“Inspiration may not necessarily end in a painting. But it may begin with one.”

It’s difficult for James P. Kerr to recall the moment he began painting. He was given the staircase wall of his childhood home in Buffalo as his first canvass, which he had filled many times over by the age of 10. It was then that he was asked to join an adult portrait painting class led by Laszlo Szabo, who until then had strictly mentored adults.

For seven years, James studied still life and portraits with Szabo, until he died on the eve of James’s 17th birthday. On that day, some of the ladies in the class asked if James would be interested in continuing to teach them. So he rented an upstairs loft for $35 a month and began his career.

After studying under Carl Illig for a year, James was compelled to go to Gloucester, Massachusetts to paint the landscapes. It was here, he recalls, his paintings truly began to open up. For the past decades, James P. Kerr has traveled up and down the eastern seaboard, visiting places like a fisherman—knowing what to look for in-season and pulling inspiration from the landscapes with purpose and regiment.

Kerr’s work undulates gracefully between the abstract and realistic recreations of a place in time. He admits that some of the scenes he now paints may have existed only in his mind, yet still maintains they are as real as any place you can visit. He’s exhibited these works for over 40 years and is represented in hundreds of private and corporate collections across the globe.

As the shapes and colors from the streets, or beaches, or valleys in his work engulf you—as the fond feeling of nostalgia, or the strong sense of place surrounds you—you might also become inspired. You might find yourself wondering if you once had the pleasure of finding yourself in one of his paintings.