There are many artists of this time that inspire me. They are all modern artists, however; their artwork is inspirational because they all present a different view on women. In our day and time, the women’s movement has influenced everything. In the past, some women were displayed as goddesses and sometimes as distractions, however, they were displayed, women played a very important part in history. For example, Helen of Troy and or the Virgin Mary, are important women in history.
In the 21st century, the women of this time are changing this stigma, we have strong women superheroes, women who are creating social movements, and women who are tackling fields before known to be men’s fields. The three artists who inspire me are some of those people helping break the glass ceiling. One of these inspirational artists is Jade Purple Brown.
The first artist that inspires me is Jade Purple Brown. Jade Purple Brown is an artist and illustrator living in New York City. Her artwork and illustrations include strong figures with vibrant colors and inspirational quotes that help promote individuality and empowerment. Her artwork presents strong forms of women of all shapes and sizes in vibrant colors and in a unique way. She also speaks on how she came up with her unique style of art. In a Buzzfeed interview, she states that she enjoys “mixing unexpected elements to create new, dynamic worlds of individuality and movement. Her work is similar to the vibrant style of the art of the 60s and 70s. Her work reflects that time period using “fluid curves, bold shapes, and juicy color”. In an interview by Buzzfeed, she states the purpose of using women in her artwork. She states “I am really inspired by the beauty and confidence that women possess.”
Brown states that her artwork presents a world where women are powerful, unique, and carefree. When asked why she says “I try to draw women that are confident, bold, and strong because that’s how I want to feel,”. In an interview with Collective shades, she went into depth on her artwork. Her artwork contains minimal and geometric shapes with bold strong colors. She states “a lot of it comes from 70’s textiles and interior design, I love the colors and radical use of patterns from that time period. I like modern art and abstract pieces, things that are unique, and I study different artists and their techniques – Right now I’m studying Frank Stella a lot”. Brown works digitally on her iPad, posting all her artwork on Instagram. She talks about the importance of posting all her work on social media. Brown talks about how she got started and how all her work is important to her.
In a Buzzfeed interview, she also speaks on how she always in the past wanted to be an artist. She states “I remember making business cards at the age of 8, that had ‘Future Artist’ as my occupation. Originally I went to college to study fashion Marketing & Management … with the intention of becoming a fashion stylist. But near the end of the program, I began learning the basics of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and I quickly fell in love. I realized that Art and Graphic design was my true passion and I started to pursue it seriously, so I could eventually turn it into a full-time career.”
She is Adobe’s featured artist of 2021. When Adobe interviewed her for the Inspiration page on the Adobe website she went into depth on her art style and on the importance of using women in her work. She also speaks on restrictions in the field of design and illustration. Jade says that if she didn’t have any constrictions, she would put more emotion and more of her creativity and personality into her artwork. She states “If I didn’t have any constrictions, I think that I would just excel. I’d experiment even more within my work because sometimes I can be in my head a lot, and feel wedded to a style,” says Brown. “I feel like I would just go wild and play with everything, every single medium. I would live my life more unapologetically, and show up as who I truly am because there wouldn’t be any repercussions. There’s nobody saying, no, you should act like this, you should do that. I would just be me all day, every day.”
When asked why she says “I try to draw women that are confident, bold, and strong because that’s how I want to feel.” Jade Purple Brown is an inspiration for me because she is changing the way women are viewed in advertising, entertainment, and job fields. She creates a world where women live freely, unafraid to be themselves, unafraid to do amazing stuff or ever excel at men. I rarely see artwork where women are presented as bosses. Even the artists of the past present women either as a distraction and as a whore. However Jade is presenting women of all races as bold confident people. As an African American woman, seeing what her artwork could do helps me realize that my artwork or design could influence or change the views of people around the world.
Jade Purple Brown Artwork
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