Inspiration
Use what you have is my maxim. So I mostly draw my inspiration from my surroundings. My urban environment, the buildings in it, the people living in this town. The rural and coastal hinterland of my town. The things I find while making my way in these places. So recently I’ve been chatting with a painter friend while playing Go with him. We’ve decided to try and start a Go club in town and our chats have encompassed some of the history and culture behind the game of Go. Did you know QR codes come from someone studying the patterns seen of the stones on a Go board. My friend has been painting QR codes which work as they should. I thought I would like to try some QR code related pictures. So I did some on line research and found some source images which then gave me ideas to make sketches and notes. Ten ideas emerged in short order and are being worked on now. In this case the inspiration came from a friend, the materials have been found locally and the eventual display site is in town too.
Be A Bridge
Another example - I recently made a print from an idea to use the image of a newly installed (and slightly controversial) pedestrian bridge across our river. I was there when the bridge was officially opened and one of the speakers was First Minister Eluned Morgan, who referred to an ancient Welsh aphorism “A Bo Ben Byd Bont”, translated, this means “If you want to be a Leader be a Bridge.” This phrase really struck me, in our time bridges are being bombed. The wisdom of our Welsh saying needs spreading about. So I decided to use this phrase in this picture too. So then I had to take several pictures to get the perspective I wanted of the bridge itself and one of the Castle looming above and behind the bridge. Then I went to a long term collaborator and enabler of ideas, graphic artist and printer, Heidi Baker of Popty Press. She did some digital magic and produced a composite picture from my pictures. Then I had to draw my text onto the bridge roadway. Then I hand cut four different acetate stencils, one for each colour I wanted to use. A fifth stencil was improvised on printing day (courtesy Studio Assistant Meg) to give a fifth colour for the text. Picture of completed print. So this print arises from the new bridge and its launch. It is a part of my circumstances (I cross it daily) and the aphorism part of my Welsh culture. I’m using what I’ve got.