(by 7 people)
Art For All of Us artists fill their lives with art - not just with the pieces they create, but with the music that fills their studios, the books they read, the destinations they travel to, the restaurants they eat in, the places they search for inspiration.
Here, artist Bob Heatly, shares his work, and information on how art, creativity and inspiration enriches his life.
What Inspires Me?
- Inner desire to be the best painter I can be. When I taught, I wanted my students to be the best that they could be. I am very competitive. If I were being honest, the desire to be recognized as a significant painter before I die would be included.
- Quality composition (found or created).
- Everything I see in my environment.
- Hilltowns of France, Italy, and Greece.
- Light and the play of shadows that result.
Places I have visted that inspired me
- Santa Fe and Taos region of New Mexico, U.S.A.
- Santorini or one of the other white islands of Greece
- Siena or one of the other hill towns in the Tuscany region of Italy.
- Provence, France
All of the above places share qualities of wonderful light for painting. Color is different in these places. The natural environments are varied and dramatic. The villages and small towns that engage the natural environment use local materials and traditional methods of construction and have been constructed over hundreds of years by ordinary craft people. Man and nature really work together. To me, this creates villages and towns where space is almost something you can touch. Spaces and their connections define the quality of the space rather than the glory of an individual building. They are wonderful places to visit and revisit as they change by season, climate, use, and time of day. You are surprised every day with something new. - Paris, France. I love this city more than any I have ever visited but I don't want to live there. It is 3 hours via a high speed train from my house and studio.
Four significant books in my education as an artist, architect, designer
The Elements of Color
Everything that I know about color was learned from Itten's books and a wonderful artist and teacher, Dale McKinney. Dale never wrote any books but he was a pioneer in kinetic art when the entire art world was embracing abstract expressionism. He taught me to see the detail in the world around me.
Amazon Price: $40.00 (as of 07/26/2008)
Design and Form: The Basic Course at the Bauhaus and Later, Revised Edition
The famous Basic Course at the Bauhaus in Weirmar, Germany was the inspiration for my approach to design. The basic laws of color and form, rhythm and texture, proportions are the foundation of all good design and composition. I believe it. I taught it. I do it. It works.
Amazon Price: $43.50 (as of 07/26/2008)
The Art of Color: The Subjective Experience and Objective Rationale of Color
Amazon Price: $78.75 (as of 07/26/2008)
Townscape
Townscapes opened by eyes to a concept of serial vision as a way of seeing, documenting and analyzing urban spaces. More fundamental compositional principals were added to those outlined in the Basic Course at the Bauhaus. It also works. I even borrowed the name for my current style of painting.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
Science Fiction as Inspiration
Getting English books in southern France is difficult. Getting Science Fiction English books is only possible via the Internet. I hate to think of all the paperback books I bought, read, and discarded while living in the United States. Don't throw away your books, send them to me. One blessing of age is loss of memory. I reread those books I have acquired since moving. I treasure all books written in English. Books are really important to me.
