My very favorite sister in the whole wide world just visited! (OK, she’s my only sister, but she’s pretty cool none the less.) Her family came as well — they too, are pretty cool.
I grew up on the east coast (outside of Philadelphia). A few years after finishing college, I moved to Oregon with my family. We moved a few times and when I got divorced, you couldn’t get me on a plane back to Oregon fast enough. (We had only been back east again for 8 months so Portland was really ‘home’ to both my son & I.) So I’ve basically been in the Northwest for 14 1/2 years.
My sister has moved around as well, but has been back in PA for 7 years.
During their visit some very interesting things were said. My sister mentioned to her daughter that she packed a lot of “earth tones” since she was coming to Oregon where “people are very outdoorsy”. She also thought her “hippie” shirt would fit in well.
I smiled and filed these comments away.
Even though we grew up together, we do dress very differently. My mom likes to say I live ‘in the land of fleece’.
We went to dinner with some of her husband’s colleagues from work who were visiting from Kentucky. I filed away more interesting comments.
The wife said she was glad she didn’t put much makeup on as people were very ‘laid back’ and ‘natural’ here. They thought everyone would have stared if they had dressed like they would have back home.
This leads me to wonder: if geography has that much effect on how you dress,
does geography affect your art?
Is your art inspired because of who you are, because of where you are, or a combination of the two?
I don’t have an answer for you but would love to hear your thoughts. It all just got me wondering…
~ Have a creative day!
Tara
Good question and no. While apparel plays a small part, I don’t let the region influence me (unless it’s hot) because I enjoy pulling from cultures around the world -both in dress and art.
I dress the same (taking season into consideration, of course) no matter where I travel and I would do the same type of art no matter where I lived. I know a few artists that concentrate specifically on local landscapes, which probably increases their chances for local sales, but I do dog portraits and florals, so those subjects can be appreciated anywhere! 🙂
I know geography affects the decorating world. People in California and Florida have more sun and the colors are more intense than in my area (eastern MD) where misty skies are more common and colors more muted.
I’m not sure if it impacts clothing choices but I wouldn’t be surprised. (on the other hand New Yorkers seem to prefer black and neutrals)
I am just HOPING that nature inspired colors and images are more popular with the increased interest in nature! I just paint what wild subjects I know and love and trust that they will resonate with others.
I would have to say a combination. I have lived in many different places and my artwork seems to reflect where I live, lived. While living in Okinawa, Japan I could see in cartoon type, I saw new things everyday, my mind was always flowing with creative ideas, I moved and this stopped- I had to surround myslef with interesting things to get everything flowing again- although it was not the same. I now live in Japan where everything, everyday is new and so much is going on- my mind is again going non-stop- I see in cartoon, I visualize soooooo different 🙂
Whenever I travel by plane, I always notice that the last leg of the journey back to Albuquerque is filled with people who look like they come from the Southwest. Casual, understated, outdoorsy. It’s hard to put your finger on, but if you’ve lived here long enough, leave, and then come back, you definitely notice the subtle geographical differences.
I live on a cattle ranch near Corona, NM, and though I’ve created my share of Southwestern-themed pieces–in writing, in 2D art, and in jewelry–I still find myself most inspired artistically by fantasy and multicultural elements outside the Southwest. A respected fresco artist who lives on a ranch near me (originally from PA, but spent quite a few years in the DC area), is inspired by ancient Roman culture. She has noticed that the Southwestern light has affected her work, but not necessarily the subject matter. Of course there are numerous artists who have definitely been influenced by the Southwest–Georgia O’Keeffe certainly comes to mind as the most famous.