Finding Inspiration

The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for your senses to grow sharper. - WB Yeats

People often ask me where I find inspiration for my work.  And if you’ve ever taken a walk with me, you know the answer.  The colors and shapes that are all around in the natural world are endlessly inspiring. The trees, the dirt, the moss - they all grab my attention and make me pause and look more closely.  Friends are used to waiting for me while I take yet another picture of a dead log.  Did you see the way the moss was growing along the edge?  That green is just gorgeous! 

The expansiveness of the sky also captivates me.  Walking into a far-reaching field or looking out from a mountain vista, reminds me of how small I am, how big the world is, and of the endless possibilities that exist.  My studio wall is covered with pictures, poems and color swatches that bring some of this magic indoors. It is the feeling that these experiences evoke that I bring to the easel.  Finding inspiration isn’t the hard part. Translating those feelings into a flat surface is the trick. And that is the joy and the struggle of creating for me.