Capturing Inspiration for My Art

My favorite way to compose a painting is to begin with a reference photograph that I took myself. That is not always possible, and I have created some excellent work using photographs taken by other photographers—with their permission, of course. On rare occasions, I have also created paintings entirely from my imagination.

Below, you will find some of my favorite photographs alongside the paintings they inspired.

Willow

This is Willow, she was my favorite horse I have ever owned and as you could see was quite photogenic. My first attempt in painting from my own photo was the 2nd shot of Willow and resulted in a somewhat crude watercolor that hangs in our hallway. Dispite my determination to sell it I think it may stay in my personal collection forever...which is just as well becuase it reminds me of this beautiful horse.

Finding Inspiration in Your Backyard

You don’t need to travel to exotic locations to find inspiration. Often, the most captivating wildlife can be found right in your backyard or local park. Here are some practical tips for discovering local wildlife:

Here you the painting I made of Mitchell, another early watercolor of mine and not my best artisit work, however the imapct of the painting was profound which can be seen in the letter below.

A thank you letter from Mitchells owner I have transcribed here.

Dear Ila and Jonathan,

Thank you for the fantastic painting of Mitchell!

Jonathan, you are incredibly talented, as well as handsome, smart, and personable! I was astonished when I opened my gift! Jesus has bestowed many gifts on you! Thank you for using your talent on a surprise for Pete and me! It has been fun to see and hear everyone raved on seeing it.

The first day I saw it, a little boy said, “Oh no, did Mitchell die!” Thank God he is with us!

Love & Blessings,

Mimi

Catalina Island

One of my favorite subjects has always been wild bird, this a more recent painting of a Grey Heron. Below is the refernce photo I took on vacation on Catalina Island.

Now the painting which is acrylic on wood. The frame I aquired on facebook marketplace almost a year before had fit perfectly with the waves.

Peanut Island

One of the most amazing places on Earth, in my opinion, is Peanut Island in West Palm Beach, Florida. After spending the day snorkeling with manatees in crystal-clear blue water, we took the ferry back. This photo was taken on the dock while we waited for the boat. As we waited, we caught bluefish on almost every cast.

This was one of my early painings and at that point i was making my own frames, this frame is made from a measuring stick.

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