Dear collectors, fellow artists,

If a painting is not inspired by what the artist sees, experiences or has experienced, it usually is dull, flat and a poor composition.  When an artist is inspired by other works, old and new, he may see a different view of subject matter less travelled.  I tell my students it makes no sense to paint something unless you have seen it, smelled it or touched it.  Yet, we see paintings obviously done that have none of these.  Our work evolves, we all strive to keep getting better. If you paint from the heart, the design, composition and handling of paint will come easier so concentration can be made to quality.  Our collectors expect the best we can do everytime we touch a brush.

Let's define inspiration. As an artist it may be the subject matter alone, the light, the time of day, the narrative of the piece, the allegory or all of it together.  If we are truly looking, we will never run out of subject matter. Some artists are inspired by their still-life setups, others on the roads they have travelled, or the people they have had contact with and the individual stories.

Let's discuss how some artists have stayed with a certain subject matter.

Andrew Wyeth: His immediate surroundings and people in Pennsylvania
Howard Terpning: The Plains Indians and their culture
Valoy Eaton: His love of the Landscape
Mary Cassatt: Her love of children
James Bama: The people in the Cody, Wyoming area
Bettina Steineke: People who interested her

Pick some of your favorite artists and see their journey into subject matter that fit them.
In future blogs, I will discuss my own journey into fine art.