It Is Simply Moving

Narrowing down what moves me is hard. I am so inspired by so many things, mainly music and writing. Every day, I find something new that is simply awe inspiring. But I will try my best to narrow down to visual inspirations.


The first time I saw Madame X, she was on display at the Met in New York. I was sixteen. And I simply had never seen anything like this painting. So beautiful. So sexy. So French. According to history, the woman that is depicted was of some royal blood. During the time the painting was first debuted, it was scandalous. So much so, the painter left France, and the woman had a damaged reputation for the rest of her life. The "deflated" color speaks volumes for a painting that was so taboo at the time it was brought into focus. Her stance, her dress, everything is so simple yet speaks volume. In our time, a painting like this would not turn a head. It would be simply cast off as another piece of art. However, it cannot be put off this way. Not only is this painting beautiful to look at, in person, it is absolutely huge, taking up room from floor to ceiling at the Met. Perhaps it was the scale of the painting or the simple out-spokeness that caught my eye. But not a day goes by without me thinking about Madame X. 

I also have this minor obsession...actually pretty large obsession with Fantastic Mr. Fox. I believe I have an attraction to "deflated" coloring as I said for Madame X. However, rather than the blacks, grays, and whites, it is tinted an orange. The sense of humor and the choppy animation is what makes this movie. 

Something I have the privileged of seeing every day while I eat is this bad boy. This is a table that I bought from Cafe Venice when they went out of business. I apologize it is a little bright, but this table speaks volumes to me and what type of person I am. It is so incredibly simple, yet so incredibly inspiring, something that I could do myself if I had the time. But what makes it so special is that it makes a bold statement without having to say much at all.

Surprisingly, as a child, Dr. Seuss was part of my life, but I simply did not garner a thing from him. Until recently have a become a Seussaholic. His drawings are whimsical and create a world that simply does not exist. He exaggerates our world for children, as they exaggerate our own world.

I do A LOT of stumbling on StumbleUpon. One day recently, I was looking around, and I found this: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1id1cM. It is a collection of photographs a father took of his daughter throughout her life. They are so intimate and convey so much emotion; they are a look into someone's life. The relationship of father-daughter, photographer-subject can never be seen in these pictures. I love the intensity of the photos.


Fashion sometimes moves me as well. Take a look at this dress.

It is so dramatic (I would never wear it. That thing probably weighs a ton!). I know I have mentioned simplicity and coloring as inspiring, but occasionally, I feel the need for the WOW factor. And fashion, like this one, gives me that WOW I need. Drama like this pushes me to remember that every little detail counts; they are what makes the drama.

Visually, food can be so absolutely beautiful. Cooking is what I do to blow some steam, because the end result is so satisfactory. There is nothing like beautiful colors that make a meal taste so good. Nature holds the most vibrant colors, and fresh vegetables with a medium rare steak makes for a colorful delight.

                                                                      There is nothing quite like a mountain to get my creative juices flowing. These are the Three Apostles, part of the Sawatch Range. They are arguably the most beautiful things an eye can behold. My father and I climb like crazy during the summer in Colorado, and one of these summers, we decided to climb up the first half of Mount Huron. As you come to the end of that segment, the trail meets a plateau. And if you look to your left, you will see the Three Apostles. The first time I saw them, my breath got taken away. I'm not sure what is so perfect about them, perhaps that they are three peaks so incredibly close to one another. But something struck me as naturally beautiful.                                                          

Don't judge me, but I love the Canadian children's show Calliou (I have a three year old sister, so that's the only way I know what it is). The colors are vibrant and eye catching. However, what really makes me go gaga over this show is the white space that is around it, making it look like a page from a book. Another kid show that I love to watch is Kipper. This too has an immense amount of white space, however it is not like a page from a book. Instead it focuses on the action of the characters rather that the surroundings. 

 David and Goliath's simplistic art pulls at the strings of my heart. It's so crude, so "unanimated." Yet, it states exactly what needs to be said in order to get the laughs out of people. Simple, easy, fast, yet still provocative is what gets to me, and David and Goliath nails it on the head.