Every season offers inspiration to artists, but summer presents the most.
Science has long since proven that summer has numerous benefits for those who wish to lead a healthy lifestyle, but what can summer offer artists that the other seasons cannot? Throughout the winter months, the sun is lower in the sky, meaning that the sunlight reaching our beautiful Earth is weakened.
The result of this is that the outside world appears dulled – without flowers in bloom or leaves on the trees, the colder months create a subdued palette that can be uninspiring to those who enjoy painting landscapes and the world outdoors
Sunnier days have been proven to aid brain function and increase mood, and with fresher air, more opportunities to spend time outside gaining exercise, and circadian rhythms at peak performance, it’s no wonder that the works of David Krakov are so obviously inspired by the kaleidoscope of colour that the summer months create.
Summer is the Best Time to Appreciate Nature
When it’s warm, it is only natural to want to be outside. Long walks for no reason other than for enjoyment are a regular fixture of many artist’s summer days. Finding the perfect wildflower to paint just isn’t going to happen in the winter.
Visiting a local park or the beach, you are likely to find these spaces filled with people of all generations. Why not talk to a few of them? Summer is the best time to meet new people, and who knows what influences they might bring to your future paintings, drawings, or mixed media artworks? You may even bump into some fellow artists eager to discuss their summer experiences with you!
Spending time in nature can be good for your health at any time of year, but it is the summer that furnishes our hills and valleys with a special, almost luminous tone that is unique to this most special of seasons. A peer-reviewed paper published in the respected scientific journal Science Direct details the results of a real-world study among creative professionals in Denmark. They found that:
- Spending time in nature can enhance your ability to think creatively
- That nature can refocus our directed attention, which is necessary when developing new ideas
- The preparation and incubation phases of creative processes are particularly enhanced by nature
- That the perceived restorative dimensions of Nature, Space, and Serene, are key to success
Reading the full paper, its authors make a thoroughly convincing case that artists should use and appreciate the Summer months to the fullest extent that they can, particularly through interacting with nature.
Travelling & Outdoor Events
If you are lucky enough to be planning a vacation in the summer, congratulations – you are about to find the maximum possible source of fresh inspiration for your art. Be sure to take your art along with you – you never know when the urge will strike to create a new piece based on the things you see, hear, and experience during your trip.
You don’t have to travel far to find inspiration in the Summer, of course. Summer is the busiest time for events such as farmers markets, festivals of all kinds – not just music, and even conventions and concerts, too.
Seek out these outdoor events and you will be sure to find other artists showing off their creations, as well as a huge number of references and sources of inspiration for creating your next artwork.
Summer is a great time to take photographs – the sun is bright, the trees and flowers are in full bloom, and there are many more people around compared to the darker months. Take advantage of this – keep your camera with you everywhere you go, and take pictures of everything that catches your eye with the potential to influence your future work.
Summer is the Busiest Time for Galleries
Visiting an art gallery is the obvious choice of a day out for any artist who is struggling to find inspiration – even in the Summer. Take a look at the schedule of any art gallery – large or small – and you can be sure that the summer months will be filled with shows, exhibitions, and events.
Art festivals are growing in popularity too, such as the Port Eliot Festival in Cornwall, which provides the ultimate scenic backdrop to recoup your emotions and inspire you to create new art. The festival itself is an explosion of inspiration, and you’ll find a great lineup of events and workshops as well as dozens of contemporary British artists keen to both show and sell their artwork.
In short – Summer is an artist’s dream. Make the most of it while you can!
