Isn’t inspiration what artists are always looking for? But defining inspiration is a bit difficult. Basically, it comes down to learning to see, to really see. Inspiration is always there, lurking in the shadows at every turn.
… It’s about seeing light and dark patterns … about seeing a universe of shapes, big and tiny … about seeing the “picture” the landscape contains–the picture you will paint.
Michael Chelsey Johnson, “Beautiful Landscape Painting Outdoors: Mastering Plein Air“, page 25
Finding inspiration doesn’t mean hunting the unfamiliar or exotic. Giorgio Morandi found inspiration in his collection of neutral-coloured containers and jugs, endlessly investigating the possibilities in the same or similar objects, the negative space between and around depending on how he arranged these, and how much detail could be eliminated (especially in his watercolors).
