Inspiration of the Week: Photographer Laura Ferriera
Laura Ferriera is a relatively new discovery to me. I stumbled upon her on flickr, but it seems where her audience is really booming is on deviantART and facebook, with fans exceeding 4,000. Her work strikes a unique blend of conceptual portraiture and fashion photography, often incorporating fantastical elements akin to fairy-tales or a nightmares. I was blown away by her endlessly impressive portfolio and I am so pleased that she agreed to do this interview amidst what seems to be a very hectic schedule!
Inspiration of the Week: Photomontage Artist Mattijn
One of my biggest inspirations and certainly one of the most interesting artists I’ve come upon on flickr, is photomontage artist Mattijn. If you’ve ever seen his work, you will undoubtedly remember it. He is well known for his extensive surrealist montages. I was absolutely thrilled when he agreed to do a Q&A for my little old blog! I had so many questions, I barely knew where to begin. Read on…
Inspiration: Musician Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond
I need to mention her here as she is a huge inspiration to any artist, in particular female artists. Shara Worden, the lead singer and songwriter of My Brightest Diamond, is a one woman phenomena. With a background rooted strongly in opera music, her songs are a refreshing blend of both indie-rock emotionality and classical sensibility, with soaring vocals that often draw comparison to the likes of Jeff Buckley and Antony and the Johnsons. I first stumbled across her song ‘Workhorse’ while listening to Pandora Radio and was completely mesmorized by the haunting melody and the sexy vocalization of the lyrics. Upon further investigation into her music, I was impressed to find that all the songs on her debut album were of the same high caliber. I took it upon myself to see her live in concert, and she did not disappoint. I venture to say, she is even more impressive live. A multi-instrumentalist, she proves to be a jack of all trades, singing not only in a variety of styles, but also in a variety of languages, accompanied by an impressive orchestra, arranged entirely by herself. I highly recommend stopping by her website for a listen. If Bjork, Portishead, Jeff Buckley or even Blonde Redhead are up your alley, you will not be disappointed!
Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond
Inspiration of the week: Photographer Carmen Gonzalez (aka: Soleá)
This week, I got to interview the incomparable Carmen Gonzalez, aka Soleá about her photography. With a vast portfolio, ranging from self-portraiture to scenery, she is a master at capturing complex emotions with her camera. Whether it’s surreal manipulations or straight forward portraits, her photographs are always beautiful and thought-provoking. It was a real treat to hear her speak about her prolific body of work. Read on…
Inspiration: Leonard Cohen
Hopefully most of you already know the name. Even if you don’t recognize his name, chances are you’ve probably already heard his music/poetry from famous remakes such as Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah and Judy Collins’ Suzanne. Well, as a Canadian, I feel it is in my national obligation to love him. He is the biggest inspiration for my writing and, in turn, my photography. If you have the time, I highly recommend visiting his website or picking up one of his books and reading his poetry.
Here is a direct link to some of his best writing.
