A Bit More from the Indianapolis Museum of Art

Inspiration comes from many places. I find that a visit to an art museum fires my creativity like almost nothing else. I have already shared many of my pictures from my last visit to the IMA, but I wanted to share these things that also caught my eye.

First of all, I'm a big fan of El Anatsui from Ghana. I especially love his huge pieces that look to me like giant metal "quilt tops." The texture, color, and immenseness of the pieces draw me in. The IMA has one of those pieces, but photographs of it are not allowed. I guess I really thought he only did these huge pieces, so I was surprised to find a small piece (called Sacred Comb) that belonged to him.

I love the bright colors against the neutral wooden background. The delicate lines "etched" into the wood remind me of some of the "doodling" I've been using in some of my own pieces. He says of this piece, "The small areas of bright colors represent kente cloth, while the curved lines are similar to designs found in textiles, body art, and sculpture from southeast Nigeria."

As you know (if you know me or you have read my blog for any length of time), I love bold colors and bold geometric shapes. These pieces will definitely serve as inspiration for some new pieces.

There were a few more textile pieces I really liked...

Among the Igbo people of Nigeria, artists who make masquerade outfits such as this are called "people who weave body spirit." It is the artist's task to connect the spirit world with the human world through their work. This costume would have been worn by a male performer mimicking spirit maidens. The bright colors of the appliquéd costume reflect the body paint used by the women of the Igbo community.

 

You need to see a close up of this cloth to see how it is made. The "lines" look to be appliquéd to the background of the piece. Some of it looks like it was corded or thread was used to embellish the appliquéd lines.

What inspires you?

 

 

 

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