artists who inspire.

Aikosan , 2005 Almost Blue , 2009 Himself , 2005 The Distance Between You and Me , 2011 Wallflower , 2010 Jacques Moiroud is primarily a printmaker many of whose portraits come from encounters with people in his life. I have a recent respect for relief printers, since I did it for the first time two days ago! I am amazed at how detailed he can get (this is from his series called "The Big Linos," or linocut prints). I am most interested in his concept, how each portrait is meaningful, because at one time, he was in direct contact with that person. I think that's powerful. Check out more of his work on his website .

Margaret Kilgallen (1967-2001) specializes in printmaking, painting, and graffiti work. Her stylized figures, her ability to arrange multiple images together to create a cohesive whole, her creative mind, and her ability to find art in unlikely places are admirable. She is not only one of my favorite artists, but one of my favorite people as well. She died when she was just 33, because she decided to forego chemotherapy for her cancer in order to carry her unborn baby to full term. She's honestly one of my heroes. Please check out her work and some videos about her and her artist husband Barry McGee at this website . Margaret Kilgallen (photo from Art21 ) Margaret Kilgallen (photo from The New Yorker )

Death Grabbing at a Group of Children , 1934 Small Self-Portrait (plate 3) from German Printmakers of Our Time , 1920 Two Chatting Women with Two Children , 1930 Woman Entrusts Herself to Death , 1934 Young Girl in the Lap of Death , 1934 Born in 1867 in what is now Kaliningrad, Russia, Kathe Kollwitz is known for her pieces rich with themes of mourning, death, and hardship. They are just chilling--I can't imagine living in a day where images like this were real life. I like how she is able to put a form to something abstract like death; it gives her images even greater power. To see more of her work and learn more about her art processes, visit this website .