Influences

You've seen some of my work, and some of the organizations in which I participate, but today I'm going to talk about artists and movements that have influence me and my ideas about art.

Since I was quite young I've always been incredibly sure that I would become an artist. I was fortunate to grow up in a suburb of Washington D.C., a city rich with cultural and educational resources of which my parents availed themselves frequently. The Smithsonian and the National History Museum were two of my favorites, continually challenging my young mind to learn anything and everything I could about the world around me. As I grew older I found I preferred drawing people to other subjects and tried to expand my talents in portraiture and figure drawing.

The use of line has always fascinated me, as has inherent subject matter. For strictly visual representations I drew much inspiration from Alphonse Mucha, a Czech lithographer who was made famous during the Art Nouveau movement for his posters and advertisements. His work features strong line movement and stylized borders and designs primarily showcasing young women. Though he often used vague inspiration for his pieces (for example, the seasons, or different flowers) he also did advertisements for plays, lectures and magazines where he used literature and classic characters for inspiration. Mucha was praised internationally for his beautiful full-color lithographs and eventually designed money for his homeland. He created a great deal of art, lived well into his seventies and had a monetarily successful artistic career - all fine examples for me to follow.

advert. for plays featuring Sarah Bernhardt including Medea

one version of "the seasons" by Mucha

Another artist who has inspired me is Aubrey Beardsley, an illustrator and printmaker from England who also influenced Art Nouveau. Heavy use of line, positive and negative space, and stark black and white images are definitive of Beardsley's drawings and prints. Beardsley's subject matter, however, is more twisted and pushed the boundaries of decency during his time period by reveling in sexual and exotic themes including Oscar Wilde's play Salome and the seedy relationships of characters in Le Mort De'Arthur. Though the British artist didn't live to see his 26th birthday he produced a huge amount of work which was both lauded and frowned upon by the community at large.

Beardsley fully illustrated this play by Aristophanes

Caption from Salome by Beardsley

My work follows some inspiration of these artists insomuch that I deal frequently with the female form, gender issues, and find inspiration in literature. Lately I have been printing a lot of cats - cats are fun, friendly and safe. Plans are under-way to create my next body of art exploring female heroines - the "Joan of Arc" complex, Lysistrata, ancient and contemporary views of "strong" women and different ways of defining power and strength with and without the lens of gender.

At the moment I am making ends meet by participating in the Indie Reno Craft Fair, the Oxbow Mini Xmas Sale, and my new position with the wonderful folks of the Reno Chamber Orchestra (because you can't love just one form of art!) so keep watching my blog and, if you are so inclined, comment to give me extra motivation. Thanks for following along and stay tuned for more of the above!