The Inspiration Behind My Paintings (Part One)

I often take my painting equipment with me when I go on tropical vacations. There are times when I sit on the beach or in a chair and paint right on location. Other times I take photos and create the painting back in my studio. In either case, the true inspiration comes from the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings of the tropical environments.

While going through some reference photos recently, I thought that I would show you some examples of the actual scenes and the paintings that sprung out of them.

We begin with my location on Magens Bay beach, where I painted plein air. I'm holding the resulting painting (Tree at Magens Bay).  The original is available at: Tree at Magens Bay

Tree at Magens Bay by Alan Zawacki

A photo of a small deserted island ocean pool in the Exumas (Bahamas) and my interpretation of the scene (Ocean Pool). The original is available at: Ocean Pool

Ocean Pool by Alan Zawacki

A photo of a terrace scene in St. Thomas and the resulting plein air painting (South Terrace Blossoms) created on location. The original is available at: South Terrace Blossoms

South Terrace Blossoms by Alan Zawacki

And lastly, I snapped this photo on Siesta Key Beach, Florida one day as a little girl searched through the shallow water.

 And, my painting – Siesta Key Searching. The original is available at: Siesta Key Searching

Siesta Key Searching by Alan Zawacki

I continue to be captivated by the beautiful little things in tropical places. I want to capture then all.

Stay tuned for Part Two of The Inspiration Behind My Paintings in the near future.

Have a great weekend,

Alan