Someone asked me how I get ideas for my art?
Occasionally the animus will be a gob-smack, awestruck moment. An example was our visit to the Angel Oak in South Carolina this summer. It is the oldest living thing east of the Mississippi, and experiencing it by walking around its immense, twisted limbs made me feel the weight of history and the wonder of nature. It was almost as if I could see tableaus of history in the deeply grooved bark. The truck was scarred. Some long limbs were propped up on posts to support their immense weight. I breathed in the fragrance. Yes, I was awestruck.
I’ll include the sketch I made on the spot and my first study for “Angel Oak.” The final piece, which will be very large, is not complete yet. When it is done I’ll post that too.
One such moment can lead to other, related pieces. I’m paying more attention to old trees, and also dead and rotting wood. I’ll include a sketch of our wood pile. Let’s see where this takes me next.
More commonly, my inspiration is not so momentous. A glint of sunlight on the road was the inspiration for Country Road, a smaller piece. I’ll include my sketch and the final piece. Sometimes it is a trick of sun and shadow, a worn surface, or the shapes in a landscape. I try to pay attention to my gut response to a visual stimulus and take it from there.
