The New Group of Eight (July 9 – Oct. 4) features an exciting array of work from artists of diverse backgrounds and disciplines. Heartland’s Jennie Quick asked them to name and describe how a particular artist inspired them.
Sophia Bednarski beside her featured work, “The Flirt,” 20 x 24, oil.
Sophia Bednarski: Throughout my life, I admired and was inspired by many artists. Painters and sculptors made a great impression on me. All the artists known to me from different countries, backgrounds, centuries, and cultures are well-admired and treasured by me. Although, Leonardo Da Vinci was the biggest influence and inspiration to my art. I collected autobiography books with illustrations of his paintings and scientific endeavors. And as naive as I was to art in my very young age, I tried to draw and copy his beautiful Madonnas and studies of faces, young or old, as well as the hands of his models. Michelangelo, Salvador Dali, Goya, Erte’, Icart, to name just a few. Every artist has a vision, and every art is interpreted differently. It is all in the eyes of the beholder.
“Rural Simplicity,” by Veronica Brown. 16 x 20, oil.
Veronica Brown: While I have many artists who have inspired me, both past and present, one of the more recent inspirations is Kathie Odom. I am not only inspired by her paintings, but I am also inspired by her work ethic, humility, and genuineness. She started painting later in life, but she is definitely making up for lost time; she puts in the work and brush mileage! Kathie speaks to the importance of always showing up at the easel and leads by example, painting both en plein air and in the studio regularly. She shows the importance of constantly learning from life as well as being humble and learning from other artists, as well as her students. She is just a delight to be around and always encourages her fellow artists, in that thick southern accent, that every day painting is a great day!
Kitty Harrison with her teacher, friend, and mentor, Mary Drastal!
Kitty Harrison: My favorite artist who inspires me the most is Mary Drastal. She works in several media, and she has remarkable talent. Her expertise includes painting beautiful portraits, landscapes, and still life. She is a gifted teacher, and she has escalated my artwork to levels I never thought were imaginable.
“Nesting Season,” by Janine Helton, watercolor. Her body of work features a variety of birds.
Janine Helton: There are many artists who have influenced and encouraged me, but my inspiration comes from light and life. The Artist who has most inspired me is the Creator Himself. Birds have been a favorite subject for me since I picked up a paintbrush for the first time. All of the birds that I paint have a special meaning to me. As I paint them from my photos, I am recalling the moment I was able to capture that particular moment in time: that creature, that lighting, that time of day.
Chandan Mahanta stands beside his “Walvis Bay,” (Namibia) 24 x 29, watercolor.
Chandan Mahanta: My art hero has been Andrew Wyeth. I saw his work in Life magazine, way back in India around the late ‘50s or so. His realism during a period when it was falling out of style, his detailed dry brush, watercolor technique, and his muted palette to convey the quiet solitude and melancholy of rural life impacted me deeply. Someday, I hope to be able to paint like him!
Dwain Naragon stands before his “Walking Through Cool Shadows,” 16 x 20, oil.
Dwain Naragon: Hands down the most inspirational painter to me is the Russian, Ivan Shishkin. His true-to-life representations of trees are unmatched in technique but also in simplicity, and his use of values and color harmony.
Debra Schaefer’s presented oil works depict scenes from her recent visit to Venice, Italy.
Debra Schaefer: To be honest, it’s really the painting that we see first before we even know the artist! That painting was Mending the Sails, by Joaquin Sorolla, whom I had never heard of. Who is this artist? How does he make the light so bright? What else has he done? The beauty of that painting and Sorolla’s ability to capture the light so exquisitely, truly inspired me to want to learn more, not just about him, but about how to paint extraordinary beauty in ordinary things.
However, before that journey began, it was two unknown artists who made me want to pick up a brush for the first time in my life. They were painting a sunset, side by side, at the Augusta Plein Air Event, and I had never seen anyone paint outdoors before. I walked up to the first easel (glass of wine in my hand) and thought, “that’s so pretty, but it doesn’t look like that,” (the scene), and then I walked up to the next easel, and again, my thought was, “it’s pretty, too!” And it doesn’t look like that or that (the scene and the other painting) either…and I stood there blinking, processing all these thoughts! And the realization hits. They are creating from within! They are not trying to recreate the scene exactly! I had been told all my life that you aren’t an artist unless you can copy the subject exactly. You had to have a special gift or talent. Well, that moment changed everything for me! It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.
I could learn to paint, and how it turned out, no longer mattered! Just go out! Paint and study and paint some more! So, thank you to these two unknowns, who could be any one of you!
Norma West stands beside her landscape, “Almost, the Rain,” 20 x 24, oil.
Norma West: My oil painting is shaped by a mix of global and local influences. Monet’s sensitivity to light, Cézanne’s structural vision, and the emotional richness of Russian Impressionism inform my approach to color, form, and mood. Closer to home, I’ve been influenced by wonderful artists, whose plein air and representational work reflect a deep connection to place. Their influence has helped me develop a style rooted in observation, emotion, and reverence for the natural world, especially the rivers and landscapes of Missouri that continue to inspire my plein air practice. My gratitude to the Missouri Plein Air Painters Association (MOPAPA) for the continued support.