Often I am asked- "What inspires your paintings?" This is surprisingly hard to pin down. I usually say, " Walking in nature, plants, people, animals, life." It's the truth, but vague.
For one, I love the stark quality of the world this time of year. Everything seems to be outlined. It's partly the quality of the light. I love the crisp air and the shadows. I love how all the plants are starting to think about putting leaves out. I imagine how, in a few weeks, there will be bright green tiny leaves coming out of every plant that has been bare.
I like how in the winter you can see the tree's skeleton so much better than when it has leaves. I enjoy noting the wildy differing structures of trees. I think about trees a lot.