Kickin' it old school, part 3

Rococo art is one of my favorite eras in art. I've referred back to it again and again over the years.

There's something magical in it. It was a time of leisure, flamboyance, indulgences, pleasure, and super delicious color palettes. You heard me. Super delicious color palettes!

Everything looks so soft and light, like whipped cream. And easter eggs! Lots of texture and pastels juxtapozed against neutrals. Lastly, don't forget some of the dramatic composition and incredible detail!


Marie Antoinette, Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun.


Marriage (part of a series), William Hogarth.


Cephale et Procris, Jean-Honoré Fragonard.


The Swing, Jean-Honoré Fragonard.


Miss Graham, Thomas Gainsborough.


Diana and Endymion, Jean-Honoré Fragonard.

Some of my favorite creatives have been inspired and made tribute to Rococo: Mark Ryden, Ray Caesar, and Sofia Coppola (see Marie Antoinette).

This style wasn't only found in paintings, the ridiculousness carried into architecture, interior design, and household goods as well!

Folk Life

I'm slowly surrounded by folk life. It gently sings to me in the waking hour. It fills my heart with promises of rustic cabins and a warm spot by the fire. My eyes fill with light as the sun sets and a lantern guides me through the dew covered forest.

A huge part of this inspiration is this cabin fever I've been suffering from. However the load is made a lot lighter by Grimm's Fairytales, handsome folk musicians, and the work of Becca Stadtlander.

Becca Stadtlander is an amazing artist. She recently graduated art school for illustration. She weaves a magical scene reminiscent of Folk art and Japanese prints. Her work holds a spot in my heart.







She marries colors both dark and vibrant, creating iconic imagery. Her portfolio is absolutely stunning, i dare you to go look.

Her prints are also amazingly affordable.

An Education

Sometimes there are days where I do nothing more than sketch and absorb the world around me. It's a good break. This week I watched An Education and expected it to serve as fashion inspiration (and have a bad plot).

It was very much visually inspiring, but help a compelling plot as well. It's about a young lass in her last year of school. She's forced to choose between a safe boring path and a risky fun-filled one. So it's obvious which path she'll choose. But all the fill in the blanks inbetween was compelling.

It made me wonder what life would have been like had I been more defiant as a school girl. Regardless, it was touching to me because I chose to become an artist. Which isn't really well understood (by a lot of people "close" to me).

As Oscar Wilde so eloquently said, "Be yourself, because everyone else is already taken."

Lastly, on the surface of it all, I love the wardrobe of this film. I find the grey uniforms simply adorable. The use of clothing is somewhat symbolic in the film. Her outfits are very conservative in the beginning and in the end. But in the middle they're very glamorous. I've always believed 60s black eyeliner is to die for. And the lovely leading lady is even cuter in it.

Kickin' it old school, part 2

If you open your mind and your heart, you'll start to see new things. I love the bizarre nature of surrealism. It's like dreaming while you're wide awake. It's mysterious and sexy.

The surrealists flexed many muscles of the brain and created unexpected work. They kept people on their toes.

The Lovers, Renee Magritte.

The Two Fridas, Frida Kahlo

A page from "Le Semaine de Bonte," (A Week of Kindness) by Max Ernst.

Posting all this work makes me want to play Exquisite Corpse.

Also, I'm having a small art sale on e-Bay. There's three days left. I'm going to be clearing out lots of art for a fresh start. So take advantage. Proceeds go towards new art supplies and a new art series.

Booksmeller Sunday, Logan's Run

The best place to get books from is the library. The books are sturdy and old. They've lived past lives. If they could speak they'd have stories to tell. And borrowing books is free.

I haven't read a whole lot in the past. I take a long while to read a single book. I read a chapter or two at a time. I like to read in short snippets to let the information sink in. I carefully imagine the imagery. I pretend I'm there. I see how stunning Logan's muscular body was or how Jessica's hair must have been glistening. I would say I imagined her doe eyes (but that's just a past image of the movie version of Jessica in my head).



This particular copy was the only copy in the whole county. Which is funny because my friend and I did a sci-fi movie marathon a couple months ago. Which is when I took out the book. (And i've had it ever since).

I started talking to her about the book. My friend says she wanted to read it, but the book was checked out. It's the only copy. And the the person has had it forever. I must have made a face. And then I told her that person was me. And we had a good laugh.

Anyways, I love this copy. It was printed in the late 70s, and may be an original printing. There is something great about the design and typography that is wonderfully dated. The pages are yellowed and there are a few mysterious stains on the interior pages. I sure hope that's chocolate or coffee.



The story in the book is compelling and easy to follow. It makes me sympathize with their society. If haven't seen the movie, just read the book. If you've seen the movie, you especially have to read the book. It's better. It makes more sense, and gets you to bond with the characters. Their sense of desperation comes across better. And they have some crazy adventures.

If you don't know the story, it's about a society where people who turn 21 are put to sleep. The people don't know who their birth mothers or fathers are. It's a society of youth and instant gratification. A society of pleasure. Notice a theme in what I've been reading lately? In the novel the lead character, Logan, is in charge of putting the runners to sleep. What makes the novel so interesting, is that Logan himself is about to turn 21.

The book smells like time (not to be confused with thyme). There are a lot of layers of scents from history. There is a typical scent of aged paper with something else. It's creating a scent both dusty and sour. There are notes of tobacco and roses as well.

Kickin' it old school, part 1

I've been reflecting on my art and my influences. I've been interested in a lot of art movements during history. But how have they influenced me? What influences do I want to be more apparent in my work?

My absolute favorite movement in art is Romanticism. The most important element of Romanticism is an emphasis of emotion over logic. The viewer should have a sense of inspiration, the sublime, awe, or shock and horror. The paintings feed very grand and dramatic.

Before Romanticism, I had no appreciation for landscape paintings. I thought they were incredibly boring. I still believe most contemporary landscape paintings are unoriginal and uninspired. But when I see certain paintings, I meld into the moment and become part of the painting.

Or I start to imagine me rolling a Katamari over the hills and valleys collecting trees. (This really happened in a prestigious art gallery. I started to audibly giggle and smile and received dirty looks.)

What really interests me are the paintings with people as subjects. They range from political revolution to literary narratives. I love the dramatic compositions, the exaggerated poses, and the feeling of raw emotion. Which is exactly what i'd like to use more of in my work.


Here are a few of my favorite pieces:


"The Nightmare," Henry Fuseli.


"Liberty leading the people," Eugene Delacroix.


"The Oxbow," Thomas Cole.


"Niagara," Frederich Church.

Paintings aren't the only genre of Romanticism. There are also great writers you may have heard of, like Edgar Allen Poe, John Keats, Nathaniel Hawthorne, or Henry David Thoreau.

Romanticism was born as a revolt to the Age of Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution.

I have a love affair with art

And my eyes are having a love affair with unomoralez's work. My eyes can't stop looking at these masterpieces over and over. Sucking up every detail and craving the insanity of it all.

Great art leaves you in awe and inspired. Which is exactly what i needed. My art engine is dusty. Back to work!