Inspiration

I feel like inspiration for my artwork is forced most of the time. Whether it be because of deadlines for my projects or not, I can't really say. However, I never really had that overpowering nourishment or drive to feed the emptiness within my head to produce truly satisfactory work. Much of the time I feel like I can do so much more with my art, but it never seems to translate as well as I it want to. I think I start an idea and finish it simply because I want it finished rather than the inspiration calling forth for its completion. Perhaps I need to keep feeding the hunger to produce art by finding the beauty and genius in the things and experiences I encounter in order to continue to find inspiration. 

I guess this past week was a wake up call to open my eyes in what artist and even myself are capable of. I am taking a drawing studio right now for summer session, and we had our first project critiques. Let me just say, I was blown away by the content and skill by many of the artists in my class, which I wrongly assumed were not well versed in their art craftsmanship. In particular, a girl named Madison created one of the most beautiful graphic artwork pieces using a Wacom Tablet and Photoshop that I have ever seen. It was a self portrait that possessed many different memories she had all molded into one single piece with her calmly sitting in a bathtub looking out into the orange sunset that contrasted so well with her beautifully drawn purple tree that some of her cats playfully surrounded. This work looked like something out of a professional portfolio. I was am so jealous of her skill and I am determined to learn. 

Today, my art class took a field trip to the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. It was my first time there, and I was impressed. The Frida Kahlo exhibit was open, but I did not bother to see it because I didn't want to spend the extra money and didn't have the time anyway (the lines was long anyway). Regardless, I saw some amazing works that really made me reflect upon my inspiration for my artwork. Two works in particular were René Magritte's "Les Valeurs Personnelles" ("Personal Values", pictured above) and James Rosenquist's "Leaky Ride for Dr. Leakey."

Magritte is a personal favorite of mine, and his work has undoubtedly been an influence on my own work ever since I first laid eyes on "The False Mirror." Just seeing his work today and the skill he possessed in both producing the work and arranging it made me really reevaluate my own artwork and want to strive for that same kind of quality and translation of my ideas.

Until today I had never heard of Rosenquist but seeing his massive piece that dominated the entire left wall of the exhibit reminded me to strive for the same ambition, which I seem to lack quite often, that drove him to complete such a large work and find new ways to combine even the simplest arrangement of ordinary objects and patterns together.

Overall, I think I have found some inspiration to feed off of for now. I guess it can be a gateway for more to come. I just have to remember I am working for the art and not the due date of it.