Friday, May 9, 2008

influences

duck asked about our scrapping influences. i breath much easier having reread her email about this. i thought she wanted to know what "artists" have influenced our scrapping. i don't think any of these artists influence my scrapbook style. but they have influenced art that i've done in the past. and should keep doing. their art makes me happy. i put artists in quotes because i'm sure i'll offend someone when i say we as scrapbookers are not artists. i really don't see myself as one, i see myself as a creative person who has a decent eye for design, but i don't see my pages being auctioned off for millions in the years following my death. call me a party pooper. i just don't see myself that way.

but i did think of one or two artistic influences that i would say you can see in things i do because i've loved them for a long time.

one is grant woods. in high school i did a chalk reproduction of his american gothic. i think you can see a lot of the straight lines in his work also in mine, his style has always fascinated me. and look, do you see another influence :) i just noticed it actually. the first one to guess correctly i'll send you a little PAK (purposeful act of kindness)...


and then there is the illustrator philippe fix. he illustated a book called alexandar and the magic mouse, a book that i read over and over as a kid. when i was in junior high, i copied the house in that book using pen and ink. i won an award for it. that was when i began to love the pen and ink look. philippe fix was not a pen and ink illustrator, but his work adapated nicely to it.


when i look back at my high school art portfolio, i see a lot shel silverstein influence. again, pen and ink:


and finally, as a kid i got to look at fabulous art every month or two in the magazine 'cricket'. it was an expensive subscription i later learned, but i really appreciate my mom continuing it. the art was amazing. my sister, who is a fabulous artist, credits cricket's art director trina schart hyman as one of her early influences as well.



so do you think they've influenced my scrapping? or am i wrong?

i'll think on my scrapping influences and post about that next week...
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have a lovely weekend!

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Emily - you resemble the woman in American Gothic (I only mean this in the kindest way ;o) ). Honestly!

Marti

Unused Account said...

Emily! grant Wood is my fave artist...although I do NOT like American Gothic. His other work is much better. I have actually been to that house in the painting. Seriously....how cool am I?

Anonymous said...

wouldn't it be funny to dress up your kids for a photo like the american gothic painting?
thanks for posting this, very interesting. I had forgotten about how cool shel silverstein is. might need to go flip through one of his books.

Anonymous said...

OK. I didn't word my first response correctly. The other "influence" from Grant Wood is the way the woman doesn't look directly at the camera. You take a lot of self-portraits like that, too. OK. Now I feel better. :o)

Etta said...

I don't know the answer, but I love the repetition of patterns that he uses--like the pitchfork in the man's overalls, the woman's dress fabric repeated in the window curtains, etc. The painting itself creeps me out, but i can definitely appreciate the individual artistic features.

And love that Shel S. too!!!

Heather Harrell Photography said...

RIC RAC!!!!

:-)

(did I get it???)

Vivian Masket said...

I think Heather nailed it! I had no clue! :)

Anonymous said...

oh i used to get cricket, too...and LOVED it. thanks for the little memory jog - need to check it out again.

Mary Kay said...

I bet Heather's right, though I was stuck on the way the woman was looking off to the side...

Emily Pitts said...

heather did get it. but marti, i had to laugh at yours as well.

Amanda said...

A little late to the party but I just wanted to say that this is such a cool idea...listing your influences. Very thought provoking! If I had a moment to think, I'd do this. Maybe next month, LOL! Thanks for sharing!!

Candice said...

I can totally the influence in your stuff-the pen line Shel Silverstein stuff & the black w/the bright colors-love the find your inspiration idea-

Candice said...

oops-that should read "I can totally SEE the influence..."

:p

*Keri* said...

You may not even see this comment since I am leaving it on such an old post but..

CRICKET! I loved that magazine! I think my mom still has my old issues. I never threw one away! Do they still make it?? I think I need to get myself a subscription. I mean, for my daughter.