06 June 2015
As an artist myself, I get this question a lot...who is your favourite artist(s)? So! For this @bloghomework assigment thanks to @missy, @rambo, and @lyxzen I will let you all in on who inspires my art and my life <3
First artist is Jackson Pollock. He was an abstract expressionist and was known for this unique drip painting technique on very large format. I was shown his work when I was in the fifth grade, seeing old TIME videos of how he flicked his brush to the canvas on the floor-I was wide eyed and in awe. The finesse he gave with each swoosh, it opened my mind to letting a part of me to be controllably uncontrolled. Just letting loose but still stand your ground; making the world as you see it but letting it also unfold too. May not make a lick of sense but Pollock's work was the key to opening my mind and finding my niche in painting and illustration.
He was also reclusive even though he was famous as all hell can be-which is something I related too so much when I was younger. Just hiding in my little world of colour and daydreams whilst the real world was all the same as I viewed it back then because of my harsh upbringing. Sadly, Pollock passed due to the devastating drive he took with himself, a friend and his mistress in an alcohol related single car accident. Learning that into along with diving into his history with alcohol addiction also helped me pursue, with many other things in life personal, to pursue my degree in Addiction Studies too! it may seem completely unrelated as what I do now being an artist but learning all that I did for my degree (five years of study mind you!!) it allowed me to understand my feeling of my dark past that spurred my own addictions. From my degree studies it allowed me to quite smoking (which I used as a fuel to stay up late painting and keep my sanity when art deadlines came approaching quickly) along with other psychoactives to cope with feelings and in return recognize them soberly to focus them into my art now. A lot of well know artists that a favour and inspire to be were taken away due to addiction so I inspire to be held in the art world with them but thrive and survive in a way to help impact the world and watch those whom I do in this physical world than then spiritual world-much that I wish for the greats to have been able to do if their lives had not been taken by a metal disease.
Enough of the dark part! I have been very fortunate to see his work in person to include one of my personal favourites of his, "Guardians of the Secret" done in 1943:
This piece to me speaks so much, when I saw it in real life at the SF MoMa in 2013 I began to cry. The photograph here does not to justice to the depth of the paint worked and moved, the detail itself is rich and thick and is sooo beautiful. It is telling a story about keeping something so precious, and that it is being watched over from all sides. You can see it (speaking of the middle form) but is kept under safe guarding with the dog, two figures and the spirits above on the top. All elements of animal, man, and spiritual world keeping this secret safe but allows us humans to peek into it. It is so beautiful, to me this is life and I can only thank Pollock for creating this and the feeling within me from it. It is a gift.
Second artist is a Bay Area artist near me that uses the name GATS (aka Graffiti Against The System). GATS is a graffiti artist who's work, even though it is a completely different style/technique to my own, has influenced my art for years. Just the raw energy and fluidity of each piece to mural makes my mind wander. Watching the growth of GATS's art throughout the years is so beautiful and unfiltered; as an admire from a far it leaves a bigger imprint on my heart and creative mind. Plus all the good that GATS does by working and donating proceeds to programs for those less fortunate or in need, makes me respect GATS's art even more. Graffiti is a style of art that always resonates with me, it is just so compelling and free. I hope to do a show where this artist has made a mark along with many others that I look up to.
GATS recently had a solo art show in San Francisco at Hashimoto Contemporary titled "Drifting Forest". Proceeds of GATS pieces went to the the 'Prisoners Literature Project' that helped fund to buy over 1,000 books for prisoners. For an artist whom chooses/is not able to show his/her face due to the criminal justice system considering their art to be a sin or unlawful, GATS has done so much for the Bay Area art community along with people all over the world. It is the little things, GATS is my masked hero and it one of the artist I aspire to be one day; it is my life goal.
You can always view my art at my website or ask me about it anytime! I hope you enjoyed my contribution to this blog homework topic :) AND! Remember this coming Monday evening at 6PST, I will be live doodling and painting along with answering any of your questions on the SuicideGirls Hopeful periscope! Username is (at)hopefulsgs or your can find me on instagram for more updates on my SuicideGirls live stream! I will be taking doodle suggestions ahead of time of what you would like to see me create for all of you too! Just list them in a comment below.
Thank you for your time loves, and I hope I always keep you all inspired!
Much love xx
DK
