Searching for Inspiration

Inspiration is something every artist looks for—it’s the momentum behind art making. Without inspiration, the work stalls. With it, everything falls into place. But where does the burst come from, and how does it show up in the work of artists like Chris Green-Martinez?

Taos Mountain from Cuchillo Rd.

CGM painted the view from her front yard in Ranchos de Taos. Often, inspiration is right in front of you.

The Everyday Search

Most artists don’t wait around for inspiration. They look for it while practicing their art. Being present in the moment, catching ideas in motion, and knowing when something feels worth exploring.

Inspiration isn’t always profound. It might come from something ordinary: a certain light at a specific time of day, a picture in a magazine, or a painting on a museum wall. What matters most is how the artist interprets and applies the inspiration.

Common Sources of Inspiration

Nature is a big one. So is personal experience—grief, joy, confusion, change, even boredom. Artists also respond to stories, symbols, and history. Religious themes and what they represent have fueled centuries worth of artwork.

CGM’s work often connects her observations with symbolism, her environment and internal questions. She doesn’t paint to match a trend—she paints to explore ideas.

The Pentecost Dove

CGM finds inspiration from many sources. The Pentecost story is just one of many.

How Chris Gets Inspiration

Take The Dove. It’s based on Pentecost, a moment in Christian tradition when the Holy Spirit descends from heaven in the form of a dove. Chris approached this theme not by making a traditional image, but by thinking about what the moment means symbolically—arrival, transformation, quiet power.

She pulls from specific sources, then translates their meanings into form, color, and movement.

Inspiration is real, though seemingly magical, and the artist’s role is to continue searching for it.