Robert Macfarlane, author of a host of marvellous books that combine a love of nature and travel with exquisite writing says, “Before you become a writer you must first become a reader. Every hour spent reading is an hour spent learning to write.”
Writers read.
Painters visit art exhibitions.
Musicians attend concerts.
I believe that artists of all kinds – writers, painters, musicians among them – can be equally inspired by all art forms. At least that’s true for me.
A couple of years ago, when I was teaching my Write Life Stories class at The Watermill at Posara in Tuscany, I noticed a painting on the wall of the kitchen. Painting classes are the stock-in-trade at The Watermill. Every year a range of different practising artists visit the mill to teach their own specialism. One of those teachers is Pamme Turner. It was her painting I spotted that day on the wall.
A series of vignettes cover the paper along with instructions, observations and ideas to inspire her students. Take a look for yourself. I include it here.
I wasn’t the only one to notice Pamme’s painting that week. One of my own students, Jennifer Horn, did too.
One day, in one of the free afternoons, Jennifer could be found creating a watercolour of her own. She showed it to me that evening. Inspired by Pamme’s piece she had taken one of my own handouts and turned it into a watercolour.
Over a decade ago, I searched and searched for a memorable word, an acronym, that would help my students to remember the five crucial elements that make a story leap off the page.
Those elements are:
- Specifics
- Place
- Incident
- Character
- Emotion
That acronym is SPICE.
Jennifer had cleverly merged my handout with Pamme’s painting and created a piece of mixed media that took my simple SPICE Chart to a new level.
Inspired by a piece of art Jennifer created another of her own.
Writers read. Writers are inspired by art. Writers pay attention. They notice things. They find parallels, connections and metaphors in the work of others and then create something of their own.
Jennifer’s artwork can now be found alongside Pamme’s in the kitchen at The Watermill.
