Concept:

 

Well, you have to start somewhere, and this was my beginning in oils at 16 years old. 

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I saved up money and walked to the Westland Mall, the nearest mall to me, where there was a crafts store that had a decent amount of art supplies. So, on that magical summer day, I purchased my first set of Grumbacher Pre-Tested Oil set, an additional tube of William Alexander's Indian Yellow, a 1/4" flat brush, a small round bristle brush, a bottle of linseed oil, and a bottle of paint thinner and a three pack of 9"x12" canvas boards. 

This painting was my third attempt, with the first two being complete and utter failures.
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My first attempt was to paint a monochromatic painting of a tree from my imagination. It didn't take long to realize this was my disaster, so I placed the canvas to the side and got out canvas #2. I decided this time to get some small round coffee cups from the kitchen cupboard and do a simple still life – this was my second disaster. I then poured through some of my family set of Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedias and found a couple of photos of lighthouses, and I liked this one best. 
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I sketched it out in pencil first, something I did with my first five or so paintings, and then sketched out my paintings first with oil paint. Then, finally, I added those two horribly rigid waves that looked like a set of railroad tracks. 
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I include this because I keep this painting next to me as a reminder of how far I've come as a painter.