Blog

Sometimes the simplest things can be the most inspiring. Take writing this blog, for instance.  Yesterday my artist friend, Beth, stopped by to bring some of my paintings from the gallery.  She pointed to “Seatscape,” and asked, “What was the inspiration for this one?” 

I said, “You were!  Remember the chair challenge  you sent out to our art friends? I was teaching in my studio when I glanced over at my normal, messy work space and thought, ‘chair— right here in front of me.’” So as I went from student questions to giving them uninterrupted time to work, I started sketching in the first lines of this painting.  And the painting just kept evolving into this finished piece as I got more and more fascinated by the variety of color and form. 

Early this week I had another “aha” moment as I was leaving Aldi. I turned around to see the sweet face of a contented shopper pushing her cart to check out among boxes of beautiful geometric color and form. The moment was magic—“Beauty, Bounty, Blessing—and Geometry” — all together in one place at just the right time.

Inspiration is like that. It comes suddenly from interaction with people, places, and things. But it must be captured as it strikes because the best inspiration is often fleeting and loses its magic if it is belabored or ignored. 

After my response to Beth about inspiration, she said, “Cool! You should write a blog about this!”  So here I am, letting her idea become my inspiration again.