Monday, June 22, 2009

Hearts-A-Flutter

I had walked down to the pharmacy from home the other day and noticed all the different windows on the houses along the way. There are a lot of older homes in my neighborhood and their windows are like large expressive eyes looking out at the world. This little painting began to evolve like a story line. Was there a cat behind one of the windows, sitting in the sun, watching for movement in the garden.

Where does inspiration come from? Do you find it in everyday objects or your daily routine? Do you set aside time for a walk, or to go out photographing, or just take a ride in the country? I am interested in how each artist finds and develops their subject matter. What I found for myself is that I often have several ideas going at any given time, yet sometimes I focus on one particular theme. For example, I grew up next door to my grandparent’s farm which for years became the subject of my paintings. There was endless subject matter to work off of from the barns, to the fields and orchards, and I painted everything in all seasons. The farm is gone now and so I must find my inspiration in other places.