ARTISTE EN ATELIER

They say an artist finds inspiration from historic events, people, emotions and experiences. In all the years that I have been creating artwork, I find one of the best source of inspiration is by studying other artists’ (masters or contemporary) work. The unique and genius techniques that they have taken years to hone never seems to amaze me and I try them out myself. Techniques I refer to includes the use of mediums, composition and their strong grasp on the use of light, shadow, tones and mark making.

We use the lessons from what has come before us to make new work. This reminds me of the saying that “We stand on the shoulders of giants”. As an artist continuing to hone her craft, I study and select elements from other artists’ work and incorporate them into my own mix of influences. I am still on my journey to become a better artist and find my own voice.

This series is my homage to artists that continue to inspire me. I start out by roughly painting the artist’s figure and surroundings. Then I turn the surface upside down and do it all over again. I add more details which relate to the artist and their craft/idiosyncrasies and leave some marks from the previous image. Spending more time putting finer details on each piece I owe so much to these artists who have spent their lives in their studios to bring us artwork that will bring joy and amazement for centuries to come.

Finally, as two artists who are part of this series have said…

“Good artists copy, great artists steal." 
-Pablo Picasso

“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing." 
-Salvador Dali