Artists that inspire us...

Howdy folks,

I have been a little quiet of late, still catching my breath from yuletide celebrations, I fear. This week though, the cat and the bird have given me a new task. They gave me a list of some of their favourite artists and asked me to show you what gives them inspiration in their life and art. So friends, without further ado...

Alan Aldridge Who Killed Cock Robin?
A prolific artist that started working in the 1960's as an illustrator for Penguin Books, he then went on to do album covers for The Beatles and Elton John amongst others. His art is so detailed and intricate whether it be about animals, mythical beings, or the surrealist popart of the music world.

Louise_Bourgeois Maman
"The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother."
– Louise Bourgeois

Tamara_de_Lempicka Jeune fille aux gants 1930
Glamorous in her own lifestyle, she painted beautiful people in seductive poses, alluring but inaccessible. Her paintings sum up the Art Deco period style to me*. The gorgeous way she captures the folds of fabric, as if you can almost feel the breeze moving over the model's garments is transfixing.
*the cat

Tracey_Emin Hotel International 1993
"What I love about her work is the emotion, you feel like you know her, or someone very like her. Her use of text, textiles, assemblage and colour of these earlier works always gives me goosebumps." The cat.

Frida_Kahlo Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird 1940
Nearly half of Kahlo's art were self portraits, her use of symbols to project her feelings about herself, her body and her country are intimate yet universal. It is criminal that she, like many other women artists were never recognised in their own lifetime.

Dave_McKean Sandman
McKean's art is fantastical, surreal and often unflinching in his subject matter. He has worked on many graphic novels, books, CD art and also taken his artwork into the film world.

 Ron_Mueck Various works
Hyper-realist sculptor, his work is simply awesome - if you can get to an exhibition to see his sculptures, do!

Henri_Rousseau The Dream 1910
The fact that Rousseau never saw a jungle, or that many of the animals he painted he only ever saw in museums give his work a fantasy quality. An untrained artist, he is a true inspiration to those of us not always able to spend the time or the money on fine art schools.



Well folks, these are but a few of the artists we here at Catbird Craft enjoy and are influenced by. We hope that you too will find something that inspires you in the works of these amazing artists too.

My regards to you all,
Frank
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