Above: The original photo I captured on a walk in Howth.
Above: The finished watercolour painting.
Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic week. I have been very busy this week with drawings and paintings that all form part of my latest collection 'Uirbeach Rhythms'. I thought I would just pop in and answer a big question which I have probably been asked the most as an artist. A good friend asked me this question again this week. And that is "where do you find your inspiration?"
To answer this question, my surroundings and experiences inspire me. And I always try and capture these unique and significant moments in some way. I take photos on my phone of EVERYTHING. In fact my phone has had a meltdown on numerous occasions as there just never seems to be enough memory space for all the photos that I take on it. Literally no matter where I go or what I am doing, I am always taking photos of my surroundings. Whether I am just sitting on the balcony at home, out for a walk around the neighborhood, going to the shops, on a bus or train ride home (not so much recently due to Covid), or out on adventures with friends, I am always taking photos of anything and everything. Things with interesting textures and colours. Shadow and light falling on various settings and objects in beautiful and interesting ways. These are the things that catch my attention and make me quickly haul out my phone and try capture that moment. Even if I draw or paint something from real life, I still take a photo of the original place or setting.
Above: I captured this original photo while on a bus ride home in February this year.
Above: The acrylic painting I created in response to the experience and working from my original photograph.
To be honest, I don't always paint all the photos that I take, and I may not paint them immediately. However, I keep the photos on my phone (try to at least) or on my PC and go back and look at them later for inspiration for artworks. Depending on my mood or how I feel on a particular day, a certain photo may call out to me and I will create an artwork. It could be a sketch in my journal or a bigger painting or drawing. I may even go back to that specific setting and paint from both real life and the photo together.
We can find inspiration in our everyday routines, surroundings and experiences if we look closely and with an appreciative perspective.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Above: I captured this original photo while on a bus ride home in February this year.
Above: Pen and watercolour sketch I created in response.