Begin.

by Angus Hyland and Kendra Wilson

Yes, it’s the Year of the Corona, and even with all the noise and anxiety that comes with that, i’m going ahead and feeling good about sharing my art with the world. From putting together a website, taking and editing photos, designing business cards and pitching my wares to local businesses, to staying inspired and motivated while preparing for a growing family, it’s been a frenetic year.

Still, now that the infrastructure is set up, it’s time to return to the source of art-making. And that’s inspiration. This week, i’m puttering around cleaning and organizing my studio to improve my efficiency. But the most fun part of that is identifying what inspires me. Some artists use sketchbooks, photos, cutouts, Instagram and Pinterest boards. I’ve tried but not been able to do it consistently so i’m going to try again using this Blog where I can share my thoughts as they solidify, give credit to my sources, and keep a living and accessible journal of my process. I’ll aim to do a bi-weekly post about an artist or painting in a style that i’m particularly vibe-ing with, look at their ideas and techniques, and practice it too…so let’s begin!

I bought this book about a month ago “The Book of the Flower: Flowers in Art” - it’s a lovely curated selection of floral paintings. A thumbnail book to explore from, I came across Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita’s Poppies in a Yellow Jug. I then hit up Google, as I was intrigued by this Fajita guy’s blended style of East-West art which featured lots of cats and flowers….and turns out he was an eccentric Japanese ex-pat in France who wore lampshades to the opera. I like where this is going.

If I have to analyze his work, I would say the flattened forms, solid backgrounds, graphic shapes and colours along with exquisite drawing shows Japanese roots. Simple blocks of colour really help focus on the form or drawing.

Right, now let’s try this out.

Well, I liked the gouache washes (I used pencil, gouache colours and black watercolour on cotton rag) but will push my leaves further in future sketches and paintings. Need more for starters. The tablecloth idea was from another Foujita work as I liked the boldness and slightly skewed perspective and I added dimension to the vase as my own spin.

Nevertheless, lots of fun! How about giving it a shot? Look up Foujita, he’s an interesting character with a passion for cats, florals and figures. Strong linework, bold colours and flattened forms, a lovely combination:)

Til next time friends, thank you for reading my very first blog post and I hope it’s left you more inspired for it!