inspiration from Piet Mondrian

Piet Mondrian, Dutch, 1872-1944, The Gray Tree, 1911

Although the trees in my area are no longer bare like this one, I saw this piece recently and wanted to share it.  I don't know about you but when I think of Mondrian, I think of black and white lines with bright squares in primary colors. When I saw this piece, I just loved it. Black and white (and grey), yes but so fluid. The lines feel so natural and relaxed but strong and sure at the same time.  It reminds me of a bitter, cold winter day but in a very good way - almost as though it was nostalgic.

What are your thoughts on this piece? Do you like Mondrian's work in general?

You can see more of his work here:

• PietMondrian.org
• Webmuseum.com
• Guggenheim.org

Name my art Friday

copyright elisa ann lindstrom

Untitled no. 63 is now
Grandpa's Land
Titled by: L. Meyers-Gabbard

24" x 36" mixed media painting on canvas

For more information on Name My Art Friday, please see the sidebar to the right.

inspiration from Jasper Johns

Jasper Johns, American, False Start 1959

Inspiration today comes from a piece by Jasper Johns who celebrated his birthday yesterday (May 15, 1930).  I love the energy of this piece. There is so much movement, color and playfulness it's hard not to smile.  I enjoy his use of words and that they don't necessarily correspond to the colors they are on top of (nor the color they are printed in).

What are your impressions of this piece? Are there any other Jasper Johns paintings or drawings that you like?

You can see more of his work here:

• MetMuseum.org
• Artchive.com

Update on the latest landscape

The most recent landscape is almost finished and I wanted to give you a glimpse of how it looked earlier this week.  I still want to do some more with the flowers and the field. Otherwise, it should be complete soon. I'm hoping this week or early next. So be on the lookout for a "Name My Art Friday" in the near future.
If you want to see what it looked like when I started, you can visit that post here.

inspiration from Max Beckmann

Max Beckmann, German, Moon Landscape 1925

This weeks inspiration comes from Max Beckmann, an artist I had hardly heard about until one of my drawing teachers suggested I look him up.  I was so glad I did! He has strong, bold lines that I just love.  There is no timid anything in his work.  I have had the chance to see some of his figurative pieces but when I was looking him up today (yes, I googled him) - I found this beautiful landscape. Again, very strong and sure lines. Overall, it's a heavy piece but there is a light feeling to the river and moon that help balance it all out.  What do you think?

If you would like to see more of his work: http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/beckmann_max.html