Painting Inspiration at Oak Mountain


My paintings always feature animals and/or nature. I travel to art museums and cities for inspiration, but my most effective way to get ideas and subjects is to hike or visit places off-the-beaten-path. This past weekend I went to nearby Oak Mountain State Park, a great hiking destination with a working farm. (It has many other features, but I only partook in the trails and farm this time.) Here are some photos of my adventure. 


I definitely see a goat in a future painting.


Taken near Shackleford Point, a high point in the park. The valley was warm and quiet, but the top of the mountain was cold and windy.


I had already drawn out the beginnings of a peacock/woman painting, not sure if I'd go ahead with it. This eye-pooping, in-my-face peacock sighting sealed the deal for me.


This adorable fellow followed me everywhere around the farm. He was so quiet and gentle I would forget he was around, and he kept startling me when I turned around to see him a foot behind me, staring at me. 


As always on a hike in the South, lichen and fungus gave showy displays along the trail.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Creek Village Painting

Image
"Italwas"   48" x 60"  2009 I painted this image of a Creek Indian Village as a commission for a collector. He lived on a hill above a bend in a creek where a Creek Village reportedly existed long ago, and he wanted a historically accurate representation of what the village might have looked like from his house. His home is near Talladega, Alabama.  I did months of research. With the help of the now late Miriam Fowler who worked at the Birmingham Museum of Art, I pulled together the image with references to the customs, culture, and village layout. I also used as a reference "Bartram's Travels" written by William Bartram, a detailed description of encounters with Native Americans in 1791. It is one of the very few bits of info about the lives of the Creeks back then. (As noted in Wikipedia, the original title to Bartram's book is:  Travels through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida, the Cherokee Country, the Extensive...
Read more

Featured Artist at the ALCC: Chris Gryder

Image
The Alabama Clay Conference , to be held in February, 2012 in Birmingham (and hosted by my husband, ceramic artist Scott Bennett) will feature three well-known ceramic artists who will give all-day demonstrations and exhibit their work.  Here is the work of Chris Gryder, one of the featured artists. I've included an article below about his work, a piece I wrote for Ceramics Monthly magazine, November 2006. I'll blog about the other two artists in the next couple days.  Negative Impact The Work of Chris Gryder Chris Gryder began his exploration of art by studying architecture. A sincere and dedicated commitment to the subject led to his acquaintance with artists, methods, and concepts that later became the inspiration for his work in sculpture and clay. From the visionary designs of Antonio Gaudi and the philosophy of Louis Sullivan to experimental work in mold-making for architectural pieces, Gryder pieced together a singular aesthetic...
Read more