So I was helping a friend go through all her crafting and art supplies in preparation for a move. One of the perks of this is I get first dibs on the stuff she's getting rid of. As I gathered myself a pile of things I would never have bought, and looking at art I never would have made I started thinking that: I always find my friend's work beautiful and unique, but it is also something I would never make with materials I most likely would never have bought. As we sorted and talked I found myself getting inspired and began to consider the importance of looking at other artists' work.
These thoughts were apropos given that this week I taught a lesson on Albrecht Durer who traveled through Renaissance Italy studying art he saw and making artist friends. He then went home and corresponded with his new friends and applied what he'd seen to his own work. Even going so far as to write books to share the knowledge he'd gained.
This got me to thinking about how much I've missed the artist community I had in at UNM. It reminded me of how very important it is to have trusted artists to look at your work and who share their work with you. These relationships are so important because they keep your work fresh and new. So I just want to say thank you to all my artist friends who have kept me on my artistic toes.
