Ok, so technically, I should be writing a 10 page paper for my Art History class... But am having sorta a writer's block type of thing, and can't get my ideas on paper! lol! So here I am jabbering away to my quiet little blog, just getting my ideas down.

So for the topic of this paper, I have been instructed that it needs to be on my "favorite artist".... okay.... well that's a really broad topic! I love many artists, and can spend a whole day in a museum just feeling. I especially love the impressionist artists, and sculptors. It has been a life long ambition of mine to be a sculptor and a painter.

I have been doing art ever since I can remember. I was usually creating 3D art, toilet paper rolls, beads, mud, leaves, rocks, cut up pieces of card board.. also I found a picture I had drawn at the age of 3, I had taken a piece of yellow construction paper, and completely covered the whole paper in solid pink crayon, my mother said I used a whole crayon to get the paper that sold color, except for a small squiggly shape on the paper, leaving one small spot with the yellow showing through. It almost looked as if I had colored a yellow blob on pink paper!

My mother and father always encouraged me in my artistic endeavors... even if it was letting me go out in town with a newly made brown paper bag vest! or with about 25 hair clips dangling from the ends of my stringy blonde hair! lol!

at an early age my parents instilled within all of us children an undying interest and passion for the masters of old. Living in france from ages 5-8 we often visited museums, and recognized the beauty of the scenery around us that was depicted in the work of many masters. Mom encouraged us to copy the artists, this was something that my sisters and I enjoyed very much. I remember sitting in front of many a Cassette, Renoir and especially Monet. As I child I was intensely captured by the bright colors, and the practical magic found in stepping closer to a water lily, finding it nothing but flecks of color, and often blobs of paint the size of my 6 year old hand! At the time I could not express why I liked Monet, in fact, I am certain I did not hardly think about it, But something about his art work excited me! I remember sitting in front of a huge water lily painting, a tiny sketch book on my knees and a box of oil pastels, trying to figure out how to most effectively copy this master! At the time I was immensely pleased with the out come, an opinion I still keep to this day! I was fearless and just dived in! I didn't

compare, I didn't worry about exactness, it is one of my favorite pieces of artwork.

I remember visiting Monet's garden in Giverny, where the french had preserved what Monet's home had been like, it was a tourist attraction, especially with the copious amounts of brightly colored flowers and his home renovated to look as it did when Monet had lived there! I remember the blue kitchen, and the japanese bridge, i remember "sketching" a flower or two as we walked through the garden, wondering if Monet had been in that exact spot. :)

I was introduced to many artists, and encouraged to learn about them, there wasn't any particular stress on one artist over another. But some how in my 6, 7, and 8 year old head, Monet just stuck. I know so many people say Monet is their favorite artist, many people know very little about the artistic world EXCEPT for Monet, Monet probably gets the very most puplicity out of any of the master oil painters. This is due to the fact that he is considered the father of impressionism. But I am not sure that is a fair statement..... I think that impressionism had been slowly making it's way to the surface, in painting such as Whistler's Nocturne in Black and Gold, The falling rocket.

And even found in a day before Whistler, as found in Gustave Courbet's painting "the stone breakers"

I believe "impressionism" is just a natural flow in the artistic world, it was of course ingenious, and beautiful, but I do not think we can contribute it to one sole person, I do not believe we can call any group of people the "father of impressionism" Monet was inspired, and followed the flow of the beauty all around him. If indeed we must give tribute to any one person for this blessing of artistic genius, I suggest we give all credit to our Heavenly Father who is the creator of all thing beauty, and all inspiration comes from Him.

Monet, though I refer to him as my "favorite artist" he is not my VERY favorite in his techniques, or his style, though love his ark work with a passion, there are many other artist out there who's art work I enjoy just as much and indeed, sometimes more. But the reason I say that Monet is my "favorite artist", is because at a young age in my life, his art work was quite influential. His work inspired me to be an artist, inspired me to open that part in my heart where creativity can flow. A few years have passed since I was introduced to Monet, and even now, as I paint, I think of Monet telling me "when you paint, only paint what you see, not what you know is there, where you see a line of yellow, paint yellow, where you see a triangle of red paint red, where you see a shape of green paint green.... " those aren't his exact words, but he did say something along those lines... and it stuck with me. When I look back on the things that have inspired my art the most they are my family, my religion, and Monet. Monet has played a major part in my life, he helped create me as an artist, and I look at him as some one who has given me the power I need to do art. Claude Monet has taught me what it means to be an artist.