Yesterday, Maggie The Wonder Dog, and I took advantage of an hour of free time to go hunting for landscape painting subjects. I pulled out my trusty Jacksonville map and looked for green patches--trying to find a park we had not yet explored. The goal was not to find a grand, well-landscaped, or popular park, but rather to discover one of our wonderful city's numerous "pocket parks". All over Jacksonville, FL, small patches of preserved land hold onto nature's charm, whether they boast ancient live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss, salt marsh wetlands, or one of our countless lazy creeks, reflecting images of cypress or palm trees in murky water.River Oaks Park shows as a curved sliver of green on the map, not far from our home on Jacksonville's south side, set along a dirty, neglected creek where it empties into the mighty St. John's River. Grand homes claim most of the land area along and near the prized riverfront, but this one small stretch of scrubby wild land has been saved from development. Perhaps it remains partly because it is anything but premium building land, with lots of squishy low spots along a muddy creek.
Since we were alone in the park, Maggie could be off leash and was in doggie heaven, tearing around on the large grassy area, sniffing interesting smelly, dank low spots, and cocking her head to discern individuals in the symphony of bird songs and calls. Although there was heavy overcast, the light was a bit too intense for ideal photography but I couldn't resist snapping away. The park is no garden spot, but is instead exactly the sort of unlikely place I discover interesting painting subjects. There were several old live oak trees on the drier grassy stretch, while the skeletons of dead cypress and many fallen trees and branches created tangled sculptures on the creek banks. Dark, still water perfectly reflected each scene in the clear light of an overcast winter day.
Can't say yet what I might paint from this outing, if anything. Even so, recalling the park's sights, sounds, and smells provides painting inspiration and these sensations will sink into my subconscious to percolate and bubble up in unexpected creative insights sometime in the future. I look forward to returning to this quirky little park some sunny late afternoon for a different perspective on the scene. Although the light was bright yesterday, the pervasive overcast created no shadows at all, and I missed them. The character-filled trees I photographed seemed to be lacking something without long shadows to attest to their dignity.
Question of the day: What unexpected source provides creative inspiration for you?
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Mary these are all gorgeous photos. The colors in the top right photo...the shape of the tree in the bottom...just beautiful. I find inspiration in nature and landscapes myself, whether they include structures or broken down remnants, trees and branches and trunks, rocks and rivers and lakes...All of it is so beautiful to me.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures to inspire painting. I know many artists use photos for their inspiration for painting.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Autumn! All of nature is beautiful and inspiring. Thank you for your response to the photos; the shape of the tree in the bottom photo is calling me to paint a version of the scene soon, and the subtle FL winter colors in the top right make it a close second. I included the third photo mainly to give readers a wider sense of the setting.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bill, for your visit and comment. Painting reference photos are not always the most stunning photos around, as some beautiful natural vistas are simply not suited for the canvas. Some are too complex, while some, like your amazing sunset and sunrise photos, for example, can tend to look phony or overly sentimental as paintings. Reference photos are important to my painting, both for authenticity (it can be surprisingly hard to "make up" a convincing tree trunk or other natural detail) and for the matchless variation and richness in actual scenes.
For me, they come sometimes unexpectedly out of personal experiences. Days, months even years later I reflect on something that happned to me, a story comes to mind, then is written, I look in my files for pictures to go with it.... voila! A another post on troutbirder. Yes, I wish I could paint but that's life! :)
ReplyDeleteNo worries, TB--you paint wonderful pictures with words as you create your deeply human stories. You are right--it is interesting how an experience emerges after a long period of time and sparks a creation, Thanks for stopping by and for your insightful comment.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of finding places that allow the subconscious to percolate and bubble up in unexpected creative insights sometime in the future. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat to hear from you, Sandy! I almost missed your comment on this earlier post and am delighted to have picked it up. You are welcome--it's super to hear that you felt inspired by the thought. The way we can inspire each other is one of the most wonderful features of blogging.
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