All posts filed under: Inspiration

Ali Cavanaugh – Watercolour Artist

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Out of so many artists whose work I find so compelling and inspiring, the watercolours of Ali Cavanaugh are one of my favourites.  One particular subject will always remain on my agenda because of what it means to get that subject right. This is figurative and portraiture. As humans we connect easily with a face, much like facial recognition technology, our brains similarly make connections and readings when we see a face. Faces are something we are almost too familiar with and in art if there is a mistake proportionately then it is clear to an onlooker in an instant. Proportion isn’t always the aim, abstraction artists often paint portraiture, there is so much to read that doesn’t always have to transfer immaculately across as clear as a photograph. Abstraction in portraiture can still capture other things,  we can gauge moods and emotions from slight turns in the many muscles that support the face. Whatever the style of work or agenda, with faces, something has to be ‘right’ for us to be able to relate. Portraits …

Micheal Zavros / Inspiration

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Just a quick internet search can tell you that there is no end to the amount of talented artists in the world. Instagram in particular has been great for unearthing these exquisitely talented humans who happen to document their creations and I love to ‘follow’ them. There is an infinite amount of inspiration that you can gain from looking at and enjoying the work of others, without copying/plagiarising. (A post about this topic in particular to be uploaded soon..) Taking inspiration isn’t about stealing, or at least shouldn’t be! It is noting the feeling you get when you see a particular piece of art and translating that into your own work in your own way. A painting might have an electric energy with movement that leaps out at you. Another might have solemn or moody overtones that gave you a sense of atmosphere when you looked at it. It is more often than not the ‘vibe’ of the painting that you most likely enjoyed. Inspiration should be transferring that feeling/vibe/energy in your own way, to …

‘Life Imitates Art’

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In the age old debate of what came first; the chicken or the egg, I find myself deep in a philosophical tangent inspired by a late night online shopping purchase. I bought a necklace that gives the impression of an elegant snake coiled around the neck. Unappealing to some, beautiful and ethereal to me. This internal debate reminded me of a quote from Oscar Wilde – ‘Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.’ My exact reason for clicking my purchase straight over to the checkout was because it reminded me of a painting I did in my last collection (The Phosphenes Collection) which depicted a bizarre image of two symmetrical women holding up snakes, which are coiled deliberately around their arms within the confines of the symmetrical intension. (Original piece shown below / ‘Serpens’ oil on wood panel) This is one of my stranger pieces, this and ‘Nectar of the Gods’ which I also hold an unhealthy emotional clingyness to even after sold and gone. The reason behind loving these stranger pieces is …

Inspirations and Influences for Paintings – Working on my new collection.

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I have been working on a new collection lately,  with an idea in mind that I wanted to be incredibly specific with… Without giving too much away,  I wanted to write about some of my influences in terms of colour and composition for my latest collection that I am currently working on with an insight into my favourite artists and images that have always inspired me. (Almost like a mood board of certain traits and aspects for this upcoming series of oil paintings.) Starting with colour and my favourite artist Odilon Redon – I learnt of Redon whilst working on a project at college where I imitated some of his works in oil pastels, his abstract tendencies and backgrounds specifically have been one of the most consistant inspirations for my work and hugely in mind when painting recently. I studied his cleverly positioned colour and admired how they looked so spontaneous. It wasn’t until learning this practice in oil paints and in my own style that I found that using a lot of colour all at once in …

Odilon Redon

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One of my favourite artists and the biggest influence on my work are the ethereal and textured works of french artist Odilon Redon. (1800’s) I just LOVE his work! I love the colours, the textures, the abstraction!! I love how calm these pieces seem to be although heavy with other worldly qualities that aught to make the pieces seem more abstract than they look. It is these ’embellishments’ and  loose playfulness that I love to experiment with my own work. These are the main 3 pieces that have inspired me hugely that I thought I would share. ‘Flower Clouds’   ‘Ophelia’     ‘La Naissance de Venus’     If you know of any similar artists or have any thoughts on Redon’s work feel free to drop a comment below and let me know what you think!

Using watercolours (From an oil painter’s perspective)

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I didn’t realise how lucky I had it, to have thrown myself in at the deep end and learn to paint with oils as quickly as I did. It was a medium I wanted as my friend and I threw it around until I made it work. I was going to shoehorn my work to intertwine with oils and do whatever it took. Luckily the shoe fit. It wasn’t until I went back to materials I had previously used before I taught myself how to paint properly, that I realised it is not how the material works for you but how you work the material. Watercolour painting is oil painting flipped on its head. This is my own interpretation. Where oils are malleable, subject to complete change in consistency and shape of the mark you just made, watercolours are not. With oils you could alter that one mark up to 3 or 4 days later. With watercolours you cannot. You have a matter of seconds to decide if the mark you just made was ‘correct’ …

Architectural Art

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I have lived the best part of the last 3 years with students studying architecture. What I learnt by the time these people graduated was very much different to what I had envisioned upon our first meeting. In this field, creativity does hold boundaries. There are practicalities, formalities and imbedded occurances that cannot be escaped. This does not make the field any less creative, but makes for art that can be and will be used. The idea of space, human interaction and flow within this space is intensely fascinating and often overlooked. Discourse involving the ‘charactor’ of housing is thought to be down to the location,  interior design and decor or interior architecture, but not often seen as possibly the general architecture of the building. The energy and the vibe that the space between two walls, calculated for either practical boundary reasons, or purposefully mapped out can generate this vibe that we can relate to and feel comfortable in. Pete Jellitsch     The hand drawn images by architect Peter Jellitsch above are based on wind behavior. …

Lucian Freud

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A rather delayed reaction to the death of another fascinating and influential artist last month, Lucian Freud. Another prominent artist throughout my university years, used as an example of the connection between subject matter and creation. Grandson of Sigmund Freud, Lucian is known for his psychological overtones embedded within his portraiture. His relationship with his subjects were deep and often questionable. His enthusiasm for grasping the nature of his subjects on a level that excels from just skin deep formed the backbone of my 10 000 word dissertation. Alongside this his style of painting was very honest and beautifully crafted. On another note.. I am currently drowing myself in research for the process of selling art. Technology is not one of my strong points, and I have never partaken in photo-shopping or even used the program before in my life, therefore many things I have planned such as developing websites and business cards will be of very slow progression. Any help/tips at all will be of huge help!