Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Inspiration

Can I share something? I've always loved working in mixed media but I've always felt like I get a little too safe with my work. I do feel like in the last couple of years I've started to come out of that but I still feel like I make very clean work. I had a critique recently on the house I made for my show and was told that it was "too clean." I instantly knew what this meant because I know how safe I can be with my materials. Sometimes I get too precious with what ever Im working on and am too afraid to ruin it. I push myself and push myself and I think I'm getting better but there is an artist I always look to for inspiration. When I first saw Monica Canilao's work it I knew that in my own work I just wasn't getting it quite right yet, but she totally was. I found her work even after I started using manilla envelopes. It was exciting to see someone else using these found papers and in such a lovely and thoughtful way. I read an article about Monica once and was so inspired by her work ethic. She is always making things and it shows in her work. The amount of labor and love that goes into her pieces is evident.
Now that I'm finished with my show and wondering what's next I find myself turning to Monica Canilao's work for that extra push I need to get my fingers moving and my mind motivated. It just takes a little and I'm ready to get back into the studio!

This image is from an exhibition Monica did with Swoon. See more here.
These next two images are from the Needles and Pens website. This is where I first learned about Monica. I bought a book of her work and carry it around with me everywhere. If you haven't been to the Needles and Pens website check it out and discover even more amazing artists!

I hope this inspired you.

1 comment:

Maria-Thérèse ~ www.afiori.com said...

I can't see that it's "too clean" :-S
But if you think so yourself, that's what matters... I hope it was constructive criticism to you and not just something a teacher said because he or she wanted to say something that wasn't praise.