I've always LOVED Van Gogh's The Starry Night 1889 and how it made me feel; when I look at it I can imagine that I am on a balcony in France with a glass of wine and the lights of the whole world in front of me. I don't particularly like wine but it fits the aesthetic of my daydream. Last year I went to Van Gogh Live which was immersive and MAGICAL, but one day, I'd like to see the real thing, at The MoMA in New York.
To be able to paint like Van Gogh still seems out of reach if I'm being totally honest with myself, but I'm no longer scared of learning, and this brought me to my local library, where I found this amazing book, 'The story of painting, how art was made' by DK. It's a hefty book and I still haven't finished reading it but I'm already so engrossed by the description of how art has developed from cave painting to the modern era and touches upon the most famous artists of each period aswell as techniques they use and how pigments have been used and developed over time, it's inspiring.
You can buy your own copy here but I enjoyed browsing the library, and trying this book out for free. I joined up and am looking forward to exploring their other art books. There's a sense of community in visiting your local library too.
I found some good advice online, that said don't be scared to create 'bad' art; and this is interesting to me because I've experienced the feeling of not wanting to do something in case it's rubbish, but I think the trick is to view this as a learning curve, not everything you make has to be of saleable quality, just make something for you, because you want to. Check it out for yourself at gennablackburn.com
That's all for this week, speak soon!
Zoe x