Magical Moments
Oct 14, 2021
There is never a more potent feeling for an artist, than when inspiration strikes. For me, that means tingles down my spine, heightened awareness, narrowed focus, and sparkles in my vision—time slows down until my attention is completely focused on the scene or object of inspiration.
Fall is loaded with beautiful, magical colors: the brilliant scarlets of the poison oak, clinging to the bark of trees, the fiery golds and yellows of the oaks and walnuts against a background of deep greens, the deep blue of the sky contrasting with fast moving whipped-cream clouds. And I love how the moisture in the soil brings out the iron-rich red ochres, setting off chunks of quartz that glisten in the light. Add in the slanting rays of the sun, backlighting translucent foliage, or the glisten of frost, and you have magic!
This is the time of year when I carry my camera bag in my car. I am not a very good photographer, meaning that I don’t know how to use the settings to my maximum benefit. I can paint a camera in three different mediums, but I don’t know what ISO means. What exactly is an F-stop? But I am a trusting soul, and I know enough to take several reference photos if I see something that I would like to capture. I have learned to carry a digital recorder with me, and I use it to capture detailed descriptions of what I am seeing, and what interests me about it.
I paint what makes my spirit soar, and around every turn in the road, something new appears!
