Thursday, September 6, 2007

Photographic Inspiration From A Master Painter...


Where does your inspiration come from?

For me, a trip to the local Barnes and Noble News Stand is more than enough to fire me up about photography! With all the great US and European Photography Magazines to peruse, I am reminded that Edwin Morgan is not the only Photographer in the world ( Shocking, I Know! ) and that new ideas are not in short supply. There are more than enough people, places and things to point my camera at and it's up to me to find the inspiration and motivation to make that next great image! If Bjorn in Finland can make an entire portfolio out of artfully Blurred Holga Close-ups of his pet chicken, well then, I guess I should be able to come up with something too. And with High Speed Internet connections in most of our homes, a Photographer / Artist doesn't even have to leave their home to get a fix of Inspirational Imagery. There are more than enough Photo Blogs, Photographers Websites and Online Magazines to fill those empty hours when you're not saving the planet from Global Warming or playing with your X-Box.

This all brings me around to the ultimate time killer and inspiration finder.......... 'Stumbling' on the Internet with StumbleUpon.Com. If you haven't tried it, you truly don't know what you're missing. I mean that literally! Your preferences noted on their server for your likes and dislikes, with Photo Blogs and Picture websites as favorites, you will 'Stumble' on some of the coolest photography and art related stuff on the Internet. Inspiration Galore!

Today's great find is the Website and Online Catalog of Austin Texas based 'Master Painter' Roi James, whose otherworldly landscapes and mystical figure portraits grace the walls of Fine Art Collectors and Galleries throughout Texas and the US. His Figure Portraits are the essence of light and shadow. If you can't find inspiration in his Painting " Woman with Scarlet Tanager" 2003, Oil on Canvas, and "Faith Hope and Love 2" 2005, Oil on Linen, then you might as well give your camera away to someone else.

Special Thanks to Roi James for allowing me to post images from his website.

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