artists who inspire.

Caelum 18 Quidam 11, Time Reveals Truth Caelum 52 Quidam 43, To Wander Through Caelum 2 Jylian Gustlin, native to California, simply blows me away with her figure art. Everything about her style I love! The bright colors, the carefully chosen palettes, the loose lines, the expressive figures, the beautiful textures in the paint. I would love to practice some figure art in her style to help me find my own way of using color/texture/line effectively. I only included a few from two of her series called "Quidam" and "Caelum" in this post, but she has many others that are just as stunning. Please, please check them out at her website !

Barry McGee, born in 1966, is a painter and graffiti artist who is characterized by his stylized, grotesque figures. I really love his bright colors and his line work. I also love his attitude about how graffiti is art--he finds beauty and purpose in things that people traditionally reject.To see more of his work and watch some videos about him, go to this website. To read this touching article about his late wife, Margaret Kilgallen, their daughter, and his second wife Clare Rojas, go here .

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 )

Something Split and New , 2013  Dwell: Aso Ebi , 2017  5 Umezebi St. New Haven Enugu , 2012 When the Going is Smooth and Good , 2017 "The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born" Might Not Hold True for Much Longer , 2013 Njideka Akunyili Crosby was born in 1983 in Nigeria, and explores themes of living in two worlds/cultures (Nigeria and America). She uses collage, paint, and photo-transfer to create her visually stunning images. I absolutely love her style! The color palettes are beautiful and engaging, and the photo/collage elements give it life without making it too busy. Her titles are ambiguous and intriguing, as well. Hers is a style I would love to emulate, and collage painting is something that has just recently sparked my interest in my own work. Please check out more of her work on her website !

Gigantic Youth , 2016   And the Landscapes Slide Away , 2016 Indivisible and Unchangeable , 2016 Glenn Who Lies There in his 8-Year-Old Body , 2016 The Earth on its Axis , 2016 Maria Kontis deals with themes of memory and the reinvention of the past by drawing from photographs. She often will deviate from the source material, like in removing the background for example, which is her way of rewriting those memories. I love that idea. I recently did a project for my figure drawing in which I did a similar thing--monochromatic sketches from family photographs. Kontis is definitely one I would look to for inspiration in continuing that project or others like it. To check out more or her work, visit this website .

2015 2012  2012  2013  2015 Kara Walker is known for her dynamic silhouettes, dramatic sketches, and more. Some of her work is kind of violent, but incredibly thought provoking. Specifically in her silhouette pieces, I love that she is able to create emotion and movement and narrative without showing facial expression. That's definitely a skill. To see more of her work, visit her website .

Holy Rollers (Gospel Train)  1930  John Brown , 1939 Our Good Earth , 1942 American artist John Steuart Curry is famous for depicting scenes of life in the Great Depression. He has a realistic style, and a specific type of mark, sort of like pencil hatching and cross-hatching. I like how personal the scenes feel, even pieces like Our Good Earth  that looks like it could be on a propaganda poster. They all feel very real, which I think is what makes his art successful. To see more of his art, visit this website .