My husband and I once spent an anniversary weekend in the Pearl Islands, and it rained incessantly the entire time.

It wasn’t quite the paradise we’d imagined when we landed and the sky was dark – even though it was noon.

Later we slumped down in our chairs in the empty resort restaurant (everyone else must have checked the weather report), soaking wet from running over from our cabin, and commiserated about spending a dark, wet, weekend in isolation.

But then all of the sudden, a toucan flew into the room and landed on the back of the chair at our table!

We stared at the toucan and the toucan stared at us.

My mood changed in an instant, because I love birds and here was a vibrant bird up close, posing for a picture.

We soon discovered that parrots, macaws, peacocks, and iguanas liked to roam the resort and even visit guests on their balconies.

That was paradise enough for me!

My art is definitely inspired by my love of nature and animals. And also vibrant colors and patterns.

You can probably see that in my inspiration carousel in the gallery of my website.

Because of our work, my husband and I have lived all over the US and overseas, which has given us the opportunity to travel to some very interesting places – from Panama to Alaska, and Europe to Malaysia.

I know many tourists flock to museums, or lounge on the beach, but I prefer to walk and explore every inch of the places I visit, and most of the time, I’m looking for some pretty specific items.

One thing I always look for is colorful laundry hanging out to dry, on a line, draped between windows or over the edge of a balcony.

My husband has even gotten in the habit of looking for laundry for me to photograph, like we’re on some kind of laundry scavenger hunt.

That must sound crazy to the people whose hands hung that laundry on the line, just doing their every day chores. But to me, laundry is art. It helps me to see that sometimes the extraordinary lies in the ordinary.

Alas, whenever I try to paint laundry and capture that beauty – I never quite get it right, but I often think of the vivid colors when I paint.

Speaking of vivid colors, I also look for animals.

They make me happy and I often include them in my forest paintings.

Even though birds are my favorite animals to photograph, they don’t love me, because they hardly ever sit still!

My family has all kinds of dramatic stories about how I’ve chased down animals like sheep, goats, komodo dragons and even moose for that perfect shot and the animals sometimes chasing me back! Or about how I’ve fallen flat on my face because I didn’t see the ditch or rock in front of me.

Once in Ireland, I ignored my daughter’s yell to “Stay in the car!” and jumped out to get some sheep photos before they ran away like they always did. I crept up as quietly as possible when I heard my daughter yell at me from the other side of the street that the car was rolling away!

Sometimes color inspiration can come from more unexpected places. On that same trip to Ireland, I spent hours in Dublin walking around a neighborhood, taking pictures of all the amazing colorful doors.

After a trip to Florence, I came home with hundreds of photos of door knockers! They aren’t brightly colored, but they are still fascinating.

Just walking any city, there are all kinds of detailed patterns in even the everyday things. The entire city is an art museum, created by artists inspiring other artists, like me.

Have you ever used a macro lens?

I have this one, but there are so many now out on the market. They are really great for getting up close and taking artistic shots.

At the beach I’m compelled to scour the shore for sea glass, shells and rocks, especially colorful and heart-shaped ones.

And in the forest, I’m taking macro shots of acorns, pinecones, and leaves. It can become addictive!

A bit obsessive maybe, but for me, taking photos causes me to slow down and really see the details in my environment.

I do occasionally stop taking pictures when traveling to sleep, eat, have a nice glass of wine, and, of course, edit and post my pictures. Haha!

It’s unfortunate that Covid-19 has made travel unsafe for now, but that hasn’t stopped me from gathering inspiration.

I’m so grateful that my neighborhood has a lot of diverse nature and that we are still able to take walks. I stop to admire, sketch, and photograph flowers, trees, and plants.

My four-year-old grandson now points out flowers to me. He calls out, “That would make a good picture, Grandma!” (At least someone in my family appreciates my hobby!)

Sometimes I like to reference my photos when I draw, but for the most part I just recall the shapes and colors of the flowers and plants I see, drawing from memory and imagination.

Besides, I don’t have enough patience to study the details of a flower or plant. I know I’ll probably never create elaborate, realistic botanical illustrations – but I like to capture the feeling. And that’s what I think art is all about.

I love this botanical line drawing book that helps do just that.

I’d love to hear about what inspires you, too! When you sight see, what are you drawn to? What do you find yourself taking pictures of?

I’d also love to hear what inspires you when you look at my art and photos. What colors, images or objects draw your attention?

Please feel free to share one of your favorite photos from your travels, your garden, animals, or your daily life. I’m always looking for new inspiration!

Be well and safe everyone, and thanks for reading!

--Rebecca