A Different Kind of Painting Inspiration

  

 

 

"Fractured" Reminds me of sunset light shining through tall grasses.

Last January I saw that Nicholas Wilton's free course called the"Creative Awakening Challenge" was going to be offered in February.

My art making plate was already dangerously full last winter, but this class was exactly what I had been looking for. I had been searching for awhile for another way to approach my art making and Nicholas promised that his 20 minute a day "Bloom" practice could really transform the way I made my art.

I had never allowed myself to paint this type of sadness before, it helped me.

 

The class was only for 25 days and when I read that we would be making paintings too and not just listening and observing, I squeezed a little more space onto that overflowing plate and signed up.  

"Feelings of Hope" I felt compelled to start with pink and green.

 

Essentially, Nicholas was teaching us how to tap into our own feelings as inspiration for creativity. This may sound very odd to many of you, but this was never a topic discussed in my time at art school. 

 

Design, Value, Color theory, drawing skills, all the essential building blocks were covered but never anything about how to use emotion as inspiration, this was very new territory for me. I suppose they just expect that you already know how to do this, but I honestly didn't, of course I learned how in the sense of using color and design to reflect a mood, yes, but not tapping into what kind of marks and color choices reflect me.

"Headache" I tried to capture how awful I felt that day.

Imagine using NO photo references, just sitting with an emotion, choosing a color and putting it down on the paper however you want. Then choosing how to respond to that color and continuing for 20 minutes or longer if you wish, but only 20 minutes were required. 

"Feeling Stressed" The work load was overwhelming me.

  

It was fascinating over those 25 days to see what colors I chose, what marks I loved making. I had no idea how much I loved cadmium orange as an exclamation mark of color, or how just the movement of scribbling with a colored pencil could feel so good and then the satisfaction of spreading thick acrylic paint over it all with a palette knife.  I could use any materials I wanted, I used acrylic metallic inks that I rarely use, it was so much fun!  

"Feeling a Little Blue" I love this painting so much.

I chose to make small paintings on paper, some of them amazed me with their power or beauty, others were not that great, but it didn't matter. The point was to practice gaining confidence in connecting to my own inner north star.

These paintings are the first seven I made in order day by day so you can see how varied the images were. I certainly wasn't sure what I was doing at first, but I did figure out a format eventually. For me, 5 x 7 inches was a good paper size and after the first four, I changed from painting in my sketchbook to heavier 185lb watercolor paper.

"Constrained and Contained" An image from a dream that morning. 

All of this exploration involved making abstract art and after 25 days of trying this type of creating, I was interested in figuring out how to take what I learned and combine it with my usual style of realism, but I will save that post for another time, so until then, challenge yourself to try a different type of inspiration for making your art, you might surprise yourself.

Happy Creating! 

>^-^< 

Tina 

 p.s. If you are interested in learning more about Nicholas Wilton, his website is:www.art2life.com  This link sends you to the Sunday Bloom tab where he posts weekly insights about art making.

He also has a YouTube channel called Art2Life 

 

Autumn Walk in the Park

 

"Autumn Walk in the Park" ©2025

 

In my last blog post I mentioned that I hoped to use the small 3.50 x 2.50 inch paintings in my sketchbook as inspiration in painting larger artworks.

I rarely paint fall landscapes, so I made a goal to make several in my sketchbook this year. Out of that group, this little mini painting really captured a fall mood, so I decided to try painting it larger and on canvas. 

 

Small, but has a mighty big mood.

 

I have to admit, in the end I couldn't resist the the pull of the referring back to the photo. Which is a really good inspiration point and nothing wrong with using it, I just hoped to get closer to that wonderful expressiveness that lives in these little paintings.

 

October 19, 2025 photo

To be fair, my larger 7 x 5 inch painting isn't an exact copy of the photo either and that is exactly what I am striving to do, create an interpretation that is mine but still hopefully expresses why I thought this moment was worth painting that other people will resonate with too. 

 

"Autumn Walk in the Park" ©2025

 

I believe that what the camera captures doesn't always compare to what the mind's eye sees. I may not be able to step very far from my references yet, but I will keep trying because think there is an important skill there for me to learn. 

If you find you are feeling stuck in the same old, same old in creating, think of a small way to push your boundaries and feel that excitement of exploring the unknown again. 

Happy creating!

>^-^<

Tina 

 

Summertime Sketchbook Tour

 Summertime and I can never get enough of sunlight shining through the various types of green leaves, whether it be flowers or trees, I'm always looking for those glorious, glowing moments. 

Here's a quick look at a few "stop me in my tracks" inspirations which have made it into my July sketchbook pages so far...

Early morning in a nearby park and the blossoming Russian sage is captivating, I took so many photos!! I love the soft purple surrounded by all that green.

 

 Photographing into the sun, hoping to get a balanced image of the brilliant sun rays and dappled shadow below pine and deciduous trees.

 

The formal arrangement of repeating sprinkler arches and strategically placed trees is satisfying to me. It feels balanced, serene.

One of my favorite trees to photograph, I always find it's twisty branches so interesting.

 

 A reminder that all of these little gems are truly small, only 2.50 by 3.50 inches, it takes me about an hour to paint each one. My goal is to choose my favorite ones, then paint them larger and try to capture that same fresh brushwork.

I haven't been successful yet, but I keep trying. I find it's often helpful to have an inspiration and goal to keep me focused and moving forward to improve my skills. 

 What type of creative journey calls to your heart? Decide on one small step you can take on that path and begin.

Happy Creating! 

>^-^< 

Tina

January Blooms

 

The creative process rarely goes in a direct line...

In the spring of 2023, I started 3 mini-geraniums from seed. They bloomed so well all summer that I didn't have the heart to let them die in the fall, so I brought them inside to my studio.

 I was amply rewarded because when the snow was at it's deepest in January, they were blooming with all their hearts. 

The low winter sun shining through their petals was such a boost to my winter time blues, I wanted to make at least one painting of them, to try a capture some of that summertime beauty. This winter I was determined to make that wish happen.

 

I set one of the potted geraniums down onto my office chair and was able to take this wonderful photograph. The way the sunlight made the petals and leaves glow was very inspiring to me.

Several small practice attempts in my sketchbook this year led to the 6x8 inch painting on the right, but unfortunately, I didn't feel like I came close to expressing what I was after, I know I've missed something when the photograph is better than the painting!

 

 I went back and studied more of my original photos from 2023 of the flowers against the snow and tried again.

 This painting is much, much closer to the feeling I was hoping to express, so it was definitely worth trying again. I think there may be an even better painting waiting to come into existence, but I won't know until I give it another try. It's a zig-zag journey from one painting experiment to another.

Happy creating!

>^-^< Tina

A Royal Visitor

 

Top "A Mid-Morning Snack" Bottom "A Royal Treat"

I have been waiting for five years to see a Monarch butterfly in my garden. They were always a favorite, and I especially learned to love them in grade school. In third grade we spent a lot of time learning their life cycle and were encouraged to bring the boldly striped caterpillars in with plenty of milkweed leaves to feed them. 

There was an excited pause in the regular school day when one of them would emerge out of their chrysalis. We waited impatiently for them to pump up those collapsed wings and for our teacher to say it was safe to escort this wonderful new creature outside. If concentrated kid love and energy could protect anything, our class butterflies were triple wrapped for a safe, long journey!

Photo ©2023 Joanna Katzen

Earlier this year I read a long news article about how there are less oyamel fir forests in Mexico and less Monterey pines and cypresses in California for the Monarchs to hibernate in, and less milkweeds for the hungry caterpillars to eat so there are less Monarch butterflies, around 80-90 percent less since the 1990's! Honestly, I was so surprised and saddened that the numbers have dropped so much in my lifetime, no wonder I haven't been seeing them in my garden.

She seemed to like the plain yellow ones best!

 

The morning of August 18th this year, I was looking out the dining room window and happened to catch a flash of orange out in my sunflowers, could it be?!? Grabbing my iPhone I carefully and quietly walked out into the yard, hoping I wouldn't scare this visitor but definitely wanting some photos before they might flit away. 

This monarch was ignoring the zinnias, cosmos and blanket flowers but seemed to be enjoying the sunflowers. I held still as I could while snapping photos as she floated round and round, tasting and sipping her favorites for a magical 15 minutes and then she was gone. 

"A Mid-Morning Snack"

Even though I want to, it's probably not sensible to try and grow milkweed in my tiny garden, but I also learned that sunflowers and asters are a good nectar source for adult Monarchs, so at least I got that part right in providing a mid-morning snack for one!

What beautiful thing do you wait to see every year?

 Happy creating!

>^-^<

Tina 

This isn't the exact article I read, but it is still very helpful.More information about the Monarch Butterfly. 

The stunning photo of the Monarchs sipping from New England asters was taken by a friend on Facebook, Joanna Katzen, she kindly agreed to let me use her photo for reference, thanks so much Joanna!

Sunflowers in Series for August

 

"What a surprising group of lovely suns!"

 

I haven't designed many paintings in a series, I think the last time I attempted it was back in 2010-2011 when I made five 5x7 inch oil paintings of swans. I remember each painting took me many days to complete and I became a bit burned out on the subject.

In an attempt to paint more with less anxious fussing around about the details, I made eight little 2.25 x 3 inch rectangles in my sketchbook and chose the glorious sunflowers in my garden as my subjects. 

I have to say, I even surprised myself with this result! I hope I can capture the same energetic brush work when I try to paint them in a larger size. Now I have a new problem, which design do I want to spend the time and effort to paint larger?

Here is a closer look at my favorites:

"Bouquet of Suns"

 

I really like how this group relates to each other, I planted the original seeds two years ago, one seed packet was burgundy brown and the other pale yellow. These volunteer "grandchildren" plants are interesting, some of them have deep red brown centers with gold edges and others are pure yellow with green centers.
 

"The King and Bee"

 

The bees and butterflies have been having a grand time sipping and zipping around the garden, this was my tallest and largest sunflower and that white bit is a quick shorthand for a bee.

"Blondie and Friend"

 

I was calling the sunflowers that were all yellow with green centers the "Blondies," I wanted to be certain to get a portrait of them.

"Sunburst Afternoon"

I tried several times of day to get the perfect photo of this sunflower, the afternoon photo turned out to be one of my favorites.

"Solo Sun"

 

Since the sunflowers this year are all volunteers from seeds from the year before, some of them were scattered by the birds and it was surprising where they popped up, like this solo beauty standing by itself.

"Warm-Hearted"

 My attempt to capture some of that wonderful warm sun glow through those gold and red brown petals.

Which one of these charming sunflowers would you pick?

I'm reminded of that very expressive German phrase "Die Qual der Wahl" which means the "the torture of choice." That sounds a bit dramatic, but it's a great phrase to try to convey that predicament of having too many good choices.

Happy Creating!

>^-^<

Tina

Why Crocus in July?

I had great plans this spring, I was going to paint and post flowers that inspired me as they bloomed in my garden, beginning with some lavender crocus that bloomed on Easter morning.

 I set out with brushes in hand and a new book to inspire me, "How to Paint fast and loose and bold" by Patti Mollica, determined to get my art process loosened up and faster so I could keep up with my flowers.

April 9, 2023- Easter morning awakens.

I started off okay with a clever type of value study I learned from Patti's book. Look at each line horizontally and notice how the same color looks so different on each different grey background. A color can shout out "here I am" and then almost disappear depending on the background behind it.

 

Background color sets the mood!

 

I painted a couple of small color studies to test out my color choices. Note the May 13th date on the left hand page, I'm all set to go for finishing a painting for my May blog post. 

Then I decided on a last minute whim to go visit family on Memorial Day weekend and ended up with a surprise, an extreme allergic reaction to what the doctor thinks were 6 mosquito bites, seriously?!? Whatever it was, I did not feel well for over two weeks, I felt fatigued and my balance was off.

 

Testing, testing, testing!!

 

Now it's June and I'm feeling mostly better. My plan on this painting was to follow Patti Mollica's advice and try to use more paint and fewer brush strokes, really think about how I'm going to be efficient and not overwork the paint. Here I go, all on the same day...

 

Background wash, one brush!

 

Darkest value defines the light.

Bring on those green leaves!

All dressed up in lavender.

  

Boom, layer after layer going on, valiantly resisting the urge to touch up any of the brush strokes and then my painting time is up that day. 

We had made plans to go camping for two nights, something we haven't done in years. We have a grand time getting there, camp site is great, all is going pretty well until evening and then I don't feel well, I feel so dizzy. I can't sleep all night, the next day we hike a little but I am getting worse. We go home and I try to figure this out, I've had these attacks before, and I try all the things, but this just wants to hang on and on and on! 

No painting happening, I don't have the energy or focus for it. June passes by and now it's July before I finally feel up to figuring this painting puzzle out.

 

Orange completes the look!

 

 I wasn't certain how I was even going to finish this painting, I felt so discouraged about all the set backs and then I didn't really like how it was looking! I couldn't quite put my finger on what was bothering me, all the brush work looked pretty good and the values are right, I think... then I compared it to my photo and realized the foreground is a bit too bright for the flowers to really stand out, so I broke the "fast and loose" ideals and painted over the foreground again to darken it.

 

No shining stars without the dark.

 

What a journey, and I still can't decide if I like this painting or not, the brushwork in the foreground isn't as nice and the crocus look too stiff and heavy to me. At least I learned some new techniques and it is done. I don't like to leave paintings half done because they haunt me, seriously, they do!

 Happy Creating and Persevering...

(Sometimes creating involves not giving up, even when you want to.)

 >^-^<

Tina 

p.s. I am feeling better, not 100 percent, but better. Possibly some sort of virus messing with my inner ear and taking it's sweet time to heal. Thanks for reading! 

Transformation

 

Transformation

I've had in mind for several years now to make a poinsettia painting to hang up for the holiday season, the last week of December I finally decided to give it a try. I have a favorite photo of mine from January 2013, the winter we spent in Dresden, Germany. Yes, that is my suitcase in the photo.

Brilliant color lingering on... January 26, 2013

 

I chose a 20x20 inch canvas and several days later I had a pretty good painting, but I wasn't happy with the shadow color behind the poinsettia. I had tried various color mixes, but the result kept feeling so drab and flat, it really bothered me.

"After Party"

I was so annoyed that I used some flat white gesso and just covered up all that grey. It looked better to me but I didn't want to leave bare gesso like that, plus I didn't like that I couldn't solve this problem!

 

"After Party in White"

 

Looking for ideas, I watched some acrylic painting videos on YouTube. I finally found inspiration from the artist Ali Kay, she always makes a vivid underpainting in a complementary color, so I decided to give her strategy a try...

"After Party on Fire"

 

 Wowza! Very fiery, but I was pleased that my overall design still looked good even in orange.

"After Party in Purple"

 

I really liked how the purple grey I painted the background was warmed by that intense orange underneath. Plus, I left the brush strokes more visible to add some lively energy to the scene.  I liked the warmth so much, I thought I would try some more!

"After Party - Awkward Moment!"

Yikes! This was a very unappealing step and I moved on as quickly as I could from this seriously awkward stage.

 

"After Party in Progress"

  

This time, I'm not certain the orange changed the blue table that much and I felt a bit discouraged that I had wasted my time! 

After a break, I reminded myself that while repainting the table I had reshaped the bottom leaves and by adding more of the bright green where the sun light was bouncing off the leaves it improved the illusion of depth.

The painting isn't quite done yet, but I wanted to share how learning from other artists and taking a creative risk can get you unstuck on a project.

Happy creating!

>^-^<

Tina

Ali Kay's wonderful "Holiday Lights" paint along video. This is the first painting video I watched of hers that inspired me to try a different solution to my painting problem. Thanks Ali Kay!