Inspiration and art

My drive to "make art" has been fallow lately. Life events get in the way sometimes, and I've been focused on other things. Now I am finally feeling the quiet nudges of new creative urges. My husband and I recently visited our vacation home in Oroville, CA with a friend who was visiting from Canada. As we took her to different "sites" and spent time in nature, I was inspired by her picture taking, documenting what she was seeing around her.
Watching her delight in capturing these new surroundings, inspired me to see things in a new way -- as possible take off points for a new series of abstract paintings. Snapping away like a "tourist" gave me the freedom to resist self-editing and also focus in on details and patterns. I realized that I usually try to capture a very large scene when I shoot, so this time tried to zoom in on the patterns and shapes the natural world provides. Now I need to get into the studio and start some work!