Inspiration. Where to find it?

There are times you are completely at one with your creativity and you know exactly what you want to paint, what you want to say in that painting and you even know exactly what techniques you'll use.

Then there are times you want to paint, need to paint - but there is no great calling from any one subject.
What do you do in times like these?

For me, the answer is, I go to my garden. Within it there are many statues. Each one was bought because it had something special about it - and this quality I will endeavour to paint.

Do you have a store of inspiration? Is it your environment, or photos of places you have visited?

Here is the beginnings of my new painting, inspired by my garden statue, Ferdinand.

the pencil drawing

adding background washes of french ultramarine

and yellow ochre