Inspiration
In my last blog I mentioned that I felt there had been a shift in my work as I explored different materials and focussed on a subject to create a cohesive body of work. Since then I’ve continued to develop this and I am loving where it is going and the work that is being created.
During this shift I thought a lot about what inspires me and what grabs my attention, whether it’s the subject, materials or just the need to create. So, for this months blog I thought I would explore this as a way to reflect on the inspiration behind my work and being an artist.
What inspired me to become an artist?
Honestly, I think I always have been. When I think back to my childhood I was always creating, whether that was drawing, building bedrooms for my Barbie (even though I had a Barbie house in my bedroom), sewing clothes for my toys…. I often preferred making ‘things’ for my toys over playing with them!
I always loved Art at school; studying Art at GCSE and A’Level and then a Fine Art degree, specialising in Sculpture. From there I fell into teaching which I loved and became a Secondary School Art Teacher and then Head of Art before having my three kiddies. I decided to focus on raising my children and didn’t return to teaching.
Once my children had all started school I started to paint a little and then I took part in Inktober where I rediscovered a love of drawing and pen! And that was it, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else; I didn’t decide to be an artist, I was an artist. I feel I am finally in the right place to be able to fully embrace and explore my creativity and I am loving every minute!
What inspired me to work with the mediums I use?
I love the contrast of watercolours and pen. I use watercolours as a washy, translucent layer to add colour. I use them intuitively, leaving some areas pale whilst building up the colours in other areas. I usually think this is the low point of my work where it looks a bit of a splashy mess but at the same time I really enjoy injecting some colour.
Once I am happy with the watercolour layer I begin to add the pen and it brings the piece alive with detail, marks and depth. I love using pen; the clean lines, the marks and its permanence. It’s fun adding the watercolour but I loose myself when adding the pen.
Currently, I am really enjoying using metallic watercolours and exploring their potential; they have a creaminess and a shimmery sparkle. I have also been playing around with surfaces and although I still enjoy filling a blank (and at the moment large) white sheet of paper I really like the quality of watercolour and pen on wood.
The naturalness of the wood definitely appeals to me and the grain and colour often becomes part of my work. Although I think my work will always include pen and watercolour it is exciting to experiment with them to see what happens, or what effects can be achieved in order to develop work and expand on ideas. I think this keeps work original and the inspiration alive!
What inspires me to paint and draw the subjects I create?
I find nature fascinating and an endless source of inspiration. There are so many species to draw, colours to capture, textures to imitate… and there will never be enough time to do it all. I want to create beautiful pieces of art and what is more beautiful than the species we have on this planet.
I find birds in particular intriguing and inspiring; there are so many different types of birds, sizes and colours. They are such amazing creatures with so much personality and this is what I am inspired to try to capture.
What inspired me to start selling my art?
It took a deep breath and a bit of cajoling but I just went for it! The reality is a big part of being an artist is creating pieces of art and the other part is running a business. Creating a piece of art can take many hours, from thinking about it, planning it, to then finally creating it. I love what I do and I hope that is evident in the work that I create. But I also believe my time and hard work is valuable and to continue to create art I need to earn, I cannot work for free. Simply put, I want to make beautiful pieces of work that people love, but at the same time I am running a small, independent business that needs to make a profit, which will then enable me to make more art. I feel very lucky that I am able to do this.