NATURE INSPIRATION FOR THE
LANDSCAPE ARTIST
Inspired by Nature
Creatively reset with a walk in nature, take your own reference photos or simply enjoy peace and quiet. Here are some of my top sources of inspiration as a landscape painter.
Light
Ever noticed how a place looks and feels different, at different times of day? Light can effect our mood (ever heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder in the winter), but it can also completely alter the colours of the landscape, and bring out brilliant shadows, highlights. I particularly love how light filters through trees and grasses to create a little patchwork of dark and light on the ground.
This is all the same place - on a single day in Patagonia!
The Changing Seasons
Nothing warms my artistic soul more than seeing the complex rhythms and cycles of nature play out. The sun rises later, the leaves change slowly to orange and fall, flowers fade, and nature prepares for the winter. I find autumn to be the season that makes me feel calmest, and the one I always want to paint, no matter how hot or cold it is outside!
How To Take (Tons) of Useful Reference Photos
My tip: don't just snap away and hope for the best, I've done this before and then I'm disappointed when looking for a specific reference point. Look for unique compositions, take the photo in both portrait, landscape and square formats - you never know which one could inspire you later. And most importantly, capture the little details that matter to you most. It could be a sapling emerging from the crumbling crater of a dead giant, the reflection of a willow on the river's surface. Capture those little moments, the colours. Take brief videos as memories.
Best Places to Visit
Even in the midst of an urban sprawl, you can find nature if you look for it. Here are my top places to visit when I'm in the mood for greenery or open spaces.
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Local Parks
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Botanical Gardens
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Rivers and Lakes
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Churchyards
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Garden Centres
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Public Paths and Walkways
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Coastlines
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Castles and ruins
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Anywhere you can collect leaves, pine cones and natural materials to study!
