Often, we think about artists as solitary people. They hide out in their studios and make things, and it all stems from their lone genius. But in truth, artists depend on others. They need inspiration, co-creators, supporters, an audience.
To learn more about those relationships, we spoke with two TIPster artists about their work, their inspiration, and the role of the audience.
Tell us a little about yourself and your art.
Rajiv: I am a ninth grader from The Woodlands, Texas. I began my interest in art at a young age. It was my mom that gave me my artist gene, and it was her that introduced me to different forms of art. My grandmother also got me interested in art, mainly origami. She instilled in me my passion for origami and 3-D art by having me fold simple sheets of paper and create intricate 3-D forms alongside her.
From there my parents provided me with ways to learn and showcase my talent. They found art classes that would teach me new skills, and competitions where I could show my art.
I am also into music. I have played the piano for ten years and have sung in choir at school since third grade. I have been fortunate to have the very best fine-arts teachers.
Taylor: I am in eighth grade and I am from Mooresville, North Carolina. I’ve been drawing since I could hold a crayon, and I’ve always gravitated towards the arts.
Visual arts became a passion of mine when I was eleven—most of my time was spent on the internet looking at artists who were and still are an inspiration to me today. I attempted to imitate the styles and subjects that I’d fallen in love with, mainly drawing animals and short comic strips.
In seventh grade, I took my first class in art and left it having won second place at a local art competition. I am currently enrolled in another art class and plan to continue into next year.
What drives you as an artist? Where do you find inspiration?
Rajiv: For my art, I get inspired by my interests and my surroundings. I am an avid aerospace enthusiast, so one could find me when I am bored doodling rockets and planes on paper. I also find landscapes intriguing to draw. My family and I hike a lot and enjoy the outdoors and nature, and I implement that in my art.
Taylor: As an artist, I often draw inspiration from stories and things I see in my daily life. Often times, after watching an especially impactful movie or reading a great book, I draw characters and scenes I connected with. Natural scenery that I stumble across is also a great source of inspiration and one of my favorite things to paint. Looking at other art by artists I admire often motivates me to spend more time on my own pieces to try and reach the level of greatness I see in their works. Lastly, I often use music to give me a feeling or idea that I can run and create with.
Why do you think art is important?
Rajiv: There are many reasons that art is important, but one that I think is the most crucial is that art brings peace to us as a society. Without the arts, we would be a largely rigid and mechanical society, one that you might find in any dystopian or Orwellian book. Art brings out our creative side, bringing us together and showing how productive we can be as a group.
Taylor: I believe art serves the purpose of enhancing the quality of human life. Before cameras, art was the only way to capture a piece of nature or person. Now I think it acts not only to capture the subject, but to invoke feeling.
Art has no boundaries or rules, so it is limitless in how it can be used. Any emotion or feeling can be created through art, and that’s what art is. It’s creation, and that creation is thrilling. Social norms can be broken and standards challenged with one piece, and that power is the most satisfying thing I think a person can feel.
If you could tell your fellow TIPsters about one artist, who would it be and why?
Rajiv: If I had to tell my fellow TIPsters about one artist, it would be Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci is an artist I can relate to.
As I said before, I love engineering, inventions, and art. Da Vinci was the same. As well as making some of the best art known to us, he was also a genius, designing vehicles like tanks and aircraft that would come only many years after his time. He was a great example of what engineering combined with art can do.
Taylor: Robin Sealark is an artist I feel is underappreciated and endlessly talented. She does simple, abstract pieces to breathtaking realism that still contain a personality and tone. She even uploads videos of her techniques and advice to YouTube, and they’re all incredibly helpful—and I’m speaking from experience. She’s willing to experiment both in media and subject, and she displays a seemingly effortless ability to create something beautiful with whatever materials she chooses.
What role do you think the audience has in creating or understanding a piece of art?
Rajiv: For me, the audience is a crucial factor in art. Without an audience, a work of art is just a bunch of paint and lines on canvas. The audience has the role of emotion.
For example, I recently had to draw one of the sculptures around my town for a competition. Out of all of them, I chose a sculpture depicting two soldiers. By themselves, as a physical sculpture, they were two sculpted forms. But as a viewer, I saw two soldiers looking for a way home.
That idea appealed to me, so I researched the sculpture and found that it was a memorial dedicated to two soldiers from my area that had died in the Middle East. That brought to me a sense of sadness, but also a feeling of courage and community. Those two boys had fought for their country and what they believed in, and people back at home would always remember them.
Taylor: I think art is for everyone, but it is nothing anyone should feel obligated to “participate in.” Art is created with a purpose in mind, whether it be to convey a message or simply please the artist. If you don’t like a piece, it is not something to be ashamed of. If every piece of art appealed to every single person, there would be nothing special about the experience between viewer and artwork.
Art does not require understanding to enjoy. It is there to serve its purpose to whoever deems it acceptable.
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