Artists find inspiration for artwork many places.  Sometimes an image just pops into your head and you know you have to commit it to paper in the form of a painting.  Other times you see a wonderful landscape and you want to paint but cannot take the time at that moment to paint en plein air so a photo is shot to use as a reference later.

My husband Glenn and I took a trip this past weekend to visit friends and relatives in south eastern Washington.  Our journey took us into farm country where his cousin lives and I shot a photo of the striped hillside because I was intrigued by it.  The stripes were perfect.  We also visited a small town that was clean and charming.  I photographed it for reference for a painting to be done in the future.  I love the idea of capturing this small street scene in watercolor.



Where ever we go I am on the lookout for interesting ideas for paintings.  The other day I was in the back yard and our apple tree is in full bloom with gorgeous pink blossoms.  I grabbed my camera and shot several photos of the beautiful blooms.  I am not sure what I will do with the composition of the painting I plan to do, however, I have some wonderful reference shots.

I have collected many photos of wonderful things.  Will I paint them all?  Who knows, however, when the desire to paint is strong and I can't let it go, those references will be a great tool to use as I plan my painting.