Painting From Visual Memory and Imagination

Have you ever looked at something for a long time and then closed your eyes and tried to see the image in your mind's eye?  That's your visual memory.  It's a muscle that can be developed to aide in the creation of paintings! 

Athletes use it all the time when they try to "imagine" themselves performing a trick or move with precision.  If they can see themselves doing it in their imagination, chances are they can execute it when they try it for real. 

I use my visual memory all the time when I create thumbnail sketches for future paintings and sometimes to create a whole new painting - like this one!

I haven't named it yet.  It's part of a series I'm doing of the Pacific Northwest.  It's about 16"x12"