If you are wondering what to paint, look down!

If you ever struggle with 'what shall I paint next?' then there is no better recommendation than to look around you. If you love painting flowers, look down!
Even the humble weeds can be inspiration for a painting.

Here is my version of a common weed in the UK,

The Happy Dandelion

Painted on Saunders Waterford, 140lb Rough paper, using W&N Artist Quality paint. 

8" x 11"

A holiday, painting inspiration and the handsome Paddy

Recently we took a little holiday.
Four days of enjoying the countryside with my two loves; hubby and Paddy.

The photos from the trip are HERE

and little Paddy looked so cute when he placed his paws on the door of our folding camper that he inspired this painting:

Paddy

On Saunders Waterford paper, 140lb rough

15" x 11"

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

Inspiration

Sometimes I'm asked where my inspiration comes from - and the truthful answer is " from everywhere!"

From my grandfather who served and paid a very great price

"Remember Me"



to the plight of homeless dogs

"Change my World - Rescue Me"



to the words of popular songs (this one was Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven)

"Beyond the Door"


And then I find inspiration in common things around me, such as a coffee cup and a book

"Code318"


and Missy running for a ball

"Come to mummy"


a sculpture in the woods:

"Bear in the Woods"




and as you've recently seen, one of my garden gargoyles.
To paraphrase a certain popular song : Inspiration is all around. :)

‘Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.’ Confucius

Inspiration

Sometimes I am asked, where do you get your inspiration for paintings from?

The answer is - many places.
As with the painting of St Nicholas Church, it was from seeing the thing in front of me and thinking "that'll make a good painting"

In the case of the painting below it was some words from a song.
The song spoke of someone's love slipping through their fingers.
That made me think how can you portray love slipping through someone's fingers?
Suddenly the words to another song popped into my brain.. sowing the seeds of love.

Now it was easy - find a model to hold their hands in a cup shape (my husband was very handy at this point!) and draw from there. The hands were also roughened up a bit to represent a farmer's hands - for who else would be sowing? Add in some seeds and I have a painting.

A painting that speaks of love.
On a few levels...

On one level - that all the time we win, we lose, we are still sowing the seeds of future love.
On another level, it speaks of the love of a farmer for his land, and the love invested in growing for the future.
And on one more level, it speaks of the One Great Farmer, who holds us all in His hands, and the love He sows.

"Sowing the Seeds"