What Inspires Me in Art?

I get inspiration for my art from everything around me. There is so much in nature and in the art world that continuously influence me. I carry a notepad with me in my purse everywhere I go so that I can jot down ideas at a moments notice. If I don’t write things down right away, I will most likely forget them. I think you should use anything and everything to inspire you.

I am so often inspired by nature. The vibrant colors of flowers often influence the color schemes and color combinations that I use. Sometimes unusual color combinations exist in nature that reveal themselves in my work. I also am inspired by the texture of nature. I love the rich texture of bark and the leaves of trees and often use them in my art.

I often am inspired by images that do not exist. I sometimes see images in cloud formations, in the swirls in marble tile, and in grains of wood. I see things in these things that I could not have thought of on my own. I know that this sounds strange. I think it stems from when I was a little girl. My sisters and I would lay in bed with my parents and look up at their textured, plaster ceiling and find objects in it. I swear we saw goats, bathtubs, dogs, whatever our minds could fathom. We also did this with the stones in our fireplace.

Lastly, other artists and their work inspire me. I really admire all of the different ideas and styles that artists use. I particularly love looking at different photographers’ work to get ideas for unique shots. I don’t feel like I am stealing their ideas because most of them have taken the idea form someone else. Plus, using different subjects always changes the shot. I am very inspired by portraitures of all types.