I can find inspiration to paint any time of year, but summer is particularly bountiful in providing visual inspiration. Just last week, I happened upon these wonderful blossoms on my morning walk. It was a day after some heavy evening rain, so the raindrops were still clinging to the flowers. (This is the benefit of getting outside to do my walk versus indoors on a treadmill or the gym.) The sun was just beginning to break through the clouds, making the water droplets sparkle.
A few days later, I saw the sign posted at the local farm that sweet corn was in the market. Nothing beats that first ear of fresh corn on the cob after the long off season. I also love to take photos of the produce at farmer’s markets, but I never would have imagined that I would find this lovely gray parrot perched near the corn. (He may or may not truly be a parrot, but that is the general type of bird from my limited knowledge of birds!) This little guy was a real ham for the camera - turning this way and that, and looking straight into the lens. And the bonus was he had a beautiful voice too.
And then there are skies. Sunrise, sunsets, clouds. It seems every day provides me with skies that are worthy of being captured in a painting.
One could lock me in a room for a year with no windows and I would not run out of sky photos from which to paint!
And of course, with summer, you get the fresh bounty of summer fruit. It
starts with strawberries, then moves on to blueberries, peaches, and then of course tomatoes and other treats from my vegetable garden. Each month brings new colors, & shapes to motivate this artist!
Finally, there are the little surprises that await if I take the time to quietly observe. Caterpillars, bumblebees on blossoms, butterflies clinging to flowers. Just the other day, a friend told me of a small pond along a rather busy stretch of road. So, I took the time to pull over to a side street and walked back with camera in hand. Beautiful pink water lilies! I had driven that stretch of road hundreds of times, but had not realized that there were water lilies there. Inspiration!
Summer has me wanting to be outside as much as possible. For this Pennsylvania artist, summer is far too short. I may not be inside in the studio quite as much in the summer, but I am being inspired every day. You will find me photographing potential subjects and planning future paintings. Continue to follow me and you just may see some of these photos interpreted at my next show.