Artist Members Share Their Inspiration

What Compels An Artist to Create?

Artists find their inspiration and unique processes from such diverse sources as nature, human nature, universal symbols, iconography, color, fantasies, their emotions and more.  This article “Members Share Their Inspiration”, are the replies I received when we asked some of our Artist members what sparks their creativity. I think you will be intrigued by their answers.

Most artists strive for authenticity. As the Impressionist artist Berthe Morisot wrote, “It is important to express oneself… provided the feelings are real and are taken from you own experience.”

She created this painting “The Cradle” shown here.

Heart, soul and spirit may guide the artist. In the words of the great Ralph Waldo Emerson, “In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can imagine.”

The power of creative inspiration is unlimited. Eugene Delacroix eloquently reminds us, “What moves men of genius, or rather what inspires their work, is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough.”

The artists’ names will take you to their pages where you can view more of their works of art. Please also visit their websites. Contact them directly to purchase their art.

Banner image: Detail of painting by Mary Chaplin

Kari Bienert

“Meditation and music are vital influences in my work. Each breath, each brushstroke, each note brings me back to the present moment of now. A space where the past and present no longer exist and new experience prevails. Nothing in my works is computer generated or constructed prior to painting. I am drawn to the simple life of monks and their absolute dedication to live in the present without the encumbrance of surplus ‘things’”.

Valerie Patterson

“Once I realized the tremendous power that images can have to make people comfortable or uncomfortable, happy or sad, settled or unsettled, I knew I had a voice. I decided to use my voice to encourage people to see, think and feel – something not always valued in our culture. Awareness replaces ignorance and opens up the possibility of change. If you can’t ignore it, then you may feel compelled to change it.”

Mary Chaplin

Mary Chaplin chose to paint in an abstract style with Impressionistic elements and felt compelled to express her love of flowers and other forms of nature. She describes what she aims to capture: “Fleeting moments captured in the instant, free and energetic brushstrokes, vivid colors, the wind blowing through the flowers, the storm brewing in the distance, the morning sun shining through the mist over her garden giving movement, life, joy and ever changing living beauty to my works.”

Frantisek Strouhal

Frantisek Strouhal’s subjects speak to us about the mysterious and complex human experience. They provoke inquiry and reflection upon such notions as transformation in the metaphysical realm of existence. He explains,  “My work is a reflection of my own personal renaissance. In this fast paced world, at times loud, and discordant the need to go back to our roots, to strengthen the wholesomeness of our being keeps emerging from our conscience.” His creative processes are slow but intense. “The result is an image that asks for that time back from the viewer.”

Nancy Staub Laughlin

“I have created a new concept of the ‘still life’ working with pastels on paper and photography. After photographing my ‘stills’, the photograph is used as a reference to complete the final drawing. My newest series, which I refer to as ‘assemblages’, actually incorporates the photograph into the pastel. These dynamic, layered assemblages allow the viewer to enter my world of color, light, dimension and beauty from a different perspective. They are the culmination of many carefully executed steps that define my distinctive creative process.”

Charlotte Shroyer

Charlotte Shroyer paints intense and expressive images of the human face in the context of the universal human experience and historical events. Her contemporary paintings and monotypes reflect her passion for exploring the mind and soul of humanity. She states,  “I am inspired by the world—its people, archaeology, and cultures. My favorite authors (i.e., Pamuk, Durrell, Pynchon, Vargas Llosa, and others), who explore duality of personality — what the individual shows to the world and what remains hidden to the world — influence what appears on my canvas.”

Barbara Rachko

“The idea for the BLACK PAINTINGS began when I attended a jazz history course and learned how Miles Davis developed cool jazz from bebop. In bebop the notes were played hard and fast as musicians showcased their technical virtuosity. Cool jazz was a much more relaxed style with fewer notes, i.e., the music was pared down to its essentials. Similarly my second series evolved from dense, complex visual compositions into paintings that depict only the essential elements—the actors.”