Gathering Inspiration for a Painting
How gather, examine, and use art as reference for your paintings.
Like picking flowers in a meadow, inspiration gathering is an act of plucking all the things that catch your eye and capture your imagination, and arranging them into a bouquet to carry along with you. Each piece you work on will have a different bouquet of inspiration, and the choices behind each will change depending on the story you are telling with your work.
A Cosy Spot, the series I am currently working on, started with a very ramshackle collection of inspiration. I had a vague sort of feeling I wanted to capture, but it was only through considering the sort of art I was enjoying and seeking out at the time, that I realised more of the story I wanted to tell. In this way, inspiration serves not only the final piece, but also the process of getting there!
When gathering inspiration, I look for the following sort of things to spark ideas:
Setting - such as things that look like they might belong in my series (photos of interiors, or photos of furniture, etc).
Colour - paintings, photos, etc in colours similar to the palette I am envisioning.
Style - examples paintings with an aesthetic style that I am drawn to, or paintings showing how an artist has solved a problem I know I struggle with.
Emotion - things that have the right emotion. These could be paintings, photos, or excerpts of poetry or stories. Music also goes here (and I sometimes make playlists for a project).
Composition - ideas on how to compose the painting.
Let's take a look at some inspiration I've gathered for A Cosy Spot, with notes on what drew me to it.
Charlotte Fairchild
Albert Beck Wenzell, oil on canvas
Style. The looseness and relaxed brushstrokes of this oil sketch are playful yet a bit intimate, like seeing something not-quite-finished. I think the not-quite-finished feel ties in well with the idea of being at home, letting someone in to a space that isn't outward-facing, letting them see behind-the-scenes.
A modern take on an old interior
Colour. The colours of this are just so appealing to me. The wallpaper pattern and the beautiful wood texture, and the muted design of the rug.
Diana Manners, later wife of Duff Cooper, 1st Viscount Norwich, 1919
James Jebusa Shannon, oil on canvas
Emotion. This pensieve, quiet feeling is very lovely.
Style. The loose, soft-edged, simple composition is so gentle, with the implied patterns on the textiles . . . my heart just sings!
La Donna
Philip Leslie Hale, oil on canvas
Colour. The rich bronzes, browns, and blue are gorgeous. I love the muted, indoor cosiness of it.
Setting. The rich fabrics of the curtains and robe are delightful.
An Arts & Crafts Interior, Emery Walker’s House.
Emotive. Don't you just want to sit in that chair and maybe read a bit? This is the emotion I want to try and convey.
Setting. I love this sort of cluttered, lived-in, art-soaked decoration. I want to style my paintings in this sort of everything-is-beautiful style of decoration. Note the use of beautiful wood, patterned textiles and wallpapers, bronze and brass, and many books!
You might have twigged that these paintings are all oils . . . and I don't work with oils. A lot about the technique and texture of these paintings won't be replicated in my own works (with pencil and gouache) but that doesn't mean there isn't inspiration I can take from these.
If you are at a loss for inspiration on your next piece, I hope this inspires you to go gather it widely and merrily!