Inspiration Monday: The mind of a 4th grader

I have been teaching my 4th grade art classes about Frida Kahlo. Last week, we looked at a portrait she did of herself and Diego Rivera following their wedding. We discussed her Mexican dress, the traditional way she had her hair braided on top of her head, and how happy she must have felt.

We also looked at one of Kahlo's last self portraits. She looked sick and sad, and the kids noticed that her dress was not as bright and her hair was loose on her shoulders.

For school, I usually wear my hair pulled back to keep it out of my way. (Those of you who know me know that I have a LOT of hair.) But this morning I left it down. One of my kids, as she walked in the room, said "your hair looks different, Ms. Clarke." I said that was probably because I had left it down. Another student followed that comment with, "is it because you are sad?"

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I love how the mind of a 4th grader works. How many adults would have connected my hair being down with a portrait of Frida Kahlo, and wondered if we shared the same emotion because of it?

On a separate note, a student in my next class told me that maybe when I was dead students would study my work...

Thanks.

Inspiration Monday: Anu Samarüütel

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I came across Anu Samaruutel's work on I Love Illustration, a blog that focuses on fashion illustrators. Samaruutel's work, painted in acrylic on paper, is so bold and bright and unique. I simply love looking at them. Wouldn't you love to have a huge painting like this on your wall? Click on the source link above to see more examples of this artist's work.

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Inspiration...Tuesday?

So, "Inspiration Monday" quickly turned into "Lay on the couch in my sweatpants Monday." The pretty constant rain kept me from wanting to venture outside to the studio to use the internet, so I hope you will allow me to inspire your Tuesday instead.

A few days ago, I stumbled across Joan Dumouchel's work on another artist's blog. I had to just stop for a moment and stare at her work. Her paintings took my breath away. I don't really know much about her, aside from the fact that she is a Canadian artist, and much of her work is inspired by circus performers. She creates her paintings in acrylic and gold leaf, and although they are modern, they also have an almost Renaissance quality to them. I hope you like looking at these images as much as I do.

All images below are from the Martin Gallery in Charleston, SC.

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Inspiration Monday: Tom Tierney

If you own any books of paper dolls, chances are that at least one of them is by Tom Tierney. Considered by many to be the "King of Paper Dolls," Tierney helped revive the lagging paper doll industry in the mid 1970's. Trained in fashion illustration, Tierney published his first paper doll book, "Thirty from the Thirties" in 1974. Since then, he has published almost 350 books of paper dolls. His dolls range in subject from movie stars, to the fashions of each decade, to his tribute to Rosie the Riveter.

I currently have three of his books, "Great Fashion Designs of the Twenties", "Great Fashion Designs of the Thirties", and his book of Marilyn Monroe paper dolls. Believe me when I say I look at them often as a source of inspiration!
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Inspiration Monday: Erte

No one epitomizes the decadent 1920's art deco style like Erte. I spend a lot of time researching historical fashion trends for my paper dolls, and his prints are a huge source of inspiration, both because of the beautiful clothing in his pieces, and because of his amazing style.

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Born Romaine de Tirtoff in 1892, Erte became an influential graphic designer and costume designer during the 20's. His designs graced more that 200 covers of Harpers Bazaar, and were seen on stars of the stage and film.

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I am simply in love with his work; the opulent designs, the graphic quality, and the bright flat colors.

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What do you think?

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Inspiration Monday: The Olympics

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Ok, so maybe they don't have anything to do with art or with paper dolls, but I love the Olympics. I don't typically watch a lot of sports on TV, but during the Olympics, I will watch just about anything- trampoline, skeet shooting, water polo, flat water canoeing, everything.

Even though I have come to grips with the fact that I will never become an Olympian, I find these people so inspiring. They dedicated their lives to doing what they love most. All their hard work and dedication culminates in just a few moments, but for these athletes it is worth it. I especially love the moments of pure joy, not only for the winners, but for those athletes who are just proud to be representing their countries, no matter that the odds are against their ever winning a medal.

Why did I decide to write about the Olympics for this week's Inspiration Monday? Because I believe that the Olympics, namely the stories of the athletes, can inspire the rest of us, no matter what we have chosen to dedicate our lives to. I know that I would drown playing water polo, that I would be too scared to jump over anything on a horse, and could never keep up with those female runners. But I have dedicated my life to making beautiful art and sharing it with the world. I only hope I can show as much determination in my art as I saw in the athletes I have spent so much time watching these past two weeks.
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