Where Do You Find Your Inspiration?

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6x8, soft pastel

It isn't necessarily easy to figure out what subject to paint.  While the subject matter can be as broad as one's imagination, often I find myself taking 100s of pictures and then weeding through them to settle on one for the day...or, I take my supplies outside and paint "plein air".  Ok, I confess...I've only painted once outside and that was on my back patio.   Plein air painting is on my list to do...as soon as I'm a better artist...and, have more confidence to paint in close proximity to the general public.

If you don't already know, there is a website titled "PaintMyPhoto" (paintmyphoto.ning.com) where photographers post pictures they've taken to allow artists to paint them without infringing on their copyrights. This is a great website to provide inspiration and minimize the need to take your own photos...hurray!  More studio time!  

Practice...practice...practice

Out in the Clearing

6x8, soft pastel

Last fall I clipped my horoscope out of the local paper.  It read: "discipline counts more than natural talent. The natural talent you have may serve to make practice more fun, but ultimately, it's the practice, not the talent, that will make you successful." At the time I hadn't yet found my love of painting with soft pastels.  Yet I knew that the horoscope was right...if you want to be the best you can be, you must practice, practice, and then practice some more.  

In preparation of starting the 30in30 challenge in Sept. (to create one painting a day for 30 consecutive days) I have now finished 3 in 3 (whoop, whoop!)