Sources of Inspiration

Because I just began year #5 of blogging, I’m reposting some of my older articles for my newer readers.

Hidden Garden 5, oil on canvas, 8×10, $90

Sometimes people ask what my sources of inspiration are. Most are probably asking about what gives me ideas for drawing or painting. It is an easy question to answer.

My life experiences give me ideas. When I was a kid, a teen and even a young adult, it was a challenge to decide what to draw. As I aged, the number of choices grew. Now, by the time I have sorted through all my ideas, there is hardly any time left to draw or paint!!

So often I have read biographies and artist’s statements that say “I have always been fascinated by light and shadow” or perhaps by “reflection” or “movement” or “textures” or “shapes”. (My inner cynic responds with “Duh, what artist isn’t?” It is a continual challenge to keep her from talking too much.)

My main source of inspiration is BEAUTY! Sometimes it is natural and other times man-made, sometimes it is rustic simplicity, the way colors look together or the patina of age. Most often it is the way sunlight makes a normal object look beautiful. Once I had a job in a kitchen at a summer camp, and my coworkers would laugh at me when I would notice the beautiful color of iced tea, or the way the colors in the salad complimented one another. (But I am not scarred by the ridicule. Thanks for your concern.)

Now I think back to how I noticed colors, and wonder why I chose graphite pencil as my medium? My very wise Dad used to say (often!), “Life is full of surprises”. Well Dad, my life is full of questions. Perhaps I’ll tackle that graphite question in another blog post.