I recently joined an online artist group called Artist Strong run by Carrie Brummer.  She produced a video to learn a method inspired by Austin Kleon’s book Steal Like an Artist for finding artist inspiration to fuel your creativity.  The video is called “Mapping your Artist Family Tree.  A strategy for developing and refining your artistic voice.”

She had us choose 10 artists who inspire us, whoever they may be. Next we picked one of these artists and researched who inspired them.  And then we researched who inspired the inspirer, and so forth.   I found that Hopper had 7 main artist who inspired him.  Then I looked at the artist who inspired them, and their inspirers and I came up with the following mindmap of inspiration  Think of the mindmap as a genealogy of ideas. 

I was amazed to see the connections between these artists.  We often think of artists creating in isolation, not realizing the influences that contribute to their work.  The mindmap shows how creative work builds on what came before.  It was fascinating to discover, explore and connect the influences. 

For my next artwork series I plan to explore portraiture and figurative painting as inspired by Edward Hopper and his teacher, William Merritt Chase.  When I was in high school I liked to draw portraits and in college I would sketch my fellow students during slow spots in lectures.  I would like to get back to portraiture and am taking a workshop at the beginning of April called “The Painterly Portrait” from Alain Picard.  Wish me luck on my new adventure! 

My next blog will be about Austin Kleon and his influence on me.