My Inspiration behind

I wanted to show you how I go about creating a painting.  Where I start, what my inspirations are and how I start the painting process.  I want to walk you through how the painting Clear Waters came to be.

 

For me it always begins with a feeling or memory.  How I want to remember the feeling of the breeze moving my salty hair and making my skin go to goosebumps as the fresh air moves across me.  I'm living in the moment where everything comes into focus.

 

I made this painting for an exhibition in Nerja, Spain, Shortly after I moved here in 2019.  It was impossible not to be inspired by the blue of the ocean and the smells of the salt in the air.  It w as at a time where I went through a lot of changes, where I was strongly heading into a new direction.

The next step is to get these feelings into a visual moodboard.  I scroll through my photos and Pinterest in search of something that gives me that feeling.  Looking for colours, how the light falls on the water and any details that I might want to include in the painting.  From the freckles on the face, to the jewellery and clothing.

Sometimes I might sketch a few ideas, but in their most basic form.  I find that if I plan too much I lose the magic and spontaneity when I come to paint.  It's important for me to keep on referencing back to how I want that final piece to feel.  Looking at the mood board helps me get into the zone as a reminder of what I set out to do.

I like to paint with big brushes and watered down acrylics, building each layer.  Moving with the paint almost like a dance.  Adding and subtracting, solving the puzzle in front of me.  In the Clear Waters painting I used a technique that I experimented with in the past.  Where I cut a piece of card into a comb shape, dragging the paint across the surface to add texture.

My hope is that the bold lines and subtle colours can see in themselves the delicate strength I felt in this memory on the beach as I moved forward to new beginnings.

You can shop Clear Waters HERE