Jan. 12: Artists and inspiration

When I signed up at Instagram, I found and followed some of my favorite artists. It wasn’t an intentional effort to make Instagram my go-to place for happiness and cheer on social media, but that’s exactly what has happened. I not only enjoy seeing previews of unreleased projects and glimpses into their personal lives (OMG, Curly Girl’s twins!!), but they’re also a pretty reliable source of inspiration for me in creating my own art.

Mary Engelbreit – her style’s a bit cutesy for me nowadays, so while I don’t decorate around her art, I still appreciate and admire her work. The color! The lettering! Everything is hand-created and shows her incredible talent. On Instagram, ME occasionally shares snarky pieces from her unofficial “Engeldark” line—so unexpected and fun.

Curly Girl Design – I have loved her mixed media art for ages, and was crazy-excited to meet Curly Girl herself (Leigh) when she did a little open house at a gift shop in West Linn a few years back. She autographed a bunch of the stuff Sunshine and I bought—those be treasures.

Kelly Rae Roberts – what a surprise to find that this beloved artist lives in Portland! She sometimes posts photos of works in progress—mixed media is a fascinating process.

Katie Daisy – another Oregonian, Katie creates from the Bend area. Although I like her lettering best, she paints gorgeous shots of nature. Katie also posts lots of pics of her studio and the views from her studio. I think there would be so many more artists in the world if we could see what she does.

Emily McDowell – she does hand-lettering that’s just AMAZING.

Em Dash Paper Co. (Emily Poe-Crawford) – Another hand-letterer, beautiful work.

Robin Plemmons – this woman’s sense of humor is fabulous. I’ve ordered several of her cards for friends, and just recently acquired this piece.

The shipping envelope, hand-addressed by Robin, is a work of art in itself. Would it be weird if I framed that too?

Lisa Kaus – I bought a canvas of hers because it was adorable and the right colors for our bedroom, and THEN searched her up and found out she’s a Portlander too. What is with all these Portland artists??? I know what it is: in the right proportions, Portland weather + Portland coffee + Portland beer + Portland donuts = extraordinarily creative people.

When I find an artist with whom I really connect, I feel like we kinda share part of our souls. And on Instagram, especially, I so enjoy the photos they share as I scroll through my feed every day.