Gathering Inspiration for Abstract Floral Paintings

My inspiration-filled day in London

Last Friday was a real treat in terms of gathering inspiration for my abstract floral paintings! I got two tickets from another local artist to The Affordable Art Fair in Hampstead and my partner and I took the opportunity to explore some more of the area while we were there.

The Affordable Art Fair

The art fair was fantastic, with a huge variety of different styles. Each stand holds a different gallery and these in turn each have a selection of different artists within them. My favourite ones were the ones where the artists themselves were there - it's always great to meet other artists and hear about their inspiration and techniques.

I had a lovely chat with Shveta Maini, the artist who gave me the tickets - you can see her beautiful paintings on her website, though her work is even more gorgeous in person.

There was also a fabulous display of ceramics near the entrance, which I was fascinated by. I love watching The Great Pottery Throw Down on telly and am endlessly amazed by the infinite number of things potters can do with clay!

Neither of us bought anything in the end, as we're hoping to move house soon, but we did find a few pieces we really liked and which are now on our wish list...

Hampstead Heath

Afterwards we headed up Parliament Hill in Hampstead Heath to take in the impressive view of London you get from there. 

And then we headed in completely the opposite direction to find the Hill Gardens and Pergola, without any idea of what to expect.

It was a bit of a walk, but oh my god was it worth it! The gardens were absolutely stunning and as we explored I couldn't stop smiling at all the gorgeousness 😍

There was more wisteria than I think I've ever seen in my life (which smelled amazing too), there were so many different colours of rhododendrons, and all sorts of other beautiful flowers. I think I almost filled up my phone storage with all the photos I took 😂

This is just the tiniest selection...

If you're ever in Hampstead, I totally recommend heading over there. It was peaceful, beautiful and a bit heady all at once! I came home with a camera roll full of inspiration and a head full of ideas for new paintings 🤩

If you'd like to see what paintings come out of all this inspiration, sign up to my Early Access List and you'll be the first to know when they're available...