Where do Artists find Inspiration?

A work by artist Andrew Parker who began his career as an artist and a scientist, two callings he united through his fascination with color.

Whenever I meet an artist, we inevitably discuss their creative spark or different moments, places, experiences, and people who have greatly inspired their art practice. Often, a place where an artist lives, and their surroundings influences the work they produce - for example, consider Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, made at his home in Giverny, which was surrounded by an idyllic pond and a lush flower garden. These vibrant landscapes influenced Monet’s work for over 30 years.

Rather than a specific place, sometimes an artist’s profession can strongly influence their work. A current exhibition, at the Blanton Museum at UT, examines the various jobs artists take on to support their art-making and the unexpected effects these jobs have on their artwork. Everyone from Andy Warhol, to Jeff Koons to Barbara Kruger and Frank Stella had jobs that informed and influenced their art.

Sometimes, an artist has an area of academic study, which later informs the art they make. Such is the case with Gego (Gertrud Goldschmidt), a Jewish architect who fled Nazi Germany in 1939 and immigrated to Venezuela. Finding herself in a new country, she began to make art. Gego’s geometric sculptures, which explore the boundaries of physical space, can be traced to her origins in architecture and engineering. Currently, at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, there is a fascinating retrospective exploring her work.

Another artist exploring sculpture and space, also with an architecture background, is Miami-based Joyce Billet. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Joyce, where we discussed her artistic influences including attending summer camp at the Louvre in Paris as well as her experience working as an architect in New York. Using sophisticated technological tools, some which she encountered initially as an architect, Joyce uses lasers to cut, shape and transform wood into intricate sculptural objects.

Artists find inspiration all around them, sometimes in the most ordinary encounters and I encourage you to keep that in mind when confronted with a work of art. When you look at artwork or visit an exhibition, try to get a bit of information on the artist, where he or she is from, and what influences might shape the work they are making today - this will make viewing the art a deeper and more meaningful experience.

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