The Inspiration Behind My Abstract Landscapes

Firstly, I want to thank everyone who came along to my exhibition: Luminous Skies.

It was wonderful to meet and see you all. There are truly no words for how grateful I am. After spending years behind a canvas plagued by self-doubt, I’m honoured to see my work hanging on so many walls. Watching with pride as the lines, shapes and colours elevate your personal and commercial spaces.

Secondly, I wanted to share with you the highlights from the speech I made at opening night. This will give you some more information about my work and inspiration behind my abstract sky art and landscapes.

Highlights – the Inspiration for My Work

Credit to the sky

I’d like to touch on a few things tonight about my work and inspiration. My inspiration has primarily been from nature and our connection to it. I truly believe it is so important.

As many of you are aware, I live on a hill, and I have a view that is predominantly sky. It has provided much inspiration, enjoyment and fascination over the past eight years. Its constant changing could be considered abstract sky art before the paint even hits my brushes.

What interests me the most is  how it is  a metaphor for life. The ebbs and flows, ups and downs, good and bad days. Society often wants to label us as if we are static, and these boxes can become suffocating over time. And so, when I see the constant movement of the sky, I’m reminded that we aren’t separate from nature. We aren’t defined by just one thing and there’s beauty in that.”  

The role of ephemerality in my abstract sky art

Ephemerality is also something that has always interested me and been apparent in my work. The capturing of a moment and the ability to stop time. We are constantly trying to capture moments and memories with a camera. There’s a nostalgic magic to capturing a moment in paint because it embodies your interpretation of that moment. So, this combination of nature, ephemerality, and the sky make a great marriage of everything I’m interested in.”

Translating my relationship with the sky

“I’ve only recently felt like I was ready to paint abstract sky art. I’d finally found a language in painting terms. One where I can talk about what the sky means to me and how it inspires me. That’s what this body of work is about.”

My unique approach

“I thought I’d also chat about a couple of things that I get asked about with my paintings. One thing is why I paint the sides of my canvases. And that’s because the picture or landscape doesn’t have an ending or edge to me. It’s never ending. Another thing I get asked about is layering. Layering is intrinsic to my work. I use it to give a great depth, a great depth of field, perspective and a real richness. It also depicts the layers of meaning, peeling back the onion… which is completely relevant to landscapes and skies when you think about the layers they have.

Wild Canary Exhibition

My most recent exhibition took place at Wild Canary at Brookfield from 15th October to 10th November. Keep your eyes open for more on this wonderful experience.

As always, thank you for coming on this journey with me. Please feel free to contact me and ask me any questions you may have.

View the remaining abstract sky art still for sale here.

My next exhibition is already in the planning. It will be held at Wild Canary at Brookfield from 15th October to 10th November. The opening will be Saturday 20th October 2pm to 3.30pm. So please mark this date in your diary, get a group together for lunch and stay on to enjoy some art!

Thank you for coming on this journey with me.

Rachel x