5 Degrees of Inspiration

Welcome to the IAE team "5 Degrees of Inspiration" blog party! Champagne and cakes all round! In honour of the party, this is my list of five things that inspire me - though it was difficult getting it down to five! 1. Words inspire me - sometimes I start a painting from just a title in my head. I love the idea of symbols on a page being able to communicate thoughts and ideas, and I also love the way words look; old copperplate handwriting, illuminated books, children's clumsy hand-writing. I also think those old wooden letterpress printing blocks are beautiful - I've started a mini collection! 2. I am fascinated in general by old things, and collections and keepsakes, which were the inspiration for this mixed media painting. I'm interested in the way people value certain objects, and invest them with memory and meaning. 3. Nature is inspiring - the colours, intricate patterns, even natural decay. Trees feature in my artwork quite a bit too - I love the really old ones that have been around 100s of years - they have a real sense of wisdom and mystery about them!

3. The city I live in inspires me. This is part of a poem by Lemn Sissay which is imprinted into the paving stones in Manchester City Centre - it carries on through the streets (the artist who created these beautiful paving stones is Tim Rushton). Manchester also has tons of galleries, independant shops and a thriving art/craft community. The city itself is also is a great mix of beautiful old architecture and shiny new ultra-modern buildings.

(photo by J.Kolo)

5. Beauty in unexpected places inspires me. I love the patterns in cracked glass and the colours of rust. Someone once said that art is making people see something that they may have missed. I like that!