Margaret Watkins was born in the late 19th century to a Canadian father and a Glaswegian mother. She had a privileged upbringing with access to art, music and literature but grew up in an atmosphere she once described as ‘ stifling domesticity’ As an adult her childhood experiences would shape her work. Everyday objects were the subjects of her key works, classic examples of modernist photography. I have certainly been influenced by her desire to explore the possibilities of the still life as self portrait. Like so many of the artists I have around my studio walls, Watkins was heavily influenced by a knowledge of art history , in her case both Dutch Still Life painting and the formal qualities of Cubism. Her images often reflected her world as a women living alone in New York in the 1920s. These familiar objects seen in her apartment come to reflect the contingency of being human. With her exquisite eye for composition, coupled with her extraordinary skill in the use of light and shade , this simple shower hose is imbued with a life beyond its original purpose. Her photographs create small histories around these seemingly unremarkable things ... Margaret Watkins Shower Hose , 1919 . . Posted by @alison_watt_ . . #MargaretWatkins

I have loved Francesca Woodman’s work from the first moment I saw it, and I am lucky enough to have one of her photographs in my own collection. I look at it every day. She is an artist who produced an extraordinary and extensive body of work before her untimely death by suicide at the age of 22. She is now widely considered to be one of the most influential photographers of the late 20thc. From the beginning she used her own body as subject in her photography. From her very first self portrait when she was barely thirteen,her path seemed set, producing highly original, complex and often sensual imagery. Her work is steeped in an extensive knowledge of art history gained whilst growing up. Woodman had a strange way of disguising herself while still on display. ...This fascinates me. She often appears to almost dissolve into her surroundings and her photographs continue to haunt me long after they have been seen.. . . Untitled, Rome 1977- 78 . Posted by @alison_watt_ . . #FrancescaWoodman #Photography #PaintGuude

When I was Associate Artist @nationalgallery I would pay homage to this little still life by Francisco de Zurbarán every day. It was probably made in the early 1630s and is part of their permanent collection. A Cup of Water and a Rose, such a simple title for a painting of great complexity. Its small size belies its power. It is a work which holds the room. Zurbarán believed that his painting was a tool in the service of spirituality and he does indeed elevate these simple objects to a divine level. A composition which is so much more than the sum of its parts. The mysteriousness of the object made manifest. When I look at this extraordinary little painting, my heart aches ... . . Posted by @alison_watt_ . . #Zurbaran #NationalGalleryLondon #StillLife #ACupofWaterandaRose

Hello everyone, I’m very much looking forward to sharing some of my favourite works of art with you this week. I will begin with Francisco de Zurbaran, the great 17thc Spanish painter. This portrayal of Saint Serapion, is a masterpiece. Painted in 1628 for a monastery in Seville, to hang in a room where monks were laid out before burial, it depicts the martyrdom of Saint Serapion . There is a monumentality to this painting, yet it also exudes an overwhelming feeling of calm. The emotional tension within it, is due in large part to Zurbaran’s rendering of the cloth of the white habit. He had the ability to take humble subject matter and transform it. In his hands, fabric appears as a living mass. Zurbaran’s fabric is to be touched... to be listened to... It’s extraordinary plasticity suggested a material almost appearing carved rather than painted.. Posted by @alison_watt_ @thewadsworth #Zurbaran #SaintSerapion # #fabric #Paintguide

Known for her realistic depictions of drapery, Alison Watt @alison_watt_ will be sharing her favourite artists while discussing her inspirations with us here this week. Over time, Alison has focused on images of draped cloth and using this motif has explored ideas about the human body through an interplay of presence and absence. While her paintings appear at first to be monochrome, close inspection reveals them to be full of profoundly delicate modulations of colour and light, articulated through her carefully worked surfaces. More recently, her painting has focused upon the relationship between the genres of portaiture and still life, exploring the possible narratives around everyday objects. In her paintings, the sheets of paper are blank, as if awaiting a message, or the writing once bore has been erased. The envelopes, which carry letters, bear no addresses. In the history of art, feathers are often associated with freedom or heightened spirituality, but they are also cut into quills, instruments of communication. "What's really strange for me is that the longer I look at fabric and the everyday in painting, the more I seem to lose my connection with the original purpose of these objects… fabric often suggests other things to me and becomes a boundary between abstraction and figuration. I've always found it very evocative and suggestive of the human presence. I think white fabric, in particular, has quite a hold on the imagination." #paintguide #alisonwatt #art #artist #artoftheday #artistsoninstagram #inspiration #painting #figurative #body #realism #imagination

Join Abi as she meets Voyder in his studio

Who wants to see inside emerging artist @voyder’s art studio ? 😎 join me @abijoysamuelart 5pm BST TODAY live on Paintguide as I step into his world. I have a million questions for Voyder, what materials he uses and the thought processes around blending graffiti and classical art. Don’t miss out !! #voyder #voyderart #graffitiart #graffiti #londonart #londongraffiti #londonstreetart #streetartist #abijoysamuel #abijoysamuelart #abijoysamuelpaintguide #classicalpainting #classicalportraiture #portraitpainting #spraypaint #spraypainting

Hi everyone, @abijoysamuelart here, introducing London based self taught artist @voyder . Voyder started painting graffiti in the year 2000, blending the unlikely themes of graffiti and classical figurative painting, and making it look so natural. He’s recently brought his focused more into portraiture, create the illusion his subject is behind a steamy window. I love Voyder’s work but also for its accessibility. He taught me that art shouldn’t just be confined to the white cube space, but for the everyday people, on the streets #voyder #voyderart #graffitiart #graffiti #londonart #londongraffiti #londonstreetart #streetartist #abijoysamuel #abijoysamuelart #abijoysamuelpaintguide #classicalpainting #classicalportraiture #portraitpainting #spraypaint #spraypainting

We cannot thank Larry enough for taking time out to share his personal practice with us for this inspirational week and allowing us a glimpse into his creative mind and practice. Head over to his page @larrymadrigal to watch how his works in the daily rhythms of life, and how they are entangled with timeless dramatic themes and connected to the overall human struggle, and explores the issues of being an artist in a context where political, social and personal expectations are present altogether. “I wasn’t exposed to any art growing up so I was mainly influenced by comics and cartoons. Although, I do remember loving the impressionist paintings when I learned about them in elementary school. I also liked magic tricks, and impressionism is like a kind of visual magic, a trick of the eye where chaos becomes orderly at a distance. During high school, I got into graffiti and was particularly infatuated by the east coast wild style. I always liked the pizzazz and bold attitude of graffiti and I still see how it subtly influences my work even today. Later in life, I began falling in love with all kinds of artists and particularly the old master paintings.“ #paintguide #larrymadrigal #art #artist #artoftheday #artistsoninstagram #inspiration #painting #figurative #society #life #portraiture

The paintings of Șerban Savu are the kind that create quiet space for contemplation. I love how the figures do not dominate the picture plane, creating a sense of humility. He leaves plenty of room for the surrounding landscape to inform the inner complexity of life in Romania through work, leisure, and relationships. Images: Șerban Savu @nicodimgallery Posted by @larrymadrigal #serbanSavu #paintguide #drawing # painting #larrymadrigal #meuseum #comtemporarypainting #romania #classicalart #abstract #figurativeart #expressive #RobertBirmelin #arthistory #romaniaart #movement #realistpainting #memory #figurativepaintng #laart #stanekgallery #contemporaryrealism

Another fantastic element to the paintings of Robert Birmelin are in his series of reversible paintings. Some function in two formats, and others can be rotated in ANY direction. Notice how in each direction rotated you quickly notice something new. His paintings prove that we tend to attach ourselves to whatever makes the most sense. We want the world to make sense. And as soon as you rotate, you’ll visually latch on to a different ‘right-side-up’ moment… A fabulous blending of four different realities jumbled into one. Image: Robert Birmelin: Sunday Morning, The Doors series (Reversible), 2001 Acrylic on canvas, 18 × 24 in (45.7 × 61 cm) @stanekgallery Posted by @larrymadrigal #paintguide #acrylicpainting #larrymadrigal #narrativeart #comtemporarypainting #abstractart #classicalart #abstract #figurativeart #expressive #RobertBirmelin #arthistory #oilincanvas #movement #realistpainting #memory #figurativepaintng #Newyorkart #stanekgallery

I am deeply attracted to the vision of Robert Birmelin. Much of his work involves painting from only memory after long walks in New York. Figures, sidewalks, trash cans, cars and light poles merge together in ephemeral space as if time itself was extended and suspended. These works are difficult to make, they conserve natural light and form, while overriding a traditional sense of perspectival space and time. His formal decisions make these outstanding. Just squint your eye to see how they functiIon abstractly! Images: Robert Birmelin Paintings @stanekgallery Posted by @larrymadrigal #paintguide #drawing # painting #larrymadrigal #meuseum #comtemporarypainting #abstractart #classicalart #abstract #figurativeart #expressive #RobertBirmelin #arthistory #oilincanvas #movement #realistpainting #memory #figurativepaintng #Newyorkart #stanekgallery