For this task we were asked to photograph objects that best describes who we are. I personally like to surround myself with art and music. As someone who studied music in the past I find it to be a big inspiration to me as a musician and also when it comes to also being a painter. Joni Mitchell is my muse when it comes to all things art and music, hearing my first Joni Mitchell at the early age of 10 I instantly fell in love, her vocal range and lyrics drew me in and her albums were such a safety blanket for a lot of highs and lows of my life. Following that is an old Francoise Hardy record that I found a couple of years ago in my grandparents attic, I’ve had this record since I was 16 and have always kept it with me. I really love the sound of the french language in music and especially Francoise as her voice is so angelic.

Other things I have included in my photos are my book called ‘We Should All Be Feminists’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, I pride myself on being a feminist and this book is a very good read for someone who understands the feminist movement and for people who don’t. It’s a short book on  how women’s rights are still a problem and that the only thing that feminism is is equality for all.
I placed a plant in these images as I am also a crazy plant lady. Constantly adding to my collection my house is turning into a jungle. I like the idea of taking care of something and watching it start out small and grow into something big and beautiful.

I have also included crystals and a moon earring. I like to think I have a relationship with the moon, I have taken part in moon circles and meditations a couple of times through out the years and have kept track of moon cycles and how the moon effects us all, also with my crystals I like the idea that they bring positivity but also they are just so satisfying to look at.

and last is my paint brush of course, I have been painting for years now and I find it to be a great way to express how I feel through colour. I like to relate to my emotions with colour so when I’m creating a piece with acrylic paint I tend to use that method. I really liked this task as I feel it has made me dig a little deeper into who I am and also force me to talk about the things that I love and why they make me happy to be alive.

Below are the photos I have taken for my painting workshop. I have printed 10 of each photo.

Anselm Kiefer



Anselm Kiefer is a post-war modernist artist who incorporates elements of literature fused with art to create bold, outside of the box and thought provoking designs usually to express political or social issues. 
focusing primarily on landscapes, Kiefer's work is heavily textured and almost tactile. As someone who enjoys creating textures with layers of acrylic, Anselm Kiefer really stood out to me with his use of tree branches and burnt books to create his own unique medium.

  

Mimmo Paladino



Mimmo Paladino is an Italian painter, print maker and sculptor. A pioneer of the Transavantgarde movement, Paladino's neo-expressionist themes and delivery are eye catching and equally interesting. His colours are very bold and contrast radically as shown in the work above, but despite the intangible message of the painting the viewer is drawn in by the stark nature of his presentation. This use of colour in such dramatic fashion is the aspect of Paladino's work that I can relate to the most.

Henri Matisse



Henri Matisse is a French expressionist painter and arguably one of the most famous painters of the 20th century. Mixing landscapes with abstract, simple with detailed, Matisse's style is difficult to truly pin point. Indeed, he managed to create seamlessly amongst a variety of parameters. Personally my favourite of his work is his range of 'Blue Nude' which evokes a subtilty and simplicity that can be hard to capture, something I'm always trying to achieve in my own work.

 

Leanne Surfleet



I chose Surfleet's work as my photographer of inspiration as I felt her work expressed a certain level of emotion that I related to. although this task is based around objects of self expression, Surfleet's work is mainly self portrait based. All about her journey through loneliness, nostalgia and fears of life. I chose her because her use of colour, tone and soft, dreamy, warm colours and use of shadow and contrast are how I would like to continue to present in my own work. Surfleet uses instant camera and film which I like to use myself.
 

 



 I feel that film is more raw and personal when it comes to photography, including specs of dust or perhaps little scratches on the film, giving the work a more rustic look. That is why when I see artists like Leanne Surfleet I instantly get inspired. Although I did not use film and used digital instead for this project as I struggle to get photos developed due to the current pandemic so I had to create with what I had in the house. I tried to include those warm colours and included all the things that I think represent who I am as a person who likes to create.