Finding Inspiration

Misty Dawn
acrylic 20" x 16"
©Maggie Ruley 2015

 

Finding Inspiration

We have been having some really lovely sunrises lately and my friend Judy Pino has been taking some wonderful photos of them.  I'm always inspired by them when I see them on Facebook. Scroll down and see how she has captured those peach tones, just yummy. 

 

I paint a lot of sunsets, but somehow the sunrises seem softer, quieter.  So I glommed onto her photo and painted Misty Dawn. Inspiration isn't about copying something, it's about discovering something.  I'm going to say that again, in case you are just skimming through this.

 

Inspiration isn't about copying something, it's about discovering something.

 

Judy and I have been painting students of Jim Salem for years. He is hugely inspirational to all his students. I've talked about Jim's painting classes in the past, and if you want to be so inspired, do yourself a favor and click on his link.

 

Dawn photo by Judy Pino
used with permission
Thank you Judy!
©Judy Pino 2015
Judy is also an avid painter and world class fisherwoman.

 

My painting students are always looking for fresh ways to paint palm trees.  Palms are harder then they look.  I tell them the air around the palm tree, the negative space, is what makes or breaks a palm.

 

My students decided they wanted to paint the sunrise palm.  I gave them a quick demo (that sold before I got a photo of it) and off they went to create their own palm trees.

 

It was a very small class that day
students of Maggie Ruley
photo Maggie Ruley 2015

 

Note to Readers:

I've decided to post more often.  I paint all the time but I often don't  blog because I feel like I don't have anything IMPORTANT to tell you.  Well, that's the way studio life is.  You just keep painting and very often there isn't anything earth shattering about the piece.  You paint, you learn, and hopefully, grow.  I'll be sharing more of what I paint, but sometimes it might just be a picture and a short blurb about what happened that day. And some days I'll have some fun things to tell you.

 

#jimsalem

#acrylicpainting