| Ideas & Inspiration |
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One of the questions I'm asked most often is, "Where do you get your
ideas for painting?" I thought I'd share some of my
ideas and inspiration with you on this page.
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Click on Thumbnail to VIEW ARTWORK
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| "Abraham's Door" was
inspired by an old twisted oak tree that stood outside our front door
for many years. Crowned in mistletoe, its limbs stretched down
and around our home as though in an embrace. My family began
referring to the tree affectionately as "Abraham." One night I
dreamt of a hidden doorway at Abraham's feet. His roots were
twisted into a spiral staircase that stretched deep inside the
earth. Dressed in a long white nightshirt, I wandered awestruck into a
magical subterranean world. |
Abraham's Door
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| "Sport of Kings" (work in
progress) is derived from a recurring dream I had as a child.
On several occasions a woman dressed in 18th century French couture ran
through my dreams, desperately afraid. The woods were blued in
twilight and damp with mist. Dogs barked in the distance as men
shouted. She was being hunted, but not as a fugitive. It was for sport. Each night I awoke as she hid behind a tree,
panting and unable to run any further. I don't know what happened
to her, but putting this image on canvas has been cathartic for me. |
Sport of Kings
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| "The Watcher" is also borrowed
from a dream. In this dream, a man dressed in dark robes was
mounted astride a huge wolf. He moved through a barren landscape,
somehow playing a pivotal role in world events. He wasn't evil, though. Whatever duty he was there to perform was executed in a
detached, unemotional manner. A man riding a wolf - albeit a dire
wolf - didn't look right on canvas so I altered the imagery by scaling
the wolf to size and placing it beside the robed man. |
The Watcher
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| "The Flight of Murron" is a
romanticized rendition of family folklore. It is said that the daughter of an English nobleman fell in love with a
common man. Defying her father, she and her lover set sail for
the Americas. Her companion was killed when the ship was wrecked by storm,
but she was one of a small group that was rescued. She returned
home, only to find that her father had disowned her. She grimly
set forth on her own for the New World and carved out a life in
Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, bearing a child along the way. |
The Flight of Murron
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| Angels are often depicted as pale, androgynous
beings who look more like porcelain dolls than spiritual
warriors. I think angels are more formidable than these delicate
renderings suggest. "Michael" is
how I envision the Archangel Michael: a fiery warrior with armor
of worn leather, his sword scarred from battle, his skin weathered and
dark, and auburn hair coarse with sweat. |
Michael
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| Imagery from The Crow inspired "Storm Angel" (work in progress).
There is a scene during which Brandon Lee stands in an alley - his body
arched, arms outstretched in a torrent of rain. This image
sparked the idea of an angel surrounded by rain and lightning, reveling
in the raw power of the elements around him. Oh, and dressed in
tight leather pants. |
Storm Angel
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| After painting several angels, I wanted to
render one with dark wings. It seems natural that the color of an
angel's wings would vary as much as hair or skin color, so an angel
with dark wings would not necessarily be evil. Reactions
to "Fallen Prince" (work in progress)
have been fascinating. Most viewers see a malevolent being.
His cold gaze, dark armor and raven wings play on that emotional
response by suggesting sinister qualities, but I see a warrior who is both proud and noble. |
Fallen Prince
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| "Storm Walker" began as an
abstract idea of two panthers and a Native American shaman. Initially the shaman was female since I regard panthers as graceful, elegant
and feminine creatures in their own right. The painting assumed a
masculine overtone, however, and the shaman's gender became male. The
painting rejected my attempts to warm it up with a brighter
palette of desert hues, and the storm theme evolved during its final phase. "Storm Walker" knew what
it wanted before I did! |
Storm Walker
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So ideas present themselves in many forms: imagery from dreams,
advertising, cinema. Some, like "Michael,"
pop into my mind's eye as fully executed paintings. I know, down
to the smallest detail, how the painting will appear once it's
completed. Others, like "Storm Walker,"
seem to exert a will of their own. I begin with an abstract idea
and the details evolve as the painting evolves, assuming a personality
all its own. Sometimes even I'm surprised by the result!
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All artwork copyrighted
by Dori Cawley / ThistleHaven Studio
- All Rights Reserved -
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