Influences

Over the summer I did some research looking at pictures that I thought would help me chose a concentration and as I searched I found these websites/photographers that I really liked.

Natalia Campell has several photographs of children and I feel like she really captured their innocence and vast imagination. These photographs helped me narrow down my concentration to imagination and fantasy seen through the eyes of children. Here is the link to some of her photography (I tried to post the pics but they are protected):
http://abduzeedo.com/beautiful-photography-natalia-campbell
The other site applies less specifically to my concentration but while searching I cam across it and really liked the girley, vintage feel of the photos and they helped me get excited about the joys of childhood theme (Again the photos won't copy):
http://allthingslovely.typepad.com/all_things_lovely/2009/09/beautiful-photography-1.html

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I also think that Howard David Johnson is incredible. He draws portraits using the same type and brand of colored pencils that Anna and I have been using and they are utterly amazing! They look like photographs. Here is the link to his work (Again it won't let me copy):http://www.howarddavidjohnson.com/pencil.htm

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Another one of my major influences is my mom's friend Annie Landman. She is an artist who, right now, is painting landscape/home pictures in watercolor. (We have one in our house that I will try and post later but I am house-sitting right now and can't get a picture.) Ever since I was young she has been an inspiration to me because she was one of the first people I had ever witnessed creating art of their own. I used to take art and drawing classes from her and I think this is where my love of art originated from. She is also inspiring because art is not her profession but she enjoys it and finds time to "do it on the side" for both fun and profit. This is what I hope to be able to do down the line.
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Finally, especially for my concentration, I draw inspiration from children. I have always loved babysitting and spending time with kids because of their vast imaginations. Children view the world with such wonder and have the ability to question everything and believe whatever they want without skepticism or criticism. As we get older we lose this ability and slowly get restrained and bogged down by our own problems and worries. We lose our ability to picture the sandbox as a beach or believe we are mermaids in the pool or believe Santa will come every Christmas. I feel like by spending time with kids, it gives adults the opportunity to go back to a time where nothing mattered and life was fun and carefree. This is the feeling that I hope to be able to portray in my artwork.