The mood of oil paint
Oil is a very special medium, not only it requires special knowledge and skills but a special state of mind, I would call it a mood of oil paint. Some days you feel the crispy air with your skin and you know exactly what colors you would mix. And yet another day you can fruitlessly spend trying to select a right color, but it does not want to surrender. Follow your soul; just give it up for a better mood. There are dozens of different oil painting techniques; hundreds and hundreds of books were written on the subject, and yet I believe none of them will make you an artist or will teach you whatever the author is trying to tell. To succeed on painting with oil you should learn to listen to your inner teacher, to your instincts, and to your mood.