Monday, August 24, 2015

AUGUST IS ART APPRECIATION MONTH

Patience Brewster informed me that this month is Artist Appreciation Month.If you"re not familiar Patience iis an artis as well and designs handmade Christmas ornaments. They encouraged me to write a blog post about the artist that has inspired me the most and I knew immediately who I would write about. Without a shadow of doubt the artist with the most influence on my life is my brother urban-landscape artist Stephen Magsig.
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There have been many artists whose works I have studied and appreciated such as Nicolai Fechin, Winslow Homer, John Twachtman, Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas. Some of the contemporary artists that have also influenced my work are:
 Wolf Kahn,/www.wolfkahn.com/
Sally Strand, www.sallystrand.com  
Marc Dalessio, www.marcdalessio.com 
Albert Handel,http://alberthandell.com/
Marc Hanson,http://marchansonart.com// and
 Barbara Jaeniecke, www.barbarajaenicke.com
But it is my brother who introduced me to the world of art. Many years ago he gave me a book for Christmas. It was "Wyeth at Kuerners". This book opened my eyes to a world as seen through an artist's eyes. As a child growing up in a small town I had never been to an art museum or gallery. As I studied the pages of the book my love for art was born.

Stephen has had a continuing influence on me as I have watched his career as an artist grow. Beyond my admiration for the art he creates I admire his perseverance and dedication. Stephen has been creating a work of art daily for over 40 years. On his blog: myartspage.blogspot.com/ . 
Stephen has created and posted over 2000 5 x 7" - "Postcards from Detroit".
 In addition to these daily paintings he also creates larger works for gallery shows, often working as large as 48 x 72". His life revolves around art every day and I think he must even dream in brush strokes. Stephen and his artist wife Janet Hamrick share a love for making, viewing and collecting art. Janet and Stephen's work can also be seen on their website: www.smagsig.com/.

I am certain that every work of art I have studied has in some way influenced my own art. As a self-taught artist studying books about art has been my primary source of  'art education'. In a future blog post I will write about the many art books that are on my book shelves.


If you're an artist I'd love to hear from you about the artist's who have influenced your work. If you are a lover of art, whose work do you admire? August is almost over but I think you'd agree every month should be ARTIST APPRECIATION MONTH

2 comments:

  1. My sentiments, exactly, Susan - especially regarding his dedication and perseverance. The "better to have quality than quantity" saying does not apply to him. I have never seen anything of Steve's that has been anything but the highest quality art. In the short time that I've had the privilege to know him, your brother has been the source of the most inspiration to me. I doubt he has any idea how much he has helped me improve my work, and I will be ever grateful for it.

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  2. Thanks for commenting, James. Yes, Steve is pretty amazing. What is even more impressive is he's a really great guy, always has been. I even named my son after him, though we spelled it Steven. Funny thing, after my son's voice changed and he would call me on the phone, I sometimes after only the first few words he spoke thought it was Stephen calling.

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