One Fast Buffalo

Most everyone when they start art school of any kind has the question "What is Art?" presented to them. It is a question that has no exact answer, because everyone has a different interpretation of what "art" is.

Art can be the graffiti on the side of an abandoned train car. It can be a master of a certain skill, or it can be a famous deteriorating, oil on poplar painting of a reserved woman sitting in front of a washed out landscape with folded arms. Art is... everything. It can be just as much intentional as unintentional. So where do artists get inspiration for something that is "everywhere and everything"?

This past week the OFB Directors went on a trip to get inspired for an upcoming project, but what happened, was so much more. We rented an RV, all piled in it, and drove south of Dallas. We hit sites such as the Dinosaur Valley State Park, where we saw real dinosaur footprints. We visited the small, interesting towns of Glen Rose, Hico, Hamilton, and Comanche. We experienced the locals, bad driving, and good food. In these small towns, collectively we found inspiration in old signage, beat up campers on the side of the road, and assorted trinkets in antique shops.

But what truly inspired me? What caught my attention the most out of the whole trip? Was it watching our film crew take stellar photographs, or learning more about my fellow coworkers? Just like art is everything and everywhere, so was my inspiration. I found it in the strangest places.

My main source of inspiration was the vastness of the Texas countryside. I am from a small town, and I am used to looking out and seeing nothing on the highway, but this took it to new levels. Just the orange soil hitting that extremely rich blue sky had my eyes dancing with excitement. And at night seeing a fresh sky with sparkling stars, made me miss the country. There is so much inspiration that can be drawn from the natural earth, such as color, textures, rhythm, and harmony.