Choosing what to draw.

One of my lesser known illustrations.

Welcome! Thank you everyone who read last week’s blog and made such kind comments. Don’t forget to look up, look around and #spreadbeauty!

The subject matter matters

As an artist choosing what your subject matter will be is often more difficult than actually creating the art. Commissioned work, like last weeks example makes that easy, but choosing the subject yourself can be maddening. I have at times struggled to the point of starting and stopping a piece of art several times before either finally settling on something or trashing the entire project. The majority of my illustrations are Vermont scenes, and for good reasons. It is a beautiful place and it will always be “home”. It kept a huge piece of my heart when we moved. When I decided to start selling my illustrations, I wanted to capture different places and elements that make the state so beautiful. There are more than 100 covered bridges scattered around Vermont. In fact, I grew up not far from one similar to this one. Although this is not technically that bridge, it was the inspiration for this illustration. I wanted the bridge in the illustration to be special to each person. A bridge they could relate to, one that they might have driven through, one that they have a connection to.

There are more than 100 covered bridges scattered around Vermont.

I have fond memories of the covered bridge that inspired me. We would often drive through as we took the “back way” to the next town over or to the family camp a few towns away. Every trip through, both ways, my Mom would stop the car in the middle of the bridge and she would give us a little kiss. This little bridge will forever in my mind be known as The Kissing Bridge. When my kids were little, we didn’t live as close to this bridge, but would sometimes go out of our way to make a stop at The Kissing Bridge, carrying on the tradition. So, the next time you find yourself in Sterling Valley, make sure to visit The Kissing Bridge with someone special.

Get your prints HERE

Last week I neglected to include a link to my ETSY shop, I have fixed that this week, so if you were interested in purchasing prints or notecards, click above. If you would like a custom illustration, let me know. I did a few pet portraits and holiday card during the Christmas season, maybe I will feature one of those next week. Check back to find out!