I recently had the great honour of featuring as an artist for the digital magazine NatureVolve, which explores the connection between art and science through nature. I loved the questions they asked me. The experience invited me to reflect on the endless inspiration I get from nature and how it informs everything I create. A link to the full interview is at the end of this post, but in this post, I want to share the blessings of allowing my art to be inspired by nature.
Art Inspired by Nature
Being an artist inspired by nature means that the tiniest thing could become a vast project. There are endless ways to let nature inform us.
What inspires me most are colours and textures, but also atmospheres. I am very sensitive to the feel of places and natural objects. I tend to be very impressed by the large things, trees, rivers and fields, and the tiniest things, pebbles, flowers and moss. They all have a soothing presence for me. I consider them as friends who have much to show me and teach me, much inspiring comfort to offer, and it is natural for me to honour them in everything I make.
This sense of wonder does not decline with familiarity; on the contrary, the more I see a particular clump of moss and lichen, a specific place, the more I appreciate them. I love visiting the same spots through the seasons, various weathers and lights, to see them in as many variations as possible. Within this familiarity, we grow together, we nurture each other.
Improvised Art
The human element of my art comes as improvisation, where I simply allow my sensitivity, observations, skills and enjoyment to come together and make the work happen. I don’t journal, rehearse, sketch or plan, I don’t work from photographies or samples, and I don’t attempt to replicate nature—my art shows how nature makes me feel.
The best way for me to explain it is that while I soak up nature in a relaxed way, ideas bud within me. I do not monitor or manage this process which is as natural as breathing. When I sit down to create art, these buds have the opportunity to open and develop into full-fledge projects. These can be tiny, or very large.
Artists as Part of Nature
As humans, we are not separate from nature: we are completely part of it. I like to honour nature’s process of quiet incubation and steady development until a project is complete. Sometimes we see a long-awaited flower still in bud, and we wait and wait, we keep an eye on it, impatiently wishing for it to bloom… but the flower will bloom when the time is right, and not before. The plant follows its own process regardless of what it might hear and what pressure might be surrounding it. In its own time, it grows and secretly chooses when big events take place.
This is exactly my process. I have seen time and time again that when I disregard my own unique and perfect pace, when I allow others to pressure me into progress, expansion and completion, everything goes off balance, I don’t enjoy the proccess as much, and the result usually disappoints me because it is misaligned with my core values and pace. So I have learned to completely trust my instincts and rhythm of creativity.
Working With Nature
As I slowly transition into using exclusively natural materials, such as yarn bred from cruelty-free flocks, inks made with botanicals, and papers made with natural fabrics, I am excited to see what unfolds and how the change of media will impact and inspire my work in further honouring of our beloved natural world. I will be so happy to share with you along the way.
Tell me in the comments: what inspires you, what is your creative process, and what materials do you love to use? I would love to hear from you.
Until next time, I wish you much enjoyment!
You can read my full interview with NatureVolve HERE
