Art 101 Lesson 2: Find Your Inspiration

One piece of advice I received on becoming a better artist was to observe the art of others. I live in a rural area, so do not have a lot of access to museums and galleries but I do have access to the internet. I started skimming art history sites. I really enjoy impressionism and post impressionism but then I was sucked into the world of Fauvism. In an attempt to un- derstand the art of those they called The Wild Beasts, I chose to recreate a couple of my favorite pieces. In doing so I began to understand the colors they used. They were bright and vibrant and almost unnatural. And there was a TON of color. I also noticed in order to create the same brush strokes that I was observing I had to be quick in my work. The swipes are hurried across the canvas. There is a lack of perfectionism and I align with the imperfect. I appreciate the Fauves and take inspiration from them. Sometimes It is in using the shapes or the same palette that they chose. Or like this, I practiced recreating some of my favorite pieces. This is one of my favorite exercises of all time. Below are the originals.

Open Window, 1905 Henri Matisse

Bougival, 1905 Maurice Vlaminck