What Attracts Me to Art

Daily Ink Number 10, Paul's Flowers

Yesterday I asked my readers to consider why they like certain pieces and realize that it may lead them in certain directions in their art.

So, today I thought that I would answer the question myself and share my answers. Two things before we begin. One, this list is not comprehensive - different styles appeal to me at different times and I haven't shared everything here. Two, I don't advocate stealing someone's style, I'm advocating inspiring yourself through careful reflection on what others do well.

List of recent artists/works that made me think, "I want to be able to do that."


Waheed Nasir, Sunflowers - Waheed has a varied style depending on the medium. But I love these flowers. On the artist's website in the "traditional paintings" section are several other lovely examples. There is simplicity in bold brushstrokes but it belies a complicated understructure that holds the forms together. To me, that is the magic of art, that is where the personal element excels over the photograph.

Karen Mathison Schmidt, Consider These - Karen has a lovely sense of light and color. When I first saw this piece, I just kept staring at it and thinking about it. Wanting to achieve something like this is what convinced me that I should take up painting.

Qiang Huang - Roses to Ellaine - Qiang has a wonderful style...beautiful brush strokes, as if you are looking through a cracked pane at times, but my personal passion about his work is his roses. Each time he does one I spend the day staring at, wanting to know how he does it and what it is that I find so mesmerizing. I think the enchantment may lie in the apparent simplicity of it, whereas in fact things are not so simple, rather like roses appear in life.

Carol Marine, A Regular Day - In this piece she employs my favorite color scheme, yellow and purple. But more than that, look at those edges...the brushstrokes, the color blends...and yet, the form is strongly maintained and you have no doubt about what you are looking at. I'd love to be able to paint edges like that.

Thanks for letting me share!