I always love looking back on old work. Painting can be such a reflective medium for me. When I see old work from ten years and even a year ago (like the painting shown above,) I am flooded with memories; I feel the emotions I felt while creating a piece. I remember the words of the book I listened to while painting it. I smell the shared student studio I worked in on campus. I feel the urgency I felt to complete my work for the show. And that's just the beginning. From start to finish, from a photoshoot for a painting to the end of an exhibit of painting, those memories are all intertwined in the brushwork of my paintings.




One of my favorite candid photographs (ever!) from my photoshoots for painting reference was from the set of photos for this painting. These girls were just so wonderful to work with. They absolutely exceeded my expectations. I had six of them there that day to help, and you know we had fun doing it! I love that this picture captures that. (Thanks again, girls!) You'll see them appear again in paintings throughout my future posts, but the painting above features two of them, sisters, second from the left and far right.

I love putting these inspirations posts together! It's an open journal of sorts, and although "gatherings" usually happen daily, it's good for me to really sit and think–what has really been my inspiration lately? If you missed the first post, or don't really know what this post is all about, go have a quick read of the first paragraph (or all of it) of this post, Inspiration Gatherings No. 1!


I wish I knew so much more about this artist. I can't seem to find a lot of information on him, but I can find a few high-res photographs of his work–that's like finding gold to me!! I've mentioned him briefly just recently here.  His work has been inspiring me so much since I found it. It's not so much that I would love to paint exactly like him, but something about the color harmonies and the way that his paintings seem to have a fluidness throughout the entire piece that is so uniquely Monsted just stuns me. Also, the subject matter he paints is what my dreams are made of: little beautiful, windy, country scenes. Click the image below to see his painting larger, and watch his brushwork come to life! I especially love the birds and the clouds up in the top middle area, and those little laundry lines! Oh, and I have to mention the tree branches just above the little cottages. Zoom in on those!

In June of last year I hung my senior exhibit, also known as a BFA show, at the Harris Fine Arts Center at Brigham Young University. It was a wonderful experience and I still feel so grateful for all the support and help I recieved in preparation for that show. The theme was "Variations on the Hymns."

It is 1:41am. I should be in bed sound asleep getting my beauty rest; I am turning 23 years old today though! I really wanted to paint one more painting before I turn 23, and tonight I was just really feeling a good rhythm for it. Why I am blogging about it, I have no idea. (Maybe it's because I decided to have a Coca-Cola at 10pm... hmm. I never ever do that usually.)

Alex took me out for steak dinner tonight–my favorite–at a very fun, fancy, takes-you-back-in-time  sort of steak house. We got dressed up, drove the few miles to downtown which was a treat for me because we usually take public transport when we go downtown to save on parking(bleh!), and I was sure that Mr. Gatsby was going to come join our celebration dinner at any moment. The food was amazing; the company even better; the evening was wonderful; and I'm still feeling fancy from it all.

When we got home (10:30pm) I told Alex I wanted to paint for "just another hour" (ha!) and I had these anemones set up from earlier in afternoon. They were just begging to be painted, because, you see, they are fancy flowers, and it's been a fancy evening. And so, in silence (city silence,) terrible lighting, and a fancy feeling, I present to you, Anemones No. 1. I think no. 2 will be painted tomorrow... There's something sort of poetic about painting anemones at midnight the eve of a birthday though, don't you think?

Good night!