Post Four: Now That I Think Of It...

My inspiration images from last week sent me scouring all the supermarkets and gardens I know in search of funny-looking fruit.  I guess you could say that idea inspired me this week, when I decided to zoom out a little bit, and look at my dad's garden for all that it is.  Albeit less kitschy, this week's topic (and the accompanying images) go a lot deeper into the things I appreciate as a person and as an artist.

I again went searching for images I previously hadn't expected to find, but this time I was inspired by the subjects themselves, their environment, and the story behind them.  I found that  the more I viewed the garden as my dad's own artistic creation, the more inspired I became.

These onions, for example, are grown by my dad, then cooked by my mom into what is literally the most delectable sauce anyone will ever taste.  

Even though these berries grew wild, my dad is still just as proud of them.  He'll say, "Did you see what grew in the garden?!"  It's ridiculously adorable.  

He planted these vines a few years ago, they died, and then they were briefly revived this year.  Though I can count the number of successful grapes on one hand, I still find this image inspiring; my dad grew that grape, and he's proud of it.  

Here's a bench that's been overtaken by weeds.  What I love this is the fact that it looks frozen in time -- like the mint plant that once sat there might still be somewhere underneath the dry icicle-like stalks.  

Another comment to the sporadic dismay throughout the garden, this messy-yet-beautiful spiderweb and the determination of its creator reminded me of my dad and his impassioned hobby.