We are surrounded by inspirations and influences everyday, if we stop to look for them. A simple walk through the park can become an entire series of artwork based on the shapes, textures, sights, and sounds we encounter during the visual adventure. As an artist I purposefully look for new shapes, compositions, ideas, and textures through the course of my daily life and adventures... and allow these inspirations to help shape my artistic style.
In the post below I will show you some inspiring images, talk about how they influence my marks, compositions, and artistic decisions along the way. Through this post I hope you can gain an inside view to how these visual influences have shaped my style and helped me to develop my own unique artistic style. **WARNING: Heavy Image usage ahead! Proceed with solid internet connection!**
 | I am often asked "What are your inspirations?" and the answer is never a very simple one. Usually I mumble some things about "lace, feathers, scales, moss, and other small things we see every day." but it never seems adequate enough to describe where all of my inspirations lie. Truthfully there is a lot more to it than that. I spend a lot of time doing "visual research" (scrolling through pinterest, instagram, tumblr, and any other visuals I can find about the internet). And all of this mulls around in my head while I am not making art. Then, when it comes time to draw and paint the marks that come out are some amalgamation of all these things.. but something more of my own style, which is constantly building upon itself mark by mark. |
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| Nature is a vast well of inspiration for me and I love to look at it! Everything from bark, moss, and rocks to feathers, scales, and skin. The patterns and textures found within the natural world have a mesmerizing beauty that has been proven with mathematics but cannot truly be replicated by mankind. I feel that these influences most often show up in my drawings looking like scales and fins. Repeating shapes that remind me of the perfect ones I see in nature. I also tend to use compositions that remind me of growing things, caves, piles of rocks and any other organic compositional elements. |  Detail of art by DarcRainbow |
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 Detail of art by DarcRainbow | Lace and textiles are another highly influential area for me visually. I love the intricacy and delicacy of lace, doilies, crochet patterns, and any of those other related frilly textiles. They project a feeling of femininity and elegance. I have most enjoyed these designs in my watercolor and mandala pieces I am currently working through. These designs have the ability to be graceful and elegant while still bringing a darker element to my works.They also bring a lot of movement into my composition as the shapes write and move against one another. |
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| Henna designs, Mehndi, and mandala designs have played a large part in my schemes lately as well. These are the influences that are perhaps the best for me right now as they promote self exploration and acceptance as much as they are an artistic creation. They teach me to let go and enjoy the process as much as the outcome, and not to hold any idea too tightly in my mind. The balance and symmetry found within these designs is something I find incredibly gratifying not only to look at, but to create and work within. I enjoy using repeating patterns within a balanced composition to create depth and movement within these organized and structured shapes. |  Mandala by DarcRainbow |
Some of my own Pinterest boards
***All images in this post, unless otherwise noted, were taken from Pinterest boards I follow. If you own the rights to an image used here, PLEASE contact me so I can give you proper credit! Thank you!***
Come back on March 9th for my next post!
Have a topic or post suggestion you'd like to see me post? Let me know!
Here is my (very malleable) schedule for upcoming blog posts:
-March 9th: My creative processes
-March 16th: Featured artist:____________ (tbd)
-March 23rd: ARTicle - TBD...
-March 30th: BIRTHDAY BLOG! (A reflection on 28 years of living a creative life)
Here is my (very malleable) schedule for upcoming blog posts:
-March 9th: My creative processes
-March 16th: Featured artist:____________ (tbd)
-March 23rd: ARTicle - TBD...
-March 30th: BIRTHDAY BLOG! (A reflection on 28 years of living a creative life)
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