On inspiration and influence #2

One unintended consequence of having this blog has been getting familiar with the breadth of really great artistic talent out there in the world that is also posting. You'll see a few of them on the link roll from time to time (I rotate links to keep the focus on a few-- I think really long blogrolls are a little overwhelming), but that's only a few of the literally hundreds of great artists out there.

I've been lucky enough to have a few stop by and visit here (who left a note no less!):

Justin Clayton--- One of the top ten daily painters out there. Along with Duane Keiser, Justin's work was a primary driving inspiration to adopt the form of daily painting I'm working on now (I am primarily a figurative painter-- still life/object painting is a growth area for me).

Margaret Dyer (who I already wrote about here)

and just yesterday,

Stephen Magsig
I've long been a fan of Edward Hopper's work, and I'll confess to being a bit chuffed when I've heard my own work compared to his from time to time, but the real deal is Stephen. His small paintings of Detroit compare with the best of Hopper's architectural pieces.
Compare if you will:
Hopper
Magsig
Hopper
Magsig

Nice, eh?

This kind of stuff makes me want to dash right back in the studio. It makes my eyes pop, and my senses alive.
Magsig's work gave me a rush of inspiration to paint Portland this last week, and after that, my big bet on the next 'daily painting' star Abbey Ryan, got me thinking about adding patterned textiles into my still life work.