Inspiration for Artists > There’s an interesting thing about beauty: it can be found everywhere, if one is tuned to its frequency and actively looking for it.
I’m reminded of a conversation I once had with an artist on this subject. He made a statement that beauty in landscape painting could only be found in beautiful subject matter. When I mentioned to him that, in my experience, beauty can also be seen in mundane, or even ugly forms, like a culvert or a ditch in the right lighting, he became somewhat upset and basically wrote me off as a lunatic! Ha!
If you haven’t guessed already, this was an online conversation with an individual who was somehow triggered by this topic. If only he could see what many artists are able to behold and appreciate.
The truth is, beauty can be found in some of the most unlikely places, and on more than one occasion I have set up my painting gear along a ditch or culvert and indulged a subject that by some standards, would not be considered sellable in a gallery. Fortunately, there are discerning collectors out there who would be right at home with this type of intimate scene. Regardless of sales though, subjects that tug at your artistic heartstrings simply must be painted for your own muse and artistic survival.
Looking at it from another angle, it’s not really the subject itself that I often find inspiring, but rather the way the light is working on a particular day, or how some forms come together as a pleasing abstraction. On another day I might pass by without a second look.
Such was the case recently while on my morning walk, a time I use to analyze natural scenes and generally expressing gratitude for the wonders of nature, among other things.
The painters of the Ashcan School opened my eyes to this idea many years ago. Also, growing up in New York and making numerous trips into the city in my youth also helped me to see the beauty of manmade structures, as I intently observed the sights, smells, atmosphere, and ambience of city life in the Bronx and in Manhattan.
Truthfully, beauty can be found anywhere, but it doesn’t often reveal itself to the casual viewer. There’s a certain mystery in it that can only be seen and appreciated by those who live in the present and are able to savor the moment; may it always be so, and may you all find beauty today and every day, in unusual places.
Until next time,
John
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