Still inspired by the Art Day we celebrated a few weeks ago, I've found myself reflecting on our approach to the creative process. I have been profoundly inspired by the ideas of landscape designer Gilles Clément about the Garden in Movement. He advocates observing first and understanding what the place offers before acting, and 'doing the maximum possible with nature and the minimum possible against it'. This involves letting the garden 'move' and surprise us, rather than building it according to our own criteria.
Isn't this, in essence, what we are looking for in the studio? I increasingly feel that painting is less about imposing a preconceived idea and more about engaging in an attentive dialogue with colours and shapes. It's about leaving space for the magic of the unexpected — the 'happy accident' — to flourish. The studio is like a small garden in motion, full of potential, where sometimes the best course of action is simply to let it be.
