"A Visual Proverb"

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"A visual proverb is seen in cactus with snow." A proverb is a pithy saying that often includes an unlikely comparison. One such example is found in Proverbs 26:1...."Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool." And it is very unlikely to see snow where prickly pear cactus is growing. (These was painted from a photo reference taken during a very rare snow storm here in Austin, Texas.)

Horizontal bands are often found in the landscape. It is an exceptionally easy format and works best if the bands have sufficient contrast in color and width. By taking this same photo reference, using the same colors, but creating more of a contrast in the band widths and including no image....only color and texture...or just color a completely abstract piece could be created.  

By looking at your reference photos from a different perspective, you probably have tons of inspiration sitting in your iphoto files. There really is no better inspiration than the created world we live in. For instance, yesterday morning was a great time to take photos of the sky after all of that rain. The size and shape of the clouds was stunning. So be on the "look out" for those special moments when the light is just right for capturing a good "shot".

There are plenty of artists out there who also take several photos and include fragments of them in the same piece by arranging them in horizontal bands or simple cutting them up...mixing and matching to create a whole new piece...very much like a puzzle.  This new reference could then be used as an inspiration for a painting or mixed media piece.  Of course, in these types of work it is good to select photos with several common denominators....such as color, theme, texture, etc.

It would probably take an eternity to complete all of the concepts that come to mind, but there is great satisfaction in experimenting with many techniques that fit into your own particular artistic voice. These are just a few. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.