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Artist Tree - Coggle Diagram

- - - - In middle school I was in love with mythology. Yes I read Percy Jackson. Yes I am a nerd about it to this day. Yes I am queer now. We all know how this goes. At any rate in middle school we took a field trip to the MFA to see the art of ancient cultures. And my little nerd self wanted to see all the greek and roman marble statues, mostly for the aesthetic. I still love mythology now though. Both for its narrative inspiration but also for what it says about humanity between the lines.
    - - We learned about David in highschool latin class. I honestly don't remember the context I just remember the teacher analyzing the art and basically coming to the conclusion that the placement of the feather was sensual and gay. My interest in this piece mostly stems from the fact that its ironic that an overtly homoerotic piece is so famous and because of how it portrayed the "ideal" human figure.
    - - most of what I liked about public art growing up is that you could touch it. Or climb on it as the case may be. The statue of the running children in Needham's town center features prominantly in my memories growing up
  - - - Jazz
    - - Jazz Instructor
    - - Ballet Instructor
    - - Famous Ballerina - was in documentary first position
    - - Ballroom
    - - Ballet
    - - Famous Bellerina
  - - - Moe Williams is the author of the famous "Don't let the Pigeon drive the bus". There as a section for just his books in the little bookstore we went to on the cape every summer. We had many of his books, they were a favorite of my younger sister. I remember trying to copy drawings of his characters for her. This was my introduction to comic style narrative.
    - - Brian Selznick is the author of "Hugo Cabret" and "The Doll People". I owned these two books as a kid and I read them many times. I loved the detail in the drawings. Something about the level of care he took in his work made it feel precious to me. My mother also told me Brian was at RISD when she and dad were. It made him feel like a real persona and made me more interested in the carreer of an illustrator
    - - Keith Thompson is a steam punk illustrator. He illustrated "Leviathan" by Scott Westerfeild. Scott Westerfeild was one of my favorite author's in middle school. His books were thrilling and I found the inclusion of illustration in novels captivating. Keith Thompson's style was very attractive to me. It was heavily detailed and used scale and perspective to create the sense of awe that Scott's words inspired.
    - - Eric Carle is a children's book illustrator. He is famous for the hungry, hungry caterpillar. I remember going to the Eric Carle museum as a kid and drawing animals inspired by his work. He was also used as an example in my kindergarten class when we made our own books. He was my first introduction to illustration as a job.
    - - Georgie Ripper Illustrated the Rainbow Magic books. I read everyone of these books I could get my hands on from ages 6-9. The way her illustrations were interwoven with the text was exciting to me. I also loved the line work and how recognizeable all the many different characters were
    - - Judith Clarke illustrated the pixie hollow collection. i loved the illustrations in these books. there was something intensely magical about the way she used light and color that made the pixie dust feel real
  - - - I had a book of lullabies paired with Mary Cassatt's paintings growing up. When I was little I really wanted to be a mom, and my bond with my own mom was very special to me. These paintings illuminated the mother child relationship in a way that cherished it. I later looked to her for inspiration on how to place figures together. She uses her figures to create compositional circles that draw you back into the narrative. Mary also specifically painted women and children and honored them in a way that was uncommon among mast painters in her time.
    - - Monet's lily pads was another piece I experienced very young. I remember my second grade class looked at that piece and then took a trip to a pond to draw. I remember being frustrated that I couldn't get Monet's level of detail, but I also remember loving sitting by the pond and drawing. Later I had the chance to see these pieces in the MFA, and then they took on a whole new light. I loved the way they felt pieced together and some of my own work have used similar techniques of abstraction that become clear at a distance.
    - - Picasso was my first introduction to narrative abstraction. in third grade we did cubist portraits based on his style. I didn't like that teacher or that project. It wasn't until high school when we had a class discussion on Guernica that I was able to understand why Picasso was important. sometimes abstraction is more honest than realism because it gets to a deeper than the surface truth. The violence and grief portrayed in Guernica is better aided by the disjointed style of Picasso, it ads to the feeling of despair and discordance of war.
    - - Jackson Pollock was one of the first artists I knew of as a famous person. in First grade my best friends were in a class that did a project on him. they were allowed to go outside during school and splatter this giant paper with paint. I remember being jealous because that sounded so fun and freeing. But I was also uncertain wether that counted as art. Even at 6 years old part of me had started to believe art required a level of precision and intention that i didn't see in these splatters.
    - - Van Gogh was another big name painter from when I was younger. Starry night was often thrown around if kids were trying to name drop about art. I really didn't get the appeal when I was a kid though. It honestly wasn't till I watched that episode of Doctor Who where the doctor brings Vincent to see his work in the future in the British museum and Bill Nighy gives that truly moving monologue about Vincent's work. It made me cry.
  - - - Taylor Swift is the first of two artists I actually follow. I can't and don't want to ignore the impact her work has on life. She is an inherently narrative artists whose growth has happened in the public eye giving every young woman (or whatever you identify as) a mirror and a song to sing init.
    - - I danced in the nutcracker Sept-Dec every year 4th-10th grade. That music is seared into my brain.
    - - Bon Iver/Justin Vernon is one of two artists that I follow with any intention. Dad and I have curated our love for their music together. Listening to their albums as they came out has broadened my perspective on what can be considered music and the ways in which music and visual art can be used together.
- - - - Portfolio and watercolor professor. She taught me a lot about being a professional artist, as well as about technical watercolor. She is unfailingly kind and has a lot of industry experience that I was lucky to learn from.
    - - Thesis Professor. Ed taught me and coached me through my senior thesis. He helped me work through my ideas, scale my work to be doable in the time frame and generally supported my creative process. He is an illustrator and performance arist who has a thing about the Alpine Ibex
    - - Illustration Professor. Taught me about process - ideation to final. Taught me about drawing finished pieces, technical skill as well as composition and media. Intensely devoted to his students and art. Helped me put a 20 foot ladder through a window in the snow to get a good reference photo.
    - - Digital Illustration and Graphic Design Professor. Taught me photoshop, illustrator and indesign. Taught me how to use a waccom tablet and make a style guide.
    - - Ceramics professor. Taught me to throw. Your hands know what to do, listen to your hands. Taught me to appreciate the things to clay does of its own will. True enthusiasm for creating.
  - - - Artward Bound
        
        Don't worry alone
        
        Operate from a mindset of abundance not scarcity
        
        Students need to feel loved to learn
        
        you can't take care of anyone unless you take care of yourself
        
        Growth Mindset v. Fixed Mindset
- - - - Norman Rockwell - the quintessential American Painter. There was a print of Four Freedoms by Rockwell in my seventh grade english classroom. I remember it to this day because something drew me to it. At the time I couldn't have said what, but his detail and emotionality was so compelling. The piece was a technical masterpiece but it depicted an average scene of a middle class man. It Honored him in a way that was often reserved for upperclass citizens.
      - Later in college a professor showed us Rockwell's work in class. he explained how Rockwell used the rules of perspective to create narrative and show the reader where to look. I thought this was brilliant. My favorite piece was New Kids in the Neighborhood. In that painting Rockwell uses perspective line to point to a "blank canvas" between a group of white children and a group of black children. He is showing the potential for a fresh start between the two groups. Later in my these I borrowed this compositional technique to use in my own work.
    - - I first saw Kay Nielson's work at an exhibit at the MFA. I was startled by how small the drawings were because they were so detailed. Similar to Neil Gaiman I was drawn in by the connection to fairy tales. I was also intrigued by the technique. The pen lines are so fine and the contrast so stark.
    - - "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."
      - Neil Gaiman is an Illustrator and Author. I was introduced to him as an author. and more specifically when my mom made him watch his commencement speech. truly inspired. His love of fairytales and mythology is a love we share. I was once worried these loves would seem childish but his work is profound.. and not at all for children.
      - Charles Vess - Illustrated Stardust
      - Sandman is Neil Gaiman's Graphic Novel, illustrated by artists in colaboration
    - - I became aware of Jacob Lawrence while working on my senior thesis. Though he focuses on the story of African Americans he also highlights the lives of everyday people. His use of big shapes of color and figurative silhouettes was inspirational to my senior thesis. I particularly love his painting of three girls at the chalk board from his Great Migration Series. The girls are posed in a way that is dynamic and makes them look like superheroes.
    - - I studied Alice Neel In my freshman year of college, besides sharing her name i was struck by the honesty and kindness of her paintings. She took the time to get to know her subjects. She painted people regardless of race, gender, age, sexuality, life style. She just loved to paint people.
  - - - Kristen is a friend of my parents. She makes pottery and we have some of these pieces in our home.
  - - - Amarillos
      - The McLeods House
      - Sanford Biggers
        
        Sanford Biggers is multi media artist who uses his work to talk about the history of the African American Experience. He has experimented with quilting combining traditional techniques with new media techniques. His inspiration comes from quilts being used to communicate safe houses on the underground railroad.
      - The Aids Quilt
- - - - Shepher Ferry
- - - - I often visited the MFA while in my undergrad at massart. I had two favorite pieces/exhibits that were part of the permanent collection. Rest on the Flight Into Egypt by Luc Olivier Merson was my favorite painting for a long time. it is both intimate and expansive. The feeling of maternity that comes from Mary being protected by the sphinx is so powerful. Canonically mary was very young and the secular part of me sees this as women of other pantheons aiding her. At the same time the sky and the horizon are endless. In person the oil paint shimmers and the depth of the blue is indescribable.
      - My second favorite exhibit is the Hamilton Palace Dining Room. I have no deep explanation for my love for this room. Only that the first time I saw it I was wandering through the museum alone. I wandered in quite by accident while listening to the Pride and Prejudice 2005 movie score and I felt transported.
      - Gender Bent Fashion Exhibit
    - - I've seen a few exhibits here, and attended performances. It is a space for "contemporary art" which I sometimes have trouble connecting to.
    - - This collection is unique in that it is the unchanging vision of one dead couple. I don't know that I agree with the pedestal it is put on because the curation has few checks for bias. one could even argue thats the point.
    - - The met gala camp exhibit.
        
        I saw this exhibit with mo, al and Lucas. I t was really my first formal introduction to camp. I have since thought often about the gender bent wedding dresses I saw ther.
    - - Christen Kobke is a Danish painter from the 1800s. I saw his work in person in Copenhagen. I had never heard of him before but I immediately loved it. I took pictures of these two pieces which were my favorites so i could remember.