What inspires my work?
The physical act of painting
I would describe my style as gestural abstraction, where my inner feelings and impulses are acted out on the canvas in the way I lay down marks and apply paint.
I am influenced by other gestural artists such as Cy Twombly, Joan Mitchell and more recently Xiyao Wang, whose work is stunning in its simplicity, with marks that are on another level. I am also a huge fan of Chris Kamprad who creates ‘journeys of the mind’, each piece intensely beautiful and ethereal.
When it comes to my own work, the act of painting feels like a dance—a choreography of instinct and intuition where each stroke tells a story. Gestural painting allows my emotion to flow freely, creating many layers of depth and movement, the raw overthinking brain playing out on the canvas. The result is a magical myriad of details, often overly complex so my rational brain has to step in to make more considered decisions on what to edit out. I find this process tough and often I lose beautiful details in the pursuit of greater simplicity to improve the overall composition.
My aim is to create the perfect balance between chaos and harmony, but it is the painting that tells me what to do next. I get a feeling, a sense of connection to the story it is trying to tell and I have a sense of purpose to pull it through to its natural conclusion.
Artist Anna Bjerger explains ‘Feeling inspired is that moment you feel connected to something else, something bigger… the reason isn’t very profound maybe, but it becomes profound in the making’ This is something I can completely relate to.
Sources of inspiration
Of course, immersing myself in all great art and design creates fuel for my work. As well as other gestural artists I am massively inspired by interior design and almost followed it as a career path. There is so much joy to be found in creating a sanctuary that reflects your personality and makes you feel good the minute you step into a room. My journey as an abstract artist began because I wanted to fill my home with beautiful art on a budget, and to begin with I took inspiration from schemes I found in magazines.
As my work evolved I found that I took more and more inspiration from things that made me feel connected and energised; nature, the weather, music, dance and meaningful relationships. This all played out in how I expressed myself on the canvas and I felt a huge surge of certainty that this is what I was meant to do.
I am always aiming to create freedom in my work. Playful marks and brushstrokes that tap into the subconscious, without overthinking. I am drawn to my palettes at the end of a painting session, I am envious of the complete lack of thought and construction, where muddy colours, sloppy brushstrokes and pops of colour combine so carefreely. It’s always something I wish to emulate on canvas.
At the start of last year I began my journey as a professional artist and this is where my inspiration began, treating my canvas like a mixing palette, and it took me from here…
and here...
I will be documenting this process over the next 12 weeks so look out for updates in the Studio Diary, starting with Spring Collection: Week 1, and if you want to be the first to know when the new collection launches, sign up to the Collectors Club by filling in the form below...
Take care,
Krissy xx