Influences- Remedios Varo

Tomorrow, I will be introducing the final drawing for my beginning students.  It is a surrealistic city in one or two-point perspective.  I've spent a good amount of the morning thumbing through my favorite surrealism books, scanning, and printing photos for inspiration.  Of course, it led me to one of my absolute favorite female surreal artists, Remedios Varo.  I found her by accident when I was in college working on my single subject credential.  There is something magical about her work.  I look at it waiting for the hauntingly sad characters to move and interact with me.  I am captured by the textures, colors, and the transparency of the figures that seem to move with such ghostly grace. 

Here are some of my favorites:

 

I've come to realize that I'm attracted to her work that is about creation or building.  Perhaps it is because I have a desire to create or build? 

 

Influences- Mark Ryden

 I have decided to dedicate my Tuesday blog posts to Art, Artists, and anything that influences my personal art, or that sparks creativity and imagination.

Today, I would like to introduce you to one of my all time favorite artists...Mark Ryden.
 I fell in love with this Mark Ryden's work in 2002, when I bought my first issue of Juxtapoz Magazine. I was "actively listening" for art assignments.  "Active listening" was the term my Art Education Advisor used to describe finding inspiration from our surroundings.  I had just graduated from college and was about to embark on Student Teaching, so I was trying to find art and artists that high school students would be attracted to. I made a poster of some of my favorite paintings of his and have it hanging in my classroom.  It always creates discussion amongst the students sitting near it.  Soon it turns into a Q&A session between me and my students about the art work and what they think it means.  His works sparks a positive curiosity in my students.

 I love how his work is surrealistic, but painted in a hyper-realistic way.  But it is his symbolism that truly won me over.  His paintings hold so much meaning in them.  I always use his work as an example of symbolism for my students. The only series I didn't enjoy was his Blood and Tears collection.  It is a very dark grouping of paintings, but it reflected how he was feeling at the time.

My favorite series is The Tree Show.  This is probably where my love for trees truly began, but I loved the humor in his paintings. I had almost decided not to go to the opening of The Tree Show, which would have been a huge mistake because I got to meet Mark Ryden, talk to him, and take a photo with him.

Me with Mark Ryden at The Tree Show, 2007

These are a few of my favorite paintings from the show:

Girl Eaten by Tree

The Apology

Allegory of the Four Elements

You can see more of his work at http://markryden.com/

LACMA

Yesterday was Friday the 13th.  Ever since my little sister was born on Friday the 13th, it has always been my favorite day and yesterday was just as great as any other.  In addition to another rain storm, I spent the day at the LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) with my very good friend.  There are not many people who I enjoy attending museums with because people seem to think that because I have a degree in art and teach art that I am going to the museum to be their personal tour guide.  I'm sorry, but I like to go to museums to look at the work; to learn about new and old artists; to gain curiosity about techniques; and most importantly, to be inspired!  But my friend is not one of those people who expect a personal tour.  She is the perfect museum partner who adds to my creative banter on how I think an artwork could have been improved, or what the next version should look like.  She dreams with me in a fun verbal banter in such a way that I'm sure people around us think we believe it could all come true.  I think every creative person in the world needs a friend like this.  They love the freedoms of the imagination and never try to stifle it with judgment and harsh criticism.  Everything is about problem solving, creativity, and how to make what seems impossible completely possible. 

Currently LACMA has a special exhibit on display: In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States.
http://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/in-wonderland

I love surrealism.  I love the detail and realism some of the paintings maintain with their odd scenes.  My favorite surrealists are Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, and the pop surrealist Mark Ryden.  But as with any art movement, it is told from the views of the male artists.  This exhibit demonstrated how women artists tackled the same movement, but a very different intention of the meaning in their work.  It was exciting to walk through the exhibit and see some of my favorite paintings in person.  I have had the privilege to see works of Frida Kahlo, but to see the works of Dorothea Tanning and Remedios Varo was pure delight!  To my surprise, this exhibit was allowed to be photographed as long as the flash was not used.  Usually special exhibits do not allow photography.  I wish I had known this ahead of time because I purposefully left my camera at home thinking this special exhibit was like the others. But thankfully, cell phone cameras are more advanced now.  On this blog are the paintings that captured me the most.  The exhibit ends May 6th, 2012.  If you get a chance, you should go! I highly recommend seeing this!