Inspiration: Flowers, Plants and Trees

I had the Independence Day week off of work and enjoyed every second of it. Kell's parents were intown to visit and we had a wonderful time, as always. I got to take Karen to Leu Gardens.. a place in Orlando that I love but don't get to visit very often. It's so beutiful there.. and lucky us.. it was free admission that day! It was unbearably hot so we just made it a quick trip.. but we both got to see a bunch of beautiful things that we've never seen before.. and I got to take a few photos.

I've always loved looking at flowers and they tend to catch my eye anywhere.. I think even the weedy flowers are beautiful. Since I've started painting more.. I've noticed myself having an even keener interest in the flowers now.. if I have a camera on me.. I'll take a photograph. If I dont.. I'll usually look at it a while and try to remember it. I guess I'm grasping for inspiration and new subjects because I don't like to paint the same ones over and over.

Here are some lovely flowers, plants and trees from Leu Gardens that I took a special liking to... maybe some of them will pop up in an illustration soon!

What is something that catches your eye or inspires you on a regular basis??