Unfortunately I've never had any formal training in art (either through technique or through study) - and it wasn't until after college that I realized that this was a passion of mine - so it's been pretty slow going. I've been taking a number of classes and practicing on my own, starting to become more familiar with oil painting and generally trying to improve my technique and composition.

However where my real passion lies is in art history. Specifically I've been spending a considerable amount of time studying, researching, and collecting Ukiyo-e (Edo-era Japanese woodblock prints). It's an incredible art form and to study it is to study the complete culture of Japan in the 17th to 19th century. I'm lucky as I live less than a mile away from the Harvard art library and have a friend that works as a librarian there - so I end up spending a lot of time checking out research material, studying, and learning. (For example, right now I'm reading a book on Kabuki theater and its relevance within the context of Ukiyo-e.)

I've started to write a little bit about the art form (as my time allows, which is kind of challenging) here: http://ukiyoe.tumblr.com/

I also run the Ukiyo-e sub-Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/ukiyoe/

I hope to do more research and writing in this area during the upcoming months, time permitting of course!