CREATIVE PROCESS: IT ALL STARTS WITH COLOUR
Welcome to my world of colourful creation…
An ode to my abstract art in the form of documenting my creative process. A peak behind the palette and all the beautiful, messy goodness to be found as I juggle life as both a mother and an artist.
To create intuitively is a huge part of my creative process. The way the colours flow together. Layer by layer. But there is also intention here. In the moments that don’t always flow or when deep consideration is needed before applying paint to canvas. Both elements are a beautiful part of the creative process for me. Intention and flow. Flow and intention. My creative world lives within the real world. My creative space lives within our home, on Ngawait Country in Waikerie, South Australia.
My art studio can be found at the front of our home. Plain walls are adorned with the abstract artworks of my current season before they are released into the world and put on display in their new homes. Like a rotating gallery of beauty and joy, these walls act as a blank canvas of possibility and potential in between my collections. An abundance of natural light fills the space, nurturing the plants that fill my studio and nourishing my wellbeing. Living, breathing, thriving greenery that literally breathes fresh air into the space where I paint and create. I love the feeling that my plants bring to the room, dancing in the sunlight and shadows. The only space I have that is mostly mine.
I paint when I can in the daylight, sitting on the floor or standing at my easel in the corner by the window. I love having everything I need within reach. I am messy but clean with my application. Intuitive, yet focussed. There is nothing like mixing colours while bathed in natural light and nothing more accurate. Of course, my days are also filled with the beauty and chaos of motherhood. During this season of life, I spend most of my time painting in the evenings. I love this time. The light changes everything but there is something romantic about these hours that I have to myself. Time to truly get lost in the process and exploration of colour. I gravitate to my studio, often without realising, lost in thought or daydreaming in vivid colour. Yearning to pick up a brush. I always keep my journal with me, filled with colour swatches, handwritten notes, ideas, inspiration and prompts for later. My mind is always returning to this space and to my art.
Meditation has become a beautiful tool to connect my mind, body and practice on a deeper level. Meditating at the beginning or end of each day helps to clear my mind and open myself up to new ideas. I often start my practice with affirmations and set the tone by lighting a candle, usually with a coffee in hand. Picking up my paintbrush is a different form of meditation, where my mind clears, and I allow myself to surrender to the relationship between paint and canvas. There is a delicate balance between leaning into my intuition and using carefully considered strokes and colour placement. A beautiful harmony within my abstract art, where intuition brings a sense of excitement and vision for the piece, while deep and conscious thought slowly brings that essence to life and allows the story to thrive.
I also find inspiration in a more practical sense. The joy I feel in the presence of my treasured canvases with beautiful oak frames and the way my acrylic mediums and the texture of impasto can lead the way to something new. There is magic and creative freedom to be found all around me and in the way I connect to my art. The way I know when a piece is finished by how it feels, as my eye flows over the canvas, and the colours are truly harmonious. My paintings speak to me in a flow of energy, bringing a sense of calming slowness and soft notes of uplifting joy.
I hope gaining an insight into my creative process shares some of the happiness I feel when delighting in the use of colour on canvas. I feel so much peace in this form of self-expression and invite you to dream with me – in vibrant colour!
Discover my latest collection.
