Inspirations - Fine Art & Illustration

– INSPIRATIONS illustration –

Righteous sources of inspiration can be sources of great happiness, enlightenment, refuge and escape from our dark world. Although imperfect, they nevertheless guide us in our journey in life. They are like stars lighting the narrow path for us to travel in the great darkness around us. Thus, they should be greatly valued, for they give us the hope and guidance to reach for the unattainable.

Below is a sampling of sources of inspiration which have kept me company in my own journey.

CHARLES VESS

Vess "paints a portrait of yearning and appreciation for a world that welcomes kindness, magic, whimsy, and pastoral beauty." —Charles de Lint

"It's a rare artist who can produce work which is decorative and, at the same time, charged with emotion." —Susanna Clarke

"For over thirty years, the fantasy art of Charles Vess has been acclaimed worldwide, his rich palette, striking compositions, and lavish detail second to none in the field." —from the book Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess

EDMUND DULAC

Edmund Dulac (1882–1953) was a prominent artist of the Golden Age of Illustration — the early twentieth century. He illustrated books between 1905 and 1928. Some of these were: Stories from The Arabian Nights, Shakespeare's Comedy of The Tempest, The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam, Stories from Hans Andersen, Treasure Island, and A Fairy Garland.

MARK SCHULTZ

"Mark Schultz is an American cartoonist, illustrator and writer who works with varying amounts of pictures and words, as a story requires. His interests in adventure fiction and the sciences led him to create his award-winning Xenozoic Tales comics series. He has illustrated a collection of Robert E. Howard's Conan of Cimmeria and written the science primer The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA. His illustrated novella, Storms at Sea, was released in 2015. Currently, he scripts the adventures of Prince Valiant for the Sunday funnies, produces cover images and commissions as collected herein, and, most importantly, is hard at work on a new Xenozoic "graphic novel" (long funnybook)." —from the book Carbon 2

GUSTAVE DORÉ

"Gustave Doré (1832–1883), born in Alsace at Strasbourg, son of a civil engineer, was perhaps the most successful illustrator of the nineteenth century. Doré revealed his artistic bent early in childhood. His father's desire that he enter a respectable profession was ignored by his mother, who encouraged his development as an artist not only in the early years, but throughout his entire adult life." —Dover Publications, Inc.

FRANKLIN BOOTH

"Franklin Booth is one of the most important and influential artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He is a true master of the pen and brush and his remarkable talent continues to amaze." —from the book Franklin Booth: American Illustrator

"Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart."

—Ancient Indian Proverb