‘Inspiration Board’ from my studio

Like many artists and creatives I collect and keep images which appeal to me.  These are often in digital form but I still like tangible ‘hard copies’ which can come from many sources – newspapers, magazines, greetings cards, art exhibitions, galleries, open studios or specialist shops.  Sometimes they are ‘ephemera’ or things I simply come across in my travels.  I am often surprised at how diverse these images are – spanning centuries, artistic styles and disciplines as well as encompassing a wide variety of media.

I tend to display my favourites on a board in my studio.  Sometimes they are reproductions of works by other makers, photographs or words than trigger something in my brain – a memory or train of thought.  Sometimes I just ‘connect’ with the subject matter – colours, textures, shapes or tones – in a way that is less easy to articulate.  All these images effect my work on a conscious or subconscious level.

So, at the start of every new year, I take them down and do a ‘re-hang’.  Both familiar objects and images in my studio get reviewed. Some are put away and others take their place.

Declutter – rethink – reappraise!    Out with the old and in with the new!  Clear the mental horizon and hope that something fresh and new appears there!  So that is what I have been doing this week.  Taking down the images that appear here and replacing them with other newer ‘visuals’ that I find equally, if not more, stimulating and appealing.  Let’s hope they have the desired effect!!