For me, deciding a favourite anything is hard. Not because I am indecisive, although I can be, but because my tastes are so varied. It becomes especially difficult when it comes to art. I love all that is art. I am art. That may seem like a strange statement but I have grown up drawing, painting, and woodworking, and in the past three to four years I've added photography (including it's digital editing), jewelry making, and ceramics to my repertoire. And I can't even pick my favourite out of those. So, after hours of mild contemplation I chose Linda Ravenscroft as my favourite artist. Her Tiger's Eye print is on the left. Joey Richardson, a wood lathe artist, is a close second, so for good measure I put a picture of her Purple Mist. (It is, decidedly, my favourite piece of hers, since I met her last year at the SOFA Expo in Chicago and had the opportunity to discuss the piece with her.)
I admire Richardson because her skill is in a form of art that I would not dare try, for fear of disappointing myself to an extreme. But I favour Ravenscroft because her work has similarities to some of mine, and because of her mastery of colour (when ever I add colour to something I feel as though I ruin it.) I like her backgrounds, sometimes she uses them to give her image a place and other times she just plays with line, shapes, and textures that are complimentary to the foreground ant draw the eye there. Her pieces are filled with curving lines giving the illusion of grace to the character. The attention to detail is impeccable and shown in every area of light and dark adding depth and believability. The characters, themselves, are usually some sort of Fae, which makes sense with her being a fantasy artist. They are my typical subject of choice as well. Drawing things that exist only in the mind gives such freedom to create and express. Which, I imagine, is why so many artists are drawn to them.
