As artists, we’re often told to “gather references”—take photos, make sketches, capture the structure so we can paint it later. And that’s useful. But I believe the deeper work of being an artist isn’t just about collecting images—it’s about collecting wonder. Wonder is what brings life to the work. It’s the moment the light shifts and you pause. It’s the sound of wind in the trees, the smell of river water, the gold edge of a leaf that makes you forget what you were just worrying about. Wonder is what makes you say, “This matters. I want to paint this—not because it’s impressive, but because it’s true.”
So how do we do that—gather wonder?
1. Slow Down Long Enough to Feel Something:
If you move too fast, you’ll only gather what’s obvious. But wonder isn’t loud. It lives in the small, quiet corners. The flicker of a shadow. The hush before rain. The crooked angle of a barn that’s outlived everything around it.
Take a moment. Put your camera down. Breathe. Listen.
Let the scene come to you.
2. Ask Better Questions
Instead of “What can I paint?”
Ask:
* What here speaks to me?
* What does this light remind me of?
* Where does this scene match something I’ve felt before?
Wonder begins where curiosity deepens. When you ask the right question, the subject reveals itself.
3. Change How You Look
Wonder often shows up the second you stop trying to make a perfect painting and start looking for a true experience.
Try:
* Moving a few feet left or right.
* Looking through something—leaves, fences, reflections.
* Cropping the world down to a quiet moment: a puddle, a shoe, a shadow.
Small subjects often carry the biggest weight.
4. Take Notes, Not Just Pictures
Wonder leaves a mark. Write it down before it fades.
Examples:
“Cool wind—gold light—smelled like pine.”
“Reminds me of walking home from school.”
“Stillness. Waiting.”
Those aren’t just notes. They’re starting points for meaning. They’ll come back to you later when you’re in the studio and wondering why you felt something.
5. Accept That Some Days You Must Create Wonder
Some scenes are flat. The light’s off. Your mind is cloudy.
On those days, don’t chase wonder—make it. Shift your focus. Narrow your frame. Paint not what you see, but what you need to see.
Ask:
What story do I want to tell today, and where can I find even a thread of it here?
* Where’s the Beauty that needs rescuing?
* Where’s the adventure that needs living?
* Where’s the battle that needs fighting?
Wonder Isn’t Rare—Attention Is.
The world is full of wonder. The artist’s job isn’t to invent it—it’s to notice it, then translate it into marks, shapes, and color that someone else might also feel.
So the next time you’re in the field with your Fairview Finder, don’t just ask “Where’s the best composition?”
Also ask:
“Where’s the wonder?” Because if you gather that—you’ll never run out of things worth painting.