Inspiration

Big Fat Iguana

The most difficult part of art is what to choose.
Inspiration can come from many places:
A photograph, a model, or scenic views.
In all Bob’s watercolor painting sessions,
Florida subjects became my obsessions.

First I painted birds—winged creatures of all sorts:
Cormorants, anhingas, Great Blue Herons,
Egrets, pelicans, flamingos, and storks.
After a flock or two, I had ruffled Bob’s feathers,
And I got the word: “Not one more bird.”

Then I painted flora: tropical plants of all kinds.
Bromeliads, crotons, bougainvilleas,
Poinsettias, palm trees, and flowering vines
Grew wildly in my head until Bob said:
“Good grief. Do not paint another leaf.”

Next I toured Delray Beach on a trolley,
Photographing historic houses along the way:
Banker’s Row, Mizner cottages, I painted them all
Until Bob’s face became a negative space.
“Do one more house and I WILL erase.”

Now I’m painting reptiles: turtles, geckos,
Alligators, and my favorite—the Iguana.
Bob said, “You are seeing beauty where I don’t see it.
Are you smoking marijuana?”
My answer, I fear, is perfectly clear: “I just wanna paint Iguanas.”


3/2012