Influences

I so enjoyed painting the ornamental cabbage.  I have had the photograph that I worked from for many years and for some reason it just became what I had to paint.  I love the three dimensional effect and the movement in the leaves, the contrast of light and dark, and the variation of colors in the finished painting.
 
As I was finishing the painting, I happened to glance at a Van Gogh calendar that was in my studio and hanging beside my work table.  It had been there for several months, as I was a little behind on flipping to the current month.  I was surprised by the similarity of color, as well as, Van Gogh's use of movement created by the undulating lines and brushstrokes.   I know that without realizing it at the time, that painting had seeped into my sub-conscious and I believe influenced by painting.  

Above is my painting of the cabbage and below is the painting, entitled The Olive Trees, Saint Remy, painted by Van Gogh 1889.  This was one year before Van Gogh's death.  He was hospitalized at Saint Remy and only allowed short supervised walks around the grounds.  These walks led to paintings of the olive trees and cypresses.  

Influences come from many places and at different times in our lives.  What are you influenced by in your creation of art?