What Inspires You?
An article by Cathy Luby, Chestermere Fine Art Guild for Chestermere Today
Three years ago, I retired and moved to Chestermere where within a few months I acquired a little badge that declares my position as Artist in the Chestermere Fine Art Guild. Friends from my past life ask me, “Where did this art thing come from? What inspired you?”
Rather than go into the esoteric explanation of why artists create, I thought it would be more fun to think about specific times and specific pieces of art and what inspired me. So, I asked myself, “Why did I feel the need to create that sketch or this painting? And what was the result?”
When one moves to a new town, it is a chance to see subjects with new eyes and to appreciate differences.
When I was new to the Toronto area, I lived in a densely populated area. I played a sort of people watching game while stopped in my car at red lights, (which was often!) In my head I studied people, even some of the most ordinary characters that crossed my path and I sketched them when I got home. I would like to make a collage some day.
When I moved to a small town in rural southern Ontario, I was enchanted by the many Victorian houses and my art and mind became filled with details of gingerbread trim and arched windows under high peaked gables. I did make a small acrylic painting collage of Victorian houses in the area and a large painting of the house in which I lived. Lovely memories!
Here in Alberta…it is the sky! It is the sky’s colours blending at dawn and dusk, its size across the expanse of prairie land and its mysterious cloud formations that make me snap dozens of reference photos. At The Art Guild we often discuss “skies”. I love to use the colour cobalt blue when painting Alberta skies whereas another artist prefers a different hue. I have only just recently started to practice with watercolour paints that I find so satisfying to depict Alberta skies.
What inspires you?
The Chestermere Fine Art Guild meets to create together on Thursday afternoons at 1 to 4 p.m. at the Chestermere Recreation Centre, Meeting Room 2. You are welcome to stop by to check us out or spend an afternoon with us and get to know us better. Follow us on Facebook.
