When I studied still life painting with Gary Faigin at Gage Academy of Art, he said something that I’ve never forgotten. We were talking about inspiration, about how you figure out what are you going to paint next … what you’re interested in … how we catch an idea and follow it. “If you’re a still life artist, there’s always something to paint!” he said, as he looked around and pointed in several directions. “You just look around the room and right there, that could be the painting! That would be a good paining! That would be an interesting painting!” I often use this technique when I feel stuck. I look around the room and I find find something to draw or paint. After all, it’s not what I paint, but how I paint it that makes it special. Without rearranging, here are some possible subjects I find on this warm July day in Seattle.
