Some Thoughts and Favorite Artists

Bluebird Sketchbook Page by Mattias Adolfsson - Mattias Inks

I follow some artists who are not art quilters, always with an eye to what I can learn from them that would be useful in my own endeavors, and also just because I love what they are doing. With my own activities at a low ebb, this seems a good time to share some recent work that caught my eye. Above is a sketchbook page by Mattias Adolfsson of Mattias Inks, a freelance illustrator living in Sweden. He has a quirky sense of humor that I find appealing, populating his worlds with the most amazing creatures in such incredible detail. But I share "Bluebird" with you because when it popped up on the screen, my first thought was to wonder what he was doing showing us a quilt. Ah, no. It's one of his illustrations, finely wrought with stitch-like detail. Yes, it gives me ideas.

Richard Saja collaboration with Mother of Pearl

Richard Saja detail

Richard Saja of the blog Historically Inaccurate, is a textile artist I've shared before (see this post). He works mainly with toiles that he meticulously adds hand-embroidery to. He too has a bit of a quirky sense to his interpretations. He recently collaborated with the British fashion house Mother of Pearl, and you must see the results here. What caught my eye with this group is how effective adding color to just a portion of the textile can be, as in the example above. I guess I think all or nothing, but here, the unembroidered portions act as a frame to showcase his work as well as flatter the wearer.

Medallion I by Daniel Sroka

I have also been drawn in by the work of photographer Daniel Sroka, whose only quirk is that he produces extreme close-ups. He works with dried leaves or twigs or other things he picks up on his walks, studying them to reveal each's unique personality, a tiny bit caught in focus while the rest stays a blurred backdrop. Like me, he often sees images in ordinary objects: a seashell that suddenly looks like a slipper, a curled leaf becoming a chalice. Like other parts of the country, we got quite a bit of snow yesterday, which I only shoveled, not photographed. But Daniel was out on his deck capturing the most beautiful images of the snow and ice as they melted and sharing them here at Daniel Sroka Open Studio. See the entire set here. 

Are you inspired yet?

Finally, I want to share with you a quotation I ran across a few days ago. There's so much discussion about what is art and what is an artist and what should or shouldn't an artist be doing with his/her work. I liked what Dr. Daniel Siedell of King's College had to say in "5 Things Art Is Not", especially this:

"An artist does not paint a picture to express what she already knows or believes. She paints to learn something about herself and the world—something she doesn’t already know. Oscar Wilde wrote that the work of art "has an independent life of its own, and may deliver a message far other than what which was put into its lips to say." A work of art does not point back to its maker, but looks out to you the viewer. It’s not concerned with beliefs or thoughts of its maker. It’s addressing you and your heart."