How do I choose what to Paint?
I get all my inspiration from being out in nature. I am constantly taking photos, or making quick pencil and ink sketches when out and about. However when it comes to creating a piece I don’t want to produce something that is an exact representation of what I have just seen.
When choosing what to paint I may be led by one or many elements.
1. Noticing what I notice
One way of starting a painting may be to look back through all the images I have collected and write about what specifically caught my eye at that moment. If I have many photos of the flooded fields I hone in on what I particularly liked e.g the shape of the flooded parts of the field, or the contrast of the light reflection compared to the dark muddy grass or even the patterns that the wind makes across the surface of the water.
So, when I come to putting paint onto the canvas I know what I will be focusing on and where the emphasis in my work will be.
2. A response to how I feel in nature.
I love to be outdoors, and my art is intrinsically linked to being amongst nature.
I am not only inspired by what I see but also how I feel when outside so my paintings can also be a response to the positive impact that nature has on me. Not only am I collecting images when outside, I may also write down what emotions are arising. E.g birds gliding high above me, particularly on a windy day can evoke feelings of exhilaration, a playfulness and joy at using the wind to carry one up and then gliding down.
Back in the studio I write these words down and pin them on the wall next to where I am painting and think how I could use marks, gestures and colour to evoke these feelings, resulting in more of an abstract landscape.
3. Responding to the painting
I love playing in my studio! I love putting paint down with different tools, or pressing an assortment of objects into wet paint to see what textures they leave and even using stencils to create patterns. I then respond to what is on the canvas by painting over parts that I don’t like and emphasizing parts that I want to stand out. I have found this such a liberating way to work, where I am in complete control of my decisions and producing pieces that are a discernment of what brings me joy.
I subconsciously seem to always add a horizon line, even when working like this so ultimately my pieces still identify with a landscape of some form.
This way of responding to paint is fundamental to how I work….which will be the subject of my next blog!