Abstract Painting: Using Nature as a Source for Inspiration

When you’re looking for inspiration for an abstract painting, you need to change the way you look at the world around you. You need to stop seeing the big picture and look for details. To look at the shapes and patterns which occur, rather than focusing on the actual objects.

In this example, my starting point was the trunk of a gum tree, with stones of various colours and sizes packed around it. It had recently rained, so the soil was wet, making it quite dark in colour. The photos will take you step-by-step through my thought processes as I narrow down the potential for an abstract painting.

This first photo shows the overall scene. Look at the photo and think about what you’re seeing. What elements are there, what textures, what colours, and what shapes?

Have you noticed the lovely curves on the two big stones? What about the contrast between the smooth white stone and the coarse texture of the tree bark? And the contrast between the clean white stone and the mud stuck to its underside?

Seeing this kind of detail is the first step in spotting the potential for abstract art in nature. You need to train your eye to see the world anew.