This entry on artistic influence is part of an ongoing series of “How to visit an Open Studio.”
In my last entry, I discussed the idea of artistic influence as pertaining to the idea of imitating or copying the work of other artists. I ended the entry by stating:
These days, when I think of what artists have influence me, it isn’t their work so much as the lives they lived.
The lives lived by two artists in particular influence me to persevere with my work. The first artist is Vincent van Gogh. Van Gogh faced enormous difficulties throughout his life: poverty, rejection, marital, family and personal stress, mental illness, and finally, loneliness. Somehow, instead of these issues preventing him from producing work, it propelled him to work even harder. At the end of his life, van Gogh had produced more than 700 paintings and 800 drawings in a span of less than 10 years; he completed six of his most famous paintings the same week he died. How he continued at this pace in the face of so much hardship is, for me, far more intriguing than his more famous ear-cutting episode.
The other artist whose life story has influenced my work is the German Expressionist artist Kathe Kollwitz, the subject of my next entry.
Open Studio
November 15-16, from 10-5 (Sat.) and 11-4 on Sunday
Meg Black Studios, 48 Prospect St. Topsfield, MA
Come celebrate the completion of six large-scale birch trees paintings, commissioned by the state of New Hampshire.
Meg Black has been a practicing artist using fibrous pulp for over twenty-four years. As one of a handful of artists working in this exciting medium, she is something of a pioneer, internationally recognized by galleries and collectors alike. Her focus on nature and the environment yields stunning landscapes, seascapes, New England scenes and garden views. Her works are acclaimed for their vibrant color, freshness and luminosity.
Studio Hours : 8:00am to 4:00pm M-F
Please call 978.887.8670 or email to schedule an apppointment.
