054;; Artist Inspiration - Federico Bebber

I recently became slightly intrigued obsessed with Federico Bebber's work.
It's pretty different from what I would normally think I would like - but his use of textures is beyond amazing in my opinion. Definitely a darker artist && it definitely makes me smile at the macabre of things again - but there's so much beauty in his work, too.
Things that seem to simple to create I can't even imagine trying to put together. Piecing textures just perfectly, adjusting the lighting enough, and his compositions make me swoon.

He is a big part of my recent smoke fascination. Blame him. Go ahead.

See more of Federico's work here:

facebook | behance

Sometimes I feel like I overthink which artist I should and should not post on my blog as inspiration, but then I realize that the chances of people that like the things I do all the time are very slim. I can hide it all I want, but dark & macabre things do fascinate and inspire me. They always have. So I am going to continue to post inspirations to me personally, rather than trying to appeal to a certain group of followers. I'm sorry if that's offensive to anyone. ♥

049;; Artist Inspiration - Marcela Bolívar

Marcela Bolívar... I cannot say enough good things about this girl. She is absolutely amazing. Probably one of my biggest digital art/photomanipulation inspirations, and always has been. The way she manipulates things I'd never think of has always been my major drawing point to her. Oh... & she's as obsessed with organic forms as I am. Specifically branches and trees.

Quick facts about Marcela:
She lives in Columbia
Degree is in Graphic Design
Started on deviantART (the site used to be so amazing)

 

website | facebook | behance

 Her final portfolio is breathtaking. She graduated from university last year (in Columbia). I think I've been stalking her since 2004? 2005? Something like that.  I'm not really sure why I'm so drawn to Spanish speaking artists... I need to find a few in this country that I like.

041;; Artist Inspiration - Silvia Pelissero

Also known as agnes-cecile.

Silvia is by far my biggest painting inspiration. I'm not good at painting, and I never have been... but this girl blows my mind. Absolutely everything she has shown to the world makes me want to paint. I would give anything to have that kind of talent.

It's crazy for me to think of the scale of her work. I've seen some of her pieces on boards/papers as small as 11x14 - but most are HUGE. I mean seriously huge. Life-size, even. It's truly amazing.

You can see more of her work here:

Website | Facebook | deviantART | tumblr

030;; Artist Inspiration - Mario Sanchez Nevado

What a name, right? I commonly just see him as `Aegis-Strife @ deviantART.com. Which was once upon a time my home away from home. It's the first real art community that I belonged to. I joined back when there were probably 100-200 members on it? It's grown a long way since then. I no longer feel like it's that cozy little art community I could go to and trust people to help me grow as an artist. It turned into something more than that, and in some ways, much darker than that.

None the less, I am so thankful for the light it gave me on digital art, photography, drawing... everything.

It's allowed me to meet some of the most talented and amazing people. People I desperately wish I'd stayed in contact with... but I'm still very thankful for knowing them.

Now! Meet Mario!

Want to see more?

website | deviantART | facebook 

020;; Artist Inspiration: Martin Stavars

I know. I'm sorry! This is two days late now! I'm horrible.

I'm going to be really frank with you... I love this guy. He is amazing. He is a very nice guy and doesn't have that "I'm too good for you" attitude. Martin Stavars is probably one of the only architectural photographers I cannot get enough of. I've been envious of his talent and eye for cities forever. Okay, maybe not forever... but for at least 9 years. He is the reason I want to do architectural photography. Not even architectural, actually. Cityscapes.

I've never seen a colour photograph from him, and I honestly prefer it that way. There is something timeless that he adds to his images by the black and white or duotone colouring. I guess it's why I'm partial to old school darkroom printing too.

Anyway.. I could go on and on for a few pages of why I'm in love with his work - but I'll just let you see for yourself. :)

Want to see more of his work? Listed below are the most common places I see him update regularly. :)

Website | Facebook | deviantART

009;; Artist Inspiration: Albrecht Dürer

Let me start off by saying that the two and a half years I spent at Memphis College of Art, enduring semester after semester of one variation of Art History or another, I absolutely hated it. Nothing you could say would possibly change my mind. I'm not a traditional artist. I don't like "normal" painting. I don't like sculpture. I very rarely like drawings. I don't understand the fascination with abstract artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. I hate cubism. Hate it. So I will openly admit that I am not an art history buff.

I absolutely love Albrecht Dürer though. In Art History 2, he was the only artist I remembered on a test. I can probably account that to the fact that his subject matter is way more appealing to me than hidden sexual innuendos and landscapes. For as long as I can remember I have always been more drawn to Gothic-esque artists, and his apocalyptic engravings/prints and paintings are no exception. They're still inspiring artists today, and probably will be forever. His art is populated by monsters, witches, hybrid animals, and marauding soldiers. Many have obvious ties into the apocalypse, war and suffering, enigmas, and gender anxieties. 

 

"Knight, Death and the Devil" 1513, Engraving

"The Life of the Virgin" 1511, Wood carving

 

"The Temptation of the Idler (The Dream of the Doctor)" c. 1498, Engraving

Post Scriptum - I love how this post was mainly inspired by an episode of Pawn Stars. A customer brought in a reproduction print of The Knight, Death and the Devil - did you know an original print of that is worth more than $300,000? Crazy!