My Creative Inspiration
A Peaceful Journey – Prints For Sale HERE
This weekend, I was asked:
Where does my inspiration comes from?
Are they women in my life or imaginary?
Two questions, and two answers were necessary.
I’ve talked about Finding My Creative Ideas, here, on my website.
Which is basically an answer to how I get the images.
The second question – are they women in my life or imaginary, is something I haven’t spoken about previously.
The answer is, they are all me!
For example, everything in A Peaceful Journey (above) is an aspect of me! The girls are all engaged in something I would do, the fish is my creativity and the boat is my receptivity.
As always in my work, there are multiple layers of meaning & interpretation in this image. I’m just explaining how I felt about each as I painted it and infused it with feeling.
I have the image come to mind, as I paint it, I put my feelings into the character. This comes through as the expression, posture, colours and create ‘feel’ of the painting.
I never begin with an idea of HOW one of my figure’s faces will look!! I do not plan their appearance in advance, or as I’m working on it. They just develop based on my feelings, and the painting itself.
You cannot paint something, convincingly that you haven’t experienced, do not know or cannot ‘feel’.
I have a close connection with nature and animals, therefore they are regular aspects of my artwork.
I have absolutely no interest or connection with children, when I’ve tried painting them, (for someone else, of course) they looked quite frightening!
So, my advise is to paint what you know, love, feel.
You may love my artwork, but it is not yours – what you create that is yours, will be infused with YOUR emotion, depth and personal meaning.
Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.
Henry Ward Beecher
