Thanks everyone for your comments and advice. Will take all of them on board. It may be that I am just scared to try - watch this space and whatever I do will be what I want to do.

Adele, I think it's good to constantly be trying new things, regardless of age. I paint mainly in watercolour but have recently started experimenting with acrylic inks and gesso, and although I always go back to watercolour, it's been fun playing around with something different. At my art club we also have themed workshops, often based on an artist or painting medium on which we'd had a lecture or demo the previous week - and although I started out by paying 'lip service' to these, I found that they often took me in a completely unexpected direction and inspired some of my best work. I would say try new things, don't rush through them, but give them a chance, you might be surprised where it takes you!

When I was a child, I have been scolded by my teacher for not bringing round tip brushes in my art period at school. I always used to get flat one ranging each sizes. Round tip brushes where never my comfort zone of painting and whenever I tried I failed somewhere. At the age of 14 I realised and learned the use of roundtip brushes and started learning myself. But as I grew up and till date it got worst. I never clean my brushes well. I like the texture they give when jammed with colours. I know its weird but its something creative I find. It may be the secret behind my paintings. So my comfort zone is using the messy stuff and if I come out I will explore something new I wish..

If I ever find my comfort zone, I might choose to stay in it: but I never have. I approach every painting with a sense of anxiety, even though I've been painting since I was around 15 years old - and that was 50 years ago. I always think the painting is going to be a failure - and sometimes it is, of course..... I suppose there are painters who get complacent, and keep churning out the same old stuff; but then if your interests lie in, say, landscape, the chances are you're going to keep painting landscapes. Anyway - I take not a blind bit of notice of other people's opinions or advice, I'm afraid: which isn't to say I'm immune to criticism or don't welcome comment, just that if someone told me to "stretch myself" my reply would depend on the mood I happened to be in, but it probably wouldn't be polite. It's not for anyone else to tell you what to do - they may have suggestions on how you could think about doing it, but beyond that I just don't think it's any of their business.

My wife likes to make sure my opinions fit with hers lol. She is not always right but she is never wrong

Yes I think it is the pressure I put on myself. I am not normally worried about age anyway so I don't know why I think like this. It may be a remnant of my life years ago when I tried to keep everyone happy. You sometimes forget that you have your own opinions. Thanks Paul.

I believe the answer is simple. Do whatever you are happy and comfortable with and do not cave in to pressure from anyone or anywhere to do what you are not happy with. Who cares what anyone else thinks and if they have issues then its their problem. Where is the pressure coming from? On the subject of being in your mid 60s you are a mere spring chicken with many years of painting ahead of you