painting took too long to dry, which made him a little impatient.
"Acrylic dries a whole lot faster and is easier to clean up," he noted. "I find it a lot easier to work with acrylic."
Although Bergerman has had no formal training, he did take one class at St. Peter's College in Muenster. The class was an introduction to painting, which he said didn't fit in with what he wanted to learn.
"I wanted to know how to achieve different techniques, not how to paint," he explained.
Bergerman draws inspiration for his work from other artists.
"I get a lot of ideas from looking at other paintings I've seen," he remarked.
He said he does not copy other artists' works, but looks at how they paint and tries to use the same techniques and ideas in his paintings.
Bergerman's display will be at the museum until the end of October.
