you motivated. I find you have to look in many places for inspiration. Your heart, your soul, your friends, your everyday surroundings. You have to be receptive when you least expect it. Sometimes when I’m travelling, I just can’t stand the onslaught of visuals around each corner and have trouble stopping the car to paint. But sooner or later a gentle wave comes over me and I say, ‘You know, this spot works fine.’ Out of the wind, some good contrasts, a sense of place... You’re in Scotland right now, teaching a class, right? Tell us exactly what you’re doing now, and describe the scenery around you. I’m in Scotland, standing before a ring of beautiful mountains, with velvet green rolling down the hillsides punctuated by huge drifts of red and blue violet heathers, cobalt skies and sails of gray and yellow clouds rolling about. Red stag deer with racks four feet across are grazing within our view and the students are in silent awe. The wind is fresh with the scent of all things north and the ground underfoot is soft, but warm. You don’t know whether to paint or just say, ‘I’m ready to come to heaven now.’
master and apprentice At Crow Creek Farm, Stan teaches more than art: nature, history and life. Mike Sperlak
The hardest part is picking your favorite...
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