Spring Inspiration
Mood boards are apart of the beginning stages of a project for many creatives. They are created to capture a feeling or essence of a project’s final stages. I rarely take the time to create a mood board when starting a project. I thought it would be a perfect way to capture what’s inspiring me. Spring seems closer than ever with these warmer than usual days.
Kitchen Artwork
I’m inspired to create food-related artwork for kitchens. Food has a nostalgic quality and most often is eaten with people that mean a lot to each other. Creating art that is centered around that feeling is my absolute dream. I have a few projects that I’d like to tackle next that fit into this category. The paintings below really capture the still-life, full detail I’d be striving for in my kitchen-inspired series.
This section also features a handwritten recipe card for Barbecue Meat Balls from my Grandma Patty. A classic recipe I grew up eating at my Grandma’s house. She loved cooking meals for her family.
Vintage, Antiques
In the last several years, I’ve caught the antique bug just like my dad. I’ve really enjoyed getting lost in antique stores and looking for unique pieces. I spent a lot of time in antique stores and shows growing up and have come to appreciate them more and more. Antique shopping is all about the thrill of the hunt—finding something that speaks to you in a sea of random objects. Sometimes you come home with something and sometimes you don’t, either way it’s still fun.
I look for things that have lots of texture, wood, and unique qualities. I’ve come home with an old cutting board, wooden spool, blue pottery, recipe box, letterpress stamp, wooden art palette, and antique green paper cutter to name a few. I hope to incorporate the texture that I see in antiques into my paintings this year through thick brushstrokes.
Dark & Earthy Colors
It’s true that I usually gravitate towards light and bright colors, but lately I’ve been inspired by dark greens. These greens really capture the warm, nature feeling. I’ve been on the hunt for the “perfect green” to paint my bedroom wall. A green that’s not too dark or too light. A bigger project, that will require a bigger brush than usual. This project might be “in the works” for little while.
Plants
Like every season, I’m inspired by nature and filling up my favorite spaces with plants. This is definitely shown in the subjects I select to paint, especially in my watercolor paintings. In the last several years, I’ve expanded my plant collection, slowly and intentionally. My two favorite plants are my matching Fiddle Leaf Figs that sit in either side of the window. It’s been so fun to watch them grow out new leaves and branches. While waiting for outdoor Spring blooms, I’ll be enjoying my indoor plants.
It is always fun to have things you enjoy in your indoor spaces until it’s time to get outside. After all, Spring is just right around the corner. What are you looking forward to in the new season?
Sources:
Bread Paintings: Artist, Katie Wilkins
Daffodils: Photographer, @earlymorningbirds
DeVol Kitchen Showroom, NYC
Kitchen Still Life Painting: Artist, Grant Perry
Paper White Painting: Artist, Penny German
Seed Packet Collection: Emily Baker @myweatheredhome
Snowdrops: Photographer, Janne Ford
Terra Cotta Pots: Unsplash, Annie Spratt
