ARTISTIC influence, that is. Influence is different from inspiration, in that inspiration is seeing or thinking something which gives you an idea, while determining influence may be a little harder. What has influenced you as a person, as an artist, as a creator and a thinker? Answering these questions means thinking about what has affected the development of your interests, and trying to put a name to what is often intangible. In this post I will explore what has influenced me and by extension, my work.
Children's books
I love to read and feel fortunate to have been exposed to wonderful fantasy stories from a very young age. All of the Chronicles of Narnia were in heavy rotation with
The Magician's Nephew and The Silver Chair probably my favorites. Alice In Wonderland and its sequel, Through The Looking Glass were read many times (as was the very dense Annotated Alice). The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (the original book long before the movie) and its sequel The Marvelous Land of Oz, and if you thought the movie was trippy it really has nothing on Frank L. Baum's Dorothy with her *silver* slippers. I remember reading Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid and crying inconsolably afterward when, plot spoiler, she kills herself so that her beloved prince may live. The version I had was illustrated with gorgeous paintings by Charles Santore, and that is where I am going with all of this: the stories alone would not have been as much of an influence without the contributing artists. Paying full price (!) for beautifully illustrated books was a special luxury for my mother, many times buying books where the story was secondary to the art. Dr. Suess, Lisbeth Zwerger, Peter Sis, Demi, and Kevin Hawkes come to mind, as do the lively line drawings of Shel Silverstein. My enjoyment of some books is inextricably tied with the pictures-- John Tenniel's art for Alice in Wonderland, W.W. Denslow's depiction of Oz, E.H. Shepard for A. A. Milne, Pauline Baynes for C.S. Lewis, and who can imagine the books of Roald Dahl without Quentin Blake?
The Magician's Nephew and The Silver Chair probably my favorites. Alice In Wonderland and its sequel, Through The Looking Glass were read many times (as was the very dense Annotated Alice). The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (the original book long before the movie) and its sequel The Marvelous Land of Oz, and if you thought the movie was trippy it really has nothing on Frank L. Baum's Dorothy with her *silver* slippers. I remember reading Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid and crying inconsolably afterward when, plot spoiler, she kills herself so that her beloved prince may live. The version I had was illustrated with gorgeous paintings by Charles Santore, and that is where I am going with all of this: the stories alone would not have been as much of an influence without the contributing artists. Paying full price (!) for beautifully illustrated books was a special luxury for my mother, many times buying books where the story was secondary to the art. Dr. Suess, Lisbeth Zwerger, Peter Sis, Demi, and Kevin Hawkes come to mind, as do the lively line drawings of Shel Silverstein. My enjoyment of some books is inextricably tied with the pictures-- John Tenniel's art for Alice in Wonderland, W.W. Denslow's depiction of Oz, E.H. Shepard for A. A. Milne, Pauline Baynes for C.S. Lewis, and who can imagine the books of Roald Dahl without Quentin Blake?
My love for fantasy and the absurd, for seeing art as something fun, is all thanks to the stories above and so many more. Their influence was to ingrain within me a sense of play and silliness.
Comic book art & Retrofuturism
Comic book art is distinctive in its important role with the narrative (have fun reading a comic book without the pictures) and, in my opinion, the incredible talent of the artists. Extreme action shots, perspective and depth, as well as portraying emotion in a small frame are all imperative with comic books and graphic novels. I feel this is a good example of influence-- I do not draw comics. Nor do I read or collect them. But I admire the artistry and it influenced the way I draw with lots of clean colors and black outlines. Oh, and girls with big boobs.
Now for retrofuturism, which I lumped into this category simply because I found those awesome comic book covers (look at how useless those helmets are!) In the spirit of specificity, futurism is just what you think it is: imagining the future of life and technology, which is what science fiction is largely based on, while retrofuturism is a term used when artists and designers intentionally imagine "futuristic" things with a retro twist, or re-imagine the past with fantasy technological elements. Star Trek is futurism, the animated show Archer is retrofuturism. I won't even try to put into words how much I love Star Trek (TOS, TNG, and VOY). Other futurist influences would be the movies Silent Running and 2001: A Space Odyssey, the social engineering of Jacque Fresco, 1960's "mod" interior design, Space: 1999, George Orwell's 1984 and the writings of Ray Bradbury. I have been greatly influenced by the dystopian elements in The Matrix and Strange Days, as well as the fashion and interior design in all of the above. My heart goes to Sylvia Anderson, co-creator of the amazing 1970's British series UFO, who confidently predicted that wigs would someday be an integral part of uniforms and daily wear, which explains why the female Moonbase personnel all had matching purple bobs. I think these influences are the most easily recognized in my work, whether it is clothing I draw, furniture I wish I owned, or illustrations I have done for various projects. More or less, it all points to my as yet unrealized career as an alien barmaid on Babylon 5.
Now for retrofuturism, which I lumped into this category simply because I found those awesome comic book covers (look at how useless those helmets are!) In the spirit of specificity, futurism is just what you think it is: imagining the future of life and technology, which is what science fiction is largely based on, while retrofuturism is a term used when artists and designers intentionally imagine "futuristic" things with a retro twist, or re-imagine the past with fantasy technological elements. Star Trek is futurism, the animated show Archer is retrofuturism. I won't even try to put into words how much I love Star Trek (TOS, TNG, and VOY). Other futurist influences would be the movies Silent Running and 2001: A Space Odyssey, the social engineering of Jacque Fresco, 1960's "mod" interior design, Space: 1999, George Orwell's 1984 and the writings of Ray Bradbury. I have been greatly influenced by the dystopian elements in The Matrix and Strange Days, as well as the fashion and interior design in all of the above. My heart goes to Sylvia Anderson, co-creator of the amazing 1970's British series UFO, who confidently predicted that wigs would someday be an integral part of uniforms and daily wear, which explains why the female Moonbase personnel all had matching purple bobs. I think these influences are the most easily recognized in my work, whether it is clothing I draw, furniture I wish I owned, or illustrations I have done for various projects. More or less, it all points to my as yet unrealized career as an alien barmaid on Babylon 5.
In conclusion...
These aren't my only artistic influences, but they are significant. My real goal with this piece is to inspire the reader to explore what has influenced them. It doesn't need to be what is behind your work, because not everyone is an artist. But everyone has influences. I cannot say whether it is important to be aware of the elements which have affected the development of your sense of "self," but I can say it is enjoyable. Revisiting the things that made me happy as child, and dissecting the things which make me happy as an adult has been informative, and surprisingly, has renewed some interests I had forgotten about.
Do you know what has influenced you?
Do you know what has influenced you?
All images used here are copyright free, thanks to Wikimedia Commons