Inspirations

                Maria Martinez

Michael Wisner

Artist's questioned answered:

1. I will probably be developing my style for the rest of my life. My concepts (at least, for now) begin with my appreciation for the help my tribe has given me. This concept (my appreciation) is dedicating my style toward Native American Art.
2. I don't plan, exactly, what I want out of a project because I love what comes out of each piece as I work with it. I start with an idea and let it take on a life of it's own.
3. I am totally inspired by Maria Martinez (Native American Potter), but I know that I don't want to REPLICATE her work. I would actually like to make art that SHE would appreciate.
4. I start with an idea but love that my art speaks to me and tells me what to do next.
5. At the moment, at least, my concepts begin with baskets and I'm trying to make LOTS of them - but I also think that quality is more important than quantity.
6. My driving inspirational force, for now, is my Native American tribe. The Chumash are helping me to pay for school and I want to show my appreciation by dedicating my work to them and incorporating Native American Artwork in my craft.
7. I am inspired by Chumash basket weaving, Native American potters, and the Chumash culture as a whole. They all influence my work, as a reference point... but my work is conceptual and, hopefully, a narative of my appreciation for the help my tribe gives me.
8. I think that my pottery, this semester, is a metaphor of Chumash basket weaving and that is an ancient craft, so I believe there is an ancient element to my work. I would like to bring some contemporary factors into my pieces and I hope that that will come in time...
9. My daydreams are almost all about baskets, in that I'm always thinking of what to do next with my work, but I usually stay pretty focused on the task at hand ~ until I get bored with it.
10. This question is not specific to an art tool so my answer is more survival related. I would take a mirror. ...and believe it, or not this has nothing to do with vanity! A mirror could be used to signal a rescue plane or boat, and it could help to build a fire ~ another important tool in survival.
11. I had to take an art course during my first semester here, so I chose ceramics because it sounded fun! Little did I know I would fall in love with the medium. My talents bounce up & down but I'm new to the field and believe that I have SO much to learn ~ I'm still experimenting and it's all fun!
12. Pink is actually my favorite color but in the art world ~ BLACK  does so much for artwork. It can be used to emphasize things and/or other colors, it can also be used for outlining and it represents negative space, which I have come to think of as, sometimes, the most  important part of a piece.

3 Questions that I would ask the most important artist on the planet...

• Do you start a piece knowing what the end result will be or do you let it create itself?
• Do you create your art expecting a certain reaction from your viewers?
• Which other artists inspire you and how do you incorporate their work into your own?