How Nature Influences My Art
For as long as I can remember, nature has been my greatest teacher. Its colors, shapes, rhythms, and moods constantly remind me that beauty doesn’t need to be perfect - it just needs to be authentic. Whether it’s the way sunlight filters through a grove of trees or how the tide reshapes the shoreline each day, nature invites me to slow down, observe, and feel deeply. My art grows out of those moments of connection, translating what I experience in the natural world into texture, tone, and form on the canvas.
Seeing Beyond the Obvious
When I’m outdoors, I’m not just looking at a scene; I’m studying movement, energy, and emotion. A quiet forest might seem still at first glance, but when you really pay attention, there’s a subtle dialogue happening between wind and leaves, light and shadow, silence and sound. That sense of quiet conversation often guides my compositions.
Instead of focusing purely on replicating what I see, I try to capture how a place feels. Sometimes that means exaggerating color or softening a line to express the emotion behind the landscape. Nature, in all its unpredictability, teaches me that art doesn’t have to be literal to be true. It just has to evoke the same spark of recognition - the feeling of standing somewhere and knowing you’re part of something larger.
The Role of Light and Color
Light is the language of nature, and it’s the heartbeat of my work. Morning light feels completely different from the light at dusk—it carries different emotions, different stories. I often paint during early or late hours because those times reveal the world in transition. Shadows lengthen, colors deepen, and there’s an honesty to that fleeting glow that reminds me how temporary and precious each moment is.
I’m constantly inspired by nature’s color palette: the soft ochres of desert stone, the greens layered in a single leaf, or the silvery blues reflected off the ocean. In my studio, I try to recreate that harmony by mixing tones that feel alive, rather than static. Sometimes I’ll even take photographs or quick sketches outdoors to capture a specific color relationship that I can explore later on canvas.
Open Sky - Nathan Gibbs, original art
Texture, Imperfection, and the Natural Process
One of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned from nature is that imperfection is part of the design. No two tree trunks are identical, no mountain ridge perfectly symmetrical, and that’s what makes them beautiful. I try to honor that truth in my art by embracing organic forms and layered textures. I often build my surfaces slowly, allowing each layer of paint to interact with the next in unexpected ways, much like how erosion shapes rock or how water carves its own path through soil.
Nature also reminds me that creation takes time. Just as the seasons follow their own rhythm, my process unfolds gradually. Some pieces come together quickly, while others evolve over weeks or even months. I’ve learned to trust that pace—to let the work breathe and grow rather than forcing it into completion.
Inspiration Beyond the Canvas
Spending time outdoors isn’t just a source of visual inspiration, it’s also how I recharge creatively. Surfing, walking near the ocean, or simply sitting beneath a tree helps me quiet the noise of daily life and reconnect with why I create in the first place. That connection often finds its way into my work indirectly. A painting might not depict a literal landscape, but it carries the calm, strength, or mystery that I felt while immersed in nature.
Even when I’m painting abstractly, natural patterns influence me. The way branches reach toward light, the ripple of water, or the geometry of stones - these shapes find their echoes in my lines and brushstrokes. Nature has a rhythm that’s both mathematical and spiritual, and I’m always exploring how to reflect that duality in my art.
A Lifelong Dialogue
Ultimately, my relationship with nature is an ongoing dialogue, one that continues to evolve as I do. Every piece I create is, in some way, a response to the landscapes and moments that move me. I don’t think of my paintings as separate from the natural world; they’re extensions of it. Through art, I get to share the awe, peace, and curiosity that nature constantly stirs within me.
When people connect with my work, I hope they feel that same sense of wonder - that reminder that we’re surrounded by beauty, if only we take the time to look. Nature has a way of grounding us, reminding us of our place in the vastness of things. And if my art can help someone pause and feel that connection, even for a moment, then I know I’ve succeeded.