Choosing a Subject Matter for Your Paintings

When I start a painting, my first thought it always the same: what should I paint? It sounds basic, but deciding on a subject is often more complex than it seems. You might feel pressure to pick something impressive, marketable, or photogenic. But the truth is, the best subject matter often comes from curiosity, attention, and the willingness to see your own life as worthy of observation.

Start Small and Observe Closely

One approach is to start small. Look around your immediate environment. A cup of coffee on the counter, the way sunlight hits the floor, a pair of shoes left by the door; these seemingly mundane objects can become the focus of a painting if you allow yourself to notice their shapes, textures, and light. Painters like Cézanne found extraordinary beauty in ordinary objects, arranging apples or bottles into studies that reveal their forms, weight, and rhythm. By observing closely, you begin to see that any subject can be transformed into something compelling on the canvas.

Follow Emotions and Memories

Another way to choose a subject is to follow your emotions or memories. Sometimes you don’t need to paint what you see directly but what a moment felt like. That’s where contemporary painters like Amy Sillman or Lynne Mapp Drexler become instructive. Their work often turns fleeting sensations or gestures into compositions that are deeply personal yet universally relatable. Painting becomes a way of translating internal experience into visual language, not just documenting an external scene.

Consider also your interests and passions. Do you love the texture of fabric, the patterns in urban landscapes, the quiet gestures of daily life? Let those fascinations guide you. Your subject matter doesn’t have to be grand or dramatic. In fact, the ordinary often yields the most interesting results. Observing life closely trains perception and can open doors to abstraction, pattern, and color in ways that more overtly “beautiful” subjects might not.

Challenge Yourself

Some painters choose subjects that challenge them technically or conceptually. You might be drawn to water because of its reflective quality, trees because of their intricate structure, or interiors because of their shifting light. Experimentation is key. Early in your practice, painting a range of subjects, even ones you think you aren’t “good” at, teaches you not only how to handle paint but also what truly excites you as a painter.

Sketching or making studies can also help clarify what you want to paint. Small sketches, color experiments, or quick studies allow you to explore a subject before committing to a full painting. This is a technique many contemporary painters use to engage with subject matter more deeply. It’s less about perfect representation and more about developing a dialogue with the subject—learning what it can teach you about form, color, and gesture.

Finally, remember that subject matter is often fluid. Many painters return to the same subjects over time because they notice new aspects with each painting. A chair in your studio might seem unremarkable at first, but over weeks of observation, its angles, light, and relationship to the surrounding space reveal complexity you didn’t see initially. Your subject matter can evolve as your perception deepens, making each painting a unique conversation between you and the world.

Curiosity, Attention, and Honesty

Choosing what to paint is ultimately a mix of curiosity, attention, and honesty. It’s about noticing, exploring, and responding to the things that genuinely interest you. Whether it’s a landscape, a figure, a simple object, or a memory, the subject you choose becomes the foundation for everything else: composition, color, brushwork, and meaning. When you select a subject that excites or intrigues you, the act of painting becomes not just about making an image but about discovering a new way of seeing.

In the end, there’s no formula. The best subjects are the ones you care about, the ones you’re willing to spend hours observing, wrestling with, and translating into paint. The more honest and attentive you are to your own perception, the richer your work will be. And sometimes, the most ordinary subjects become extraordinary simply because you’ve taken the time to look.