You probably heard about the severe winter storm that pounded Ohio with as much as 20 inches of snow in some areas. Here in Cincinnati, I spied the first flakes about 8:30 Friday morning, and by noon, the F+W offices (home to The Pastel Journal) had already decided to shut down, so employees could begin their "slide" home.

This late-season, record-breaking snowfall had effectively stalled my springtime revelries, but I've just found something that might restore it.

The March "Pastel Strokes" on WetCanvas! offers these two springtime photos by Paula Wilson to inspire a pastel painting this month. Paula writes that the first was taken at the Kaufmann Memorial Gardens in Kansas City, Mo., and the second at a cottage garden close to Alma, Kansas, in the Flint Hills.

Thanks, Paula. I'm thankful that when Mother Nature doesn't cooperate, there's always photography to supply the images we wish we were seeing outside!

If you're inspired to paint from these photos, you can post your finished artwork on WetCanvas! To see guidelines for participating, click here.