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Tuesday 4 March 2014

A Week of Inspiration - Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of my 'Week of Inspiration'. Today I want to share with you some of the kind of artwork that I find inspiring.

I love the artistry of Valerie Sjodin. Her colours and shapes often spur me on to get out sprays and inks and paints.

I was lucky enough to do a mini online course last year which was devoted to embellishing edges and text.

Here is a sample of her artwork from that course


Sometimes doing a short online course like this can really wake up your muse. You can turn up to class in your pyjamas (!), you can learn at your own pace and most of all you get to practise without anyone looking.

For a more subtle approach to art I often turn to a lady called Monica Sabolla Gruppo whose beautiful style just thrills me with a sense of peace and calm.

She creates the most wonderful pieces of art from watercolour paintings to mixed media to home decor and all of it with a gentleness that I find so appealing.

Monica's art almost makes you want to take everything at a slower pace, to stop and actually look at the world that surrounds us. 

Her Book of Grace, shown on the left, and the Coffee Filter Roses are just two of the projects that she freely shares and kind of sum up her style





Margaret Storer-Roche's artwork is just fascinating and I have been particularly inspired by her ATC work. She combines so much in very little space. Amazing. 

In fact, if you haven't tried doing ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) this is another way to feed your inspiration. Because of their size (3.5 x 2.5 inches) they are less daunting and you can use them to experiment with colour, techniques, stamping etc. A good way to produce lots of pieces of artwork quickly.

The artwork I have shown here is just a sample of some of the styles that appeal to me and to which I often turn; not just for the inspiration but just for the sheer pleasure of admiring someone else's creation.

So do you know what inspires you, what helps you to keep your creative well full? If you don't already know the artists I have mentioned here, perhaps the next time you seek inspiration you might spend a few minutes in their company.

More inspirational stuff tomorrow.















8 comments:

rachel said...

stunning work Lesley - the artists look very well worth a look - thankyou for sharing your inspiration with us xx

Doreen said...

Love all the inspiration today Lesley,such vibrant colours....I am a bit of a pastel girl. Maybe I should visit Valerie Sjodin.xxx

Paper Creations by Shirley said...

Wow I love all of the vibrant artwork you've showcased. Thanks for the links ! Take good care, Shirleyxx

Unknown said...

gosh - I checked out your three links - what an amazing sensory overload. I will have to come back and puruse them over time. I see why you value them for inspiration. I had never heard of online workshops before - I'm discovering a new world of opportunities - thank you :-)

Miranda said...

Lovely inspiration here Lesley and I am also an admirer of Valerie Sjodin. I will certainly take a look at the other two....because our source of inspiration are pretty much the same......thanks xxMiranda

Sarah said...

Wow, some really interesting artwork here Lesley; definitely food for thought. Sarah x

Paula (PEP) said...

Thank you for these introductions - the first I knew but not the other two. I spent a while just ogling………. & some time flew by! I'm still learning what inspires me - I did find reading about Celtic & Anglo Saxon art helped me start drawing a carpet page. Shapes, colours, patterns……..I'm still finding out!
Paula (PEP)

Linda Simpson said...

Gorgeous ATC Lesly. I haven't heard of these artists before so will definitely be checking them out for myself. Thank you for sharing.
Hugs
Linda xxx