THE LOUVRE vs INSTAGRAM

For me it's Instagram any day (and not just because I can visit 'any day')! Today I want to talk about my favourite artists, who inspires and excites me.

I studied Art History at Cambridge University and to be honest was incredibly bored by the experience. To be fair I'm not really academically wired, I'd got onto my teacher training course at Homerton College through my CV rather than my grades and hadn't quite thought through what I was getting myself into (in retrospect I should have gone somewhere else and done something different… but then I wouldn't have fallen in love with Nick, with my church and with Cambridge… God knows best). At 13 I was advised 'don't choose subjects that involve writing as you're no good at it' so it was a bit of a shock to the system, and a bucket full of discouragement, to find myself at 20 writing essays on art history and the theory of education at Cambridge University!

However, recently, my painting coach has encouraged me to take another look at past art movements and I've discovered all sorts of exciting people. I have realised that the problem with my previous studies was that it was all focussed too long ago, it's the more recent work that puts fire in my belly. So here's some of the good stuff:

Jackson Pollock

Hans Hofmann

Joan Mitchell

Barbara Hepworth

Norman Bluhm

Cy Twombly

Franz Kline

Robert Motherwell

Jackson Pollock, Hans Hofmann, Joan Mitchell, Barbara Hepworth, Norman Bluhm, Cy Twombly, Franz Kline & Robert Motherwell. These guys can all be grouped within the MODERN ART MOVEMENT.
Abstract Expressionists with an “emphasis on spontaneous, automatic or subconscious creation”. Action Painters whose work “shifted the emphasis from painting objects to depicting the struggle, a kind of residue, of the actual 'work' of art, the focus on the very act or process of the painting's creation. This spontaneous activity was the "action" of the painter - painterly gestures, brushstrokes, thrown paint, splashed, and stained. The painter would sometimes let the paint drip onto the canvas, while rhythmically dancing, or even standing in the canvas, sometimes letting the paint fall according to the subconscious mind, thus letting the unconscious express itself.” ….LOVE IT!

HOWEVER ...these guys might have done some pretty cool art, BUT they are all dead now!

Do know what REALLY excites and interests me? ...Finding people who are painting stunning art TODAY – people I can follow the journey of, people I can ask questions of… 'real' people, and that's where Instagram comes in.

Wendy McWilliams

Yago Hortal

Claire Desjardins

Kimber Berry

Jennifer Sanchez

Sarah Otts

Coco Bee

Mette Lindberg

Paulette Insall

Wendy Mcwilliams, Yago Hortal, Claire Desjardins, Kimber Berry, Jennifer Sanchez, Sarah Otts, Coco Bee, Mette Lindberg & Paulette Insall.
Wendy McWilliams started as a painter when she was 48 which has been such an encouragement to me in and of itself, we have dialogued about work ethic and attitude, hours in the studio and titles for pieces. Claire Desjardins has put me onto spray paints and tips for cleaning them. Sarah Otts inspires me that it's possible to be a painter and a mum of young kids. Coco Bee is the only watercolour painter I really love – she has advised me about materials, set painting challenges and has wonderful You tube video tutorials. Mette Lindberg also has lovely You tube videos of her painting and has put me onto UniPosca paint pens – which I now use all the time.

Rebecca Louise Law

Leisa Rich

Cher Austin

Judit Just

And it's not just painters: see Rebecca Louise Law, Leisa Rich, Cher Austin & Judit Just's amzing work above.

All these artists inspire me just by creating the beauty that they create, but I've also been so blessed by their generosity to share their experience and to encourage others. Working as an artist can be quite an isolated existence with a daily fight to find courage in the midst of self doubt. Seeing little videos of someone's art studio, or paintings in progress, hearing about their struggles as well as their successes, it makes all the difference.

I initially discovered most of these artists through Pinterest. Here's my Favourite Artists board, my Favourite Artist's Pieces board and my Modern Art Movement board to browse more of their work.

But I actually suggest that you do your own search. What sort of art do you love, what art most inspires you? We are all different. Make your own Pinterest board, find people to follow on Instagram, ask the questions you want the answers to. BE INSPIRED AND BE INSPIRING!