Artists I'd like to steal from

Wangechi Mutu



I like how she is able to create these surrealistic people and scenes through collage. I've never been very good with collaging, so I think I'd like to incorporate similar elements in my art

Beatriz Milhazes



I really enjoy swirly, graphic patterns. These remind me of what I would doodle in the margin of my notebook during my classes. I think it would be interesting to combine these types of patterns with a figure.

Pat Steir



I think her drip paintings are absolutely beautiful. They look like waterfalls.

Artwork that I've been impressed by...

Although it may not be traditionally considered artwork, I am often impressed by a well done film. One movie that springs to mind is "Samsara" directed by Ron Fricke. It is a non-narrative documentary exploring the magnificence and beauty of the world. It was filmed in 25 different countries over the course of five years. It shows a huge variety of cultures, traditions, and environments and presents them in a completely unbiased way. Without any sort of dialogue, the viewer comes to their own conclusions about the content of the film. I had never really seen a movie quite like it and it was a very spiritual experience for me. It caused me to wonder about both the beauty and destruction in the world and how there can't be positives without negatives. Just the fact that this movie could make me think about such deep concepts and questions impressed me immensely.

I think these are qualities that make an artwork impressive:
-Depth (in meaning)
-Well thought out presentation
-Hidden elements/aspects
-Universality
-Personal content

This semester in Advanced Drawing II...

My goals for the semester mostly involve me challenging myself to use more color in my work and working on a larger scale. I would be happy if I really push myself to spend as much time and effort on all of my pieces in order to see how well they could possibly turn out. I think it would be a great semester if I try to be ambitious without being afraid to make mistakes, or, so called, "bad" drawings. One of my ideas for my independent body of work is drawing fairy tale creatures and trying to tell a story with them. I really enjoy dream-like, fantasy art and I want to explore how I can express myself through that style of art.

Artists who have inspired me

I've always admired artists who can tell a story with their work by pulling you in and totally enveloping you with their use of color, line, composition, etc. Fantasy and surrealistic art has been my main source of inspiration. Some artists who I've liked in the past (and currently) are: James Jean, Yoshitaka Amano, Brain Froud, and Ernesto Caviano.