Researching the Experiments

I'll admit it straight up right now: I don't do as much research as I should

In fact, one might say that I scarcely do any research at all.

I know, I know: I'm a student at a university with a fantastic art library full of anything I could wish to know about many many artists and art movements. I have access online, thanks to this university, to hundreds of good databases of articles and books and so forth. I should have no excuses for not making the most of these things before I graduate. Because once I leave this school, I'll wish I had this same access, since it's just that amazing.

One reason I suspect I haven't really researched anything on my own is because I've never made the proper connection between research and the art world. In high school, research happened in science and geography classes, maybe in English as well. Art classes were about color and technique and expressing yourself. Art was for bringing what was inside of you, out, and research was about bringing what was outside of you, in. Only this far into college am I realizing that these two viewpoints really need to merge in order to broaden my horizons as an artist. My professors will ask, "Have you heard of So-and-So?" I'm forced to admit, "No, I haven't." At sophomore review, they asked, "Who are you looking at?" And I replied, "Um..."

When I do have subjects for potential research, they are usually given to me by friends or professors. Sometimes I come across them by accident. I was first introduced to Alphonse Mucha, one of my influences (as discussed here) in a poster sale on campus several years ago. I found a beautiful poster, pictured below, bought it, and hung it on my wall, then thought nothing more. A full year later, someone brought up Mucha and showed me one of his images. I was stunned to find out my poster had opened up new possibilities for me.

Over the spring quarter, the summer if possible, and definitely all of the next (and my final) year, I intend to make researching new-to-me artists a bigger part of my artistic career. As sarcastic as I was at the beginning of this post, I'm sure that someday, I will look back and regret not taking greater advantage of the resources available to me. Anything I can do to lessen that potential guilt would be great.

Fueling the Experiments

In 5th grade, my best friend introduced me to a certain cartoon called Sailor Moon. I fell in love instantly. I watch it every time it came on. I lived and breathed that show. I was so inspired by it that I began drawing the characters. And then I drifted away from those specific characters and drew my own, created from that style.

So I would say Naoko Takeuchi, the original creator of Sailor Moon, is my biggest creative influence. I have drifted away from her more recently, however. After taking a graphic novel class, it struck home that I need to develop something more unique to me, rather than stick with the same old thing. I've really only taken her style and let it go where it wanted. Perhaps I need to take in as many different styles as possible, and so blend them together incomprehensibly into something new and my own.

Mostly like stemming from my initial Magical Girl obsession discussed above, I found myself loving the work of Alphonse Mucha. Swoon! I absolutely love the colors, the classic looks (reminiscent of classical Greek statues and drapery), and of course the beautiful female figures. (That sounds creepier than I intend it to be.) But really, Mucha's women all have a little meat on their bones. None of them are skinny as a rail, as current fashion is trending towards. I appreciate that, as a not-a-stick girl myself. Many of his pieces are about nature, including personifications of the seasons and months, something I've attempted in the past.

Mucha's work has not yet influenced my own, but I intend to try the flowing hair and clothes, the "halo", and the subtle color patterns.

More influences to come!



PS: Imagine my surprise when I went back to a Sailor Moon book I bought when I was younger and saw the following picture, combining my two loves, as if someone out there just KNEW.