Elaine: Hunting and Gathering

I have always been inspired by impressionism. I believe it is because I love the aspect of displaying movement, the colors, the lack of the "perfect" figure, and the emotion that you gain from viewing them. I have been lucky enough to have viewed each of these in person. I believe that my work I have done after viewing them and visting the Musée d'Orsay has improved incredibly. Here are some quotes that I enjoy. They help me when I am creating new works.

• "I found I could say things with colors that I couldn't say in any other way -- things that I had no words for." -Georgia O'Keeffe

I enjoy this quote because it truly displays how I feel about color. Color is such an effective tool in the work art. I believe color is just as important if not more important then the object being displayed.

"I dream of painting and then I paint my dream." -Vincent Van Gogh

I had a real connection with this quote. Dreams are probably one of the most fascinating things I have ever "seen". I use dreams a lot in my work. Most of the images, that I create, I have never seen before. It is in my dreams that these images come to life and become objects, characters, and people. I have recently ventured into lucid dreaming. This whole new world is the most inspiring place I have ever been and helps me to create the unimaginable.

"It is all very well to copy what one sees, but it is far better to draw what one now only sees in one's memory. That is a transformation in which imagination collaborates with memory." -Edgar Degas

This last quote is just another part about art that I enjoy. Memory and imagination combining is such a beautiful thing to watch being created.

Other things that have effected my works are my own personal experiences. From past relationships, to current situations in my life. Each of these moments have caused my art to go in different directions.

My works first began as a more timid style, focusing more on what I saw and could copy then what I felt. When I first began creating works, I only used clay. As my art progressed I started to branch out into other medias. The media I fell in love with was printmaking.

Printmaking brought a whole new world to my art. The tone I could get from the plate and the purity of the line caused me to move and stay in this media. From here I started to explore more of the purpose of my art then what I could create.

Still today I am growing as an artist, but I will always look back at the people who have changed and created new paths to help guide me in the art world.