~*~Finding Beauty in the Simple Things~*~

   Sometimes, when you work a lot, or have a limited income it can be hard to travel very far to get inspiration and reference photos. This can force one to look closer at the things around them, and find compositions that they wouldn't ordinarily think of. This has been what I have been up to lately, partly because I don't travel much, but also because I think there is something wonderful about taking something simple and using it to make a beautiful painting. Growing up I learned at a really young age that you work with what you have, (hence the fact that some of my first paintings were done entirely using q-tips because I didn't own any brushes at the time.) Spring is the perfect season for this, and the macro setting on my camera has been my best friend. I have been scouring my own backyard looking for small flowers, plants and animals that call to me, waiting to be painted. I have also taken reference photos of clothing and random things around the house, when you find the right angle anything can be beautiful. Here is some of the work I have done recently. From a pair of old jeans, to a close-up of the often overlooked strawberry blossom, my hope is that my work will show the viewers a new way of looking at things; the way I see them.

   This one was done from reference photos I took of a daisy that my mother-in-law received in a mother's day bouquet. I didn't want to do a typical bouquet painting, so I grabbed the flower that appealed to me the most, took it outside, and experimented with it in the sunlight until I got the reference photos that I needed. This daisy called to me because the colors were vibrant and the petals weren't uniform. It looked to be happy, as if it were dancing. What a fun challenge by the way!

"Dancing Yellow Daisy" 8"x10" colored pencil

 One day I was inspired by a pair of jeans lying on the floor, I have also taken more pictures including jeans with other clothing and shoes that I plan on painting soon. I think it is fun to combine my love for clothing with my love for art. Fabrics of all sorts are a great challenge with texture, wrinkles and design. It is this that inspires me the most about working with clothing.

"Her Favorite Pair of Jeans" 8"x10" colored pencil

  I was out in the yard with my camera one morning and was able to capture an extreme close-up of some dewdrops on some blades of grass. Dew has always been a great source of inspiration, and it's always a blast to try and render it realistically. In the original photo I took, there was another piece of grass in the fore-ground that I felt detracted from the main composition so I ultimately decided to do away with it when I rendered my painting.

"Morning Dew" 8"x10" colored pencil

 I did this beauty from multiple reference photos that I took of lilacs in my yard. I spent a whole day chasing bumblebees before I got the shot I wanted and in that photo he was originally hanging upside down. I then flipped and placed the bumblebee from that shot in another setting that I got from other reference photos I had taken of my lilacs.

"The Busy Bee and the Lilac Tree" 11"x14" Colored Pencil and Soft Pastel

  This one is one of my favorites because it puts you face to face with the classic, often overlooked, wild strawberry blossom. I like the intimacy I can get with doing a macro view of such a small flower.

"Strawberry Blossom" 8"x10" Colored Pencil

Inspiration can be found anywhere, sometimes you just have to look a little deeper. With a little know how, and a good imagination, you can make a good composition out of just about anything. I have a ton of great reference photos and ideas for more images like these, so keep your eyes open for more updates to come!!

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shana-rowe.artistwebsites.com to see more of my work!