Art Inspiration: Where does it come from?

Every artist starts somewhere. For some, it's doodling during school lessons; for others, it's sketching at a parent's feet during long church services. These early moments often spark a lifelong journey of creativity. 

Mncedi Madolo: Drawing at his mother’s feet 

Every artist has that moment – the first time a hand moves differently, sketching something that feels more than just play. For Mncedi Madolo, that moment arrived early, seated quietly during Sunday church services. 

Mncedi: My mom used to take me to church every Sunday and to get me to sit down and pay attention she would carry a piece of paper and a pen or a pencil. So I was drawing quite religiously on a regular basis since I can remember.  

I would sit at her feet for at least three hours every Sunday. That I can say for sure. This is not including at school or in my bedroom, or anything like that. There was just a constant element of me drawing, from as far as I can remember. 

Nomonde: I’ve noticed that among many artists, the art journey began at a very young age, and this is an age where play and exploration informs a lot of what we do. Was this the case for you? 
Mncedi: I would say yes and no. Yes because in practice that’s what it is. No because I wasn’t playing when I was doing it.  

I wasn’t doing it to pass the time. From an early age I don’t think I was drawing because I was bored or I didn’t have anything better to do with my time.  

"I was drawing because it is something that I needed to do"

Mncedi: Because life is so politicised, yes. It would be a shame, not to blow my own horn, but for someone as good as me not to tackle some of the things that I’m talking about.  

Something I learned from the psychology of teaching is that how people ingest and retain information has a lot to do with how information is presented to them.  

"I think of Visual Language to be stronger than written language"

You can condense emotion and stories that would otherwise take a whole page to read. This process can also be quite exciting. 

Nomonde: Where do you start sketching? Do you plan on paper first or do you take it straight to the canvas? 
Michael: I take it straight to the canvas. You don’t need to plan it too much. The simplicity of his approach intrigued me. I wanted to understand how one painting might evolve into a full series – how the flow of work sustains itself. 

Nomonde: How then does a body of work start? 
Michael: One artwork influences the next artwork. Seeing the success of a particular artwork also inspires me to see the potential in the next one.  

" I don't start with the concept. Each image informs the next and that is how a series is born"

Patrick Rulore: Learning to play, learning to stay grounded 

For Patrick Rulore, the journey started like it does for many kids – by drawing on the walls. But unlike many, he kept going. And thanks to the right support, what started as play became a purposeful path. 

Patrick shared how his mother enrolled him in art classes to nurture his early interest. But what stood out was the story of someone unexpected who helped shape his path. 

That image – lessons under a tree – stayed with me. It reminded me how artists are shaped by the world around them. I asked what else kept him focused when other things didn’t quite fit. 

Being bad at everything else also inspired me to focus on what I was good at. I tried playing soccer, and I was not good. I applied for policing, it failed.  

"So I had no choice but to go back and do what I know is best, for me. And I've never stopped since."

Nomonde: At this point in your career, does the process of making art still require you to play? 
Patrick: Yeah, for sure. You never stop playing. Without play, life gets boring. I do explore. But I know sometimes when I act outside of my boundaries it doesn’t really work for me.  

For example, there was a time when I attempted abstract art but it did not work. So I had to come back to what I’m used to.  

However, my exploration comes into play when it comes to changing inspiration. Going from one subject matter to the next. Rather than being too wild. I’m a confined artist. I’m just a painter.  

So my exploration is within that box. So within those confines I try to find what I can create, that I’m comfortable with and that would also spark good conversation.