What’s inspiring my dreamy collection

Apr 23

For the past 6 months, I have been slowly creating a collection of romanticized European landscapes. As a lover of both art history and Europe, this has been a lovely exercise thus far in that I can refine my oil painting and drawing skills to achieve a unique vision in my mind.

This collection will be available the end of Spring 2025 and in preparation for it to be released, I thought it would be nice to share with you the inspiration behind this collection.

If you don’t want to miss once this collection is available, please sign up for the waitlist!

Ideal Landscapes

Claude Lorrain, *Classical Landscape with Figures Crossing a Stream*, 1604-1605, oil on canvas

There’s an art form popular in the 17th century that had a very formulaic compositional structure, meaning that the trees in the foreground would frame the painting like a curtain does a stage to draw your eye towards the lighter background. This form called the Ideal Landscape still influences landscape painting today. The scenes depicted were often landscapes more beautiful and orderly than reality.

For my collection, I have been embracing this concept by placing iconic European structures or sights like the Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, Eiffel Tower, German castles, etc. in idealistic landscapes of the Italian, French, English, or German countryside. In some pieces I’ll include wildlife to offer some scale.

A sketch of the Colosseum in the Italian countryside

I used the sketch to create the larger final oil painting

I’ve truly enjoyed the creative freedom in painting romanticized landscapes where the composition is limited only by my own imagination.

Courtesy Birmingham Museums Trust: Gaspard Dughet, *Classical Landscape*, 1670

Whimsical Drawings

Courtesy Art Institute of Chicago: Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, *Remembrance of Italy*, France, 1861–1871, Etching on tan laid paper

A German castle scene with a dark tree in the foreground

Several compositional studies in charcoal of German and French scenes

In exploring composition and the emotions I wish to evoke in my work, I’ve been inspired by the whimsical drawings of Jean Baptiste Camille Corot. His work has so much movement and emotion that is so enticing to me. Referencing his work as I create a sketch has been helpful for me to add a little drama to my trees and overall order in my paintings.

Courtesy Art Institute of Chicago: Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, *Souvenir of Tuscany Place*, 1840–1850, Etching on ivory laid paper

Courtesy Art Institute of Chicago: Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, *Bent Tree by the Water Place*, 1860–1870, Charcoal, with stumping and erasing, on cream wove paper, laid down on cream board

Dark Foreground, Light Background

Courtesy Birmingham Museums Trust: Jacques des Rousseaux, *Landscape With Castle In Distance,* 1700 and 1725, oil on canvas

Having a light background and dark foreground is iconic for the ideal landscape, but it has been a key element to the works in my collection. I find it makes it easier to draw your eye to the European structure I’m trying to feature when it is lighter than the foreground. It creates a beautiful drama and that dreamy-like feeling I’ve been wanting for my work.

I like to think that when one remembers a trip they took to Rome, for example, the iconic sights like the Trevi Fountain can be remembered in one’s mind as they are in my paintings. There aren’t any crowds or noise, just a peaceful, romantic memory of seeing something with such beauty and history.

Sunset Skies

Credit: Johann Nepomuk Schödlberger *Arkadische Landschaft mit Schloss, Ruine und Brücken* 1816 https://fuerstenhaus.li/kunstwerke/schoedlberger-johann-nepomuk/

I’ve always been fascinated by sunsets and all the colors found in them, so it was easy to decide that my paintings in this collection would have some version of a sunset sky. Sunsets vary from day to day and place to place so I’ve enjoyed the freedom of creating what feels right to me.

A study of the Colosseum with stone pine trees in the foreground. I loved how the sun was mainly shining on the Colosseum

I used the study on paperboard to create the final oval oil painting

Choosing a sunset sky also helps me have a clearer vision of where my light is coming from so that I can further emphasize the contrast between the dark foreground and light background. This is especially useful since I’m using my imagination to create the painting rather than referencing a photograph where the lighting is already dictated for me.

This collection has been a joy to imagine and create. I pray whether you’re an artist or collector that sharing my creative inspiration in turn inspires you to dream up something beautiful and unique to you.

Time and patience with myself has been key to this collection. Not every piece I created will make the cut to be included but I learned something with each one nonetheless. I’m proud of what I’ve been creating and cannot wait to share it with you!

Please stay tuned to your inbox or my social media to know once this collection has been released! Click here to join the waitlist.