I've been looking for a common denominator in my work and I think I've found it. Sometimes things are right in front of your face and you fail to recognize them for what they are. I've been struggling with the idea that my work seems to be all over the place. Yet, I have maintained a strong conviction not to be led by styles or trends. Recently I've been to the Fine Arts museum twice and I stand before the O'Keeffe paintings soaking up all the color and imagery for all it's worth. I don't know precisely when her work began to pull me towards it, but I can say this: that it hasn't let up. I'm not in any way, shape or form comparing myself to the great O'Keeffe, but I have seen how color, simplicity, emotion and life show up on the page in front of me. Rather than try to explain what I'm thinking, I post this sketch. The weird thing is I saw the finished drawing in my mind's eye before I even started it.
Question: How does the work of your favorite artist inspire you?
6 comments:
I made a whole series of quilts based on work by Mark Rothko. My only regret was that I could never commit fabric to the scale of his work.
Matisse for line and color.
Bonnard for color and the way he worked with what was to hand.
German Expressionists and the Japanese for their relief prints.
Paul Klee for his whimsy and imagination.
Why choose just one? :-)
I found you through another blog and here I am reading your post about O'Keeffe, one of my favorite artists. I bought a print of hers in my late teens twenties (not paying attention to who did it) and then a few years later went the Nat'l Gallery and discovered an entire exhibit of hers. I was never the same. Like you I am drawn to the sensuality of her colors, shapes, lines and the depth of her work. Thank you for this post!
I went to the Chicago Art museum a few years ago and my astonishment and befuddled amazment still comes to mind when I hear her name. Quite a strong impression her work leaves.
I love this sketch. The woman is just brilliant, a really great sketch.
I love soaking up artwork of all kinds especially illustration. I am an addict. It inspires me to want to go home and draw draw draw. I guess that's what my favourite artists do (from Peter Blake to the Pre Raphealites) just make me want to keep on creating.
I really like your rendition of the woman and dog. Although I admire O'Keefe and others, my particular magnet is the range of Impressionists, particularly Monet and Klimt, not so much for their particular style but more for the fact that they painted through the rules of the day and created their own techniques. Standing up for your art is difficult at the best of times, and it is inspiring to me to see and read about such raw courage.
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