Inspiration

I normally find inspiration by looking at other artists' work and this can range from paintings, to photography, and even sculptures.  Anything can spark an idea, just because I'm usually drawing doesn't mean I can't find something inspiring in another medium.  One painter's work I really enjoy looking at is Edward Hopper's.  In a lot of his paintings there's this feeling that he's observing or lurking from afar and I think the fact that this translates to the viewers makes his paintings all the more impressive.  He's able to convey that feeling quite well - there's almost a loneliness in his works.  I'd love to one day be able to create a piece that's just as expressive.

Nighthawks
One of Edward Hopper's most famous paintings.

Aside from paintings, I enjoy looking at photography as well and one photographer who's work has really stuck with me is Diane Arbus.  A lot of her pictures were taken in New York during the 60's to 70's and looking at photographs of the very place I live can be inspiring in itself; it's interesting to see how things have changed and how someone else can find special things in the very area that you're around all the time.  She photographed a huge variety of different types of people and a lot of the photos are very unusual, even eerie, but in the best way possible.  Through her photographs, I feel like I can get a sense of how she saw the world and what everything looked like through her eyes.  Again, with these pictures she's able to communicate a feeling to the viewers that's difficult to put into words, but seems to be there.

Here are some of her photographs.