Sitting in her Blue Lotus Visions studio, Claudine Diamond lightly paints on a plank of wood, with her brush flowing along the curves of a cow painting. Inspiration is hard to come by for some, but not for Diamond. She simply draws influence from the people and surroundings in her life for her paintings.

Growing up in a creative and artistic family, she found comfort in her ability to paint, although she claims she can’t draw. “Normally, I will put something down and fix it when I’m painting,” she says, “because drawing isn’t a skill I’ve fully developed, although I plan to.”

Her paintings have evolved over her years as an artist, switching mediums and formats. “I started with acrylic because it was cheap,” she says. “I was scared to use watercolor because it seemed to be a less forgiving medium.” she says. Later, when Diamond found the courage to pick up watercolor, she fell in love. The way the colors blended in a more open way sticks with her as she continues to use it.

Her newest collection titled Flowers on the Terrace features plants straight from her home garden. She picks flowers and ferns and uses them as major parts of her paintings. The flower lays on the wood as the she paints over it until it’s complete and she removes it to reveal a beautiful outline.

Her children find their way into her paintings, and her paintings find their way onto her children’s walls. “They both have my art hanging in their house.” Diamond says, “My daughter has said that she has no appreciation for the price of art because she gets her’s for free.”

Diamond sends her works to Brass in downtown Baton Rouge, where they sit on shelves and hang next to other art from around the city. There, they wait, ready to inspire someone else.