Using prompts for abstract painting

The photo above is one of my favourite photographs of my children taken during lockdown. I love both of their stances. There is something powerful and almost Peter Pan-like about the way they are standing. I am also drawn to the composition, with both figures looking out across the water, deep in thought. The image captures a sense of freedom, adventure and imagination that I often return to in my work.

The photo below was taken in the same location several years later and features my daughter and her friend. What I love most about the image below is the growth of the greenery surrounding them, which makes the space feel more immersive and overgrown.

I would like to incorporate elements from both photographs into my work, using them as prompts rather than images to copy directly, much like I did when responding to the work of Chris Loud. I want to use the shapes, atmosphere and memories within the photographs as a starting point while allowing room for abstraction and interpretation.