The painter's eye

It must be as frustrating as it is enjoyable to be a painter. My son-in-law is a very gifted graphic artist, and being around him has caused me to notice things that would look good on canvas. And they are everywhere. A sunrise. The silhouettes of trees against the sky. A remarkable face. Everywhere you look, there are things just screaming to be preserved - but a painter only has so much time, and a good bit of that time is taken up with contests, commissions, etc. Thus the majority of things that may catch the painter's eye sadly are destined to remain off the easel.