Recently, I’ve made an effort to fill every part of my life with the things that make me happy. As a huge lover of art living with Fine Art students, there’s a constant channel of sharing the work of those we love.
Now, instead of my social feed being filled with how the world is falling apart (although some days that inescapable), it’s brightened by the art of skilled individuals who all manage to find beauty in this world and use that to create. Here’s a list of artists who will brighten up your feed, while imbuing you with a sense of hope and passion.
Jessica Andersdotter
Jessica Andersdotter is an abstract digital artist who takes inspiration from photography and other artists to develop her own unique style. She’s constantly experimenting with Photoshop and photography to develop new works, which she shares online all the time. Her portfolio contains a wide variety of digital art, from edited floral compositions, to abstract waves of colour. One of my favourite pieces is Talia (left) in a series of works with human names.
Jessica often shares the work of other artists, those she takes inspiration from and those who she simply loves – either on her blog or on social media. Andersdotter frequently talks about her creative process, allowing her audience to experience what goes on behind the computer/in her mind. By following her, you get a personal insight into the life on an artist.
Melissa McCracken
Melissa McCracken is an American artist with Synesthesia who paints music. By using a mix of oils and acrylics, McCracken creates a visual representation of the songs she is listening to, sharing with the world how she experiences music.
In an interview with MyModernMet in 2017, McCracken said “the most wonderful ‘brain malfunction’ of all is seeing the music I hear. It flows in a mixture of hues, textures, and movements, shifting as if it were a vital and intentional element of each song.” McCracken’s art is best experienced alongside the songs which have inspired them.
Choosing a favourite of Melissa’s works is difficult as each painting resonates on a new level. Though, that being said, “What Was It You Said About Luck?” stands out with it’s delicate purples, pinks, and yellows merging together like smoke into clouds.
Viv Tanner
Viv Tanner is a Swiss Freelance Artist and Illustrator, specialising in 2D Animation. Primarily sharing work on her social media accounts, Viv has a unique 2D art style that appears simple at first glance, but incorporates complex colour grading that creates a visually stunning experience.
Currently, Viv is developing content for her online collaborative comic, Heart of Gold, with Eli Baum. Some of Viv’s Instagram portfolio includes fanart for Netflix’s Stranger Things and Quantic Dream’s Detroit: Become Human; however, the majority of content is original.
Gris is a stunning 2D platformer currently in development [set for release on Nintendo Switch and PC this December]. While not working on the game directly, Viv created a piece (left) for #indiegzine. This piece is perfect at presenting Viv’s use of a mellow colour palette in her digital art.
Leonid Afremov
‘The End of Patience’ is perhaps one of the most beautiful pieces of art I’ve ever seen. Incorporating the entire rainbow, Leonid creates a rainy autumnal scene; umbrella up, a lady walks away from a park bench, where she has seemingly sat for a while.
Afremov is a cheat entry as he doesn’t actually have social media, that’s just where I found his work. He’s a Russian-Israeli modern impressionistic artist who works primarily with a palette knife and oils. One can only imagine the textures on the canvas.
His work is free from cultural influence in that there are no hidden meanings or political agendas, just art that reflects his personal experiences and emotions.
Scott Naismith
Scott Naismith is an artist I found though Instagram’s explore page. I saved his painting of Ben Tianavaig, Skye (left) and completely forgot about it! Thankfully I rediscovered this painting in my saves and began following him properly.
Naismith, like Afremov, uses vivid colours. However, Naismith adopts a vigorous application method to represent the fast changing light conditions of the Scottish landscape. He focuses on the sky, presenting hope and optimism through the skies transition from dark to light.
Simply put, his work leaves me in awe. And, if you look in your local T K Maxx, you may even be able to find some of his pieces for a good price!
Georgina Harris
As mentioned above, I live with two Fine Arts students, which makes for quite a creative household. And, thankfully, Georgina was more than happy to be featured in this post.
When talking about her work, Georgina said she loves “working with vivid colour and big brushstrokes to describe an experience. Like the experience of being in a vast forest, or in a small room with someone, or just the sensation of hands touching.”
Left, we have one of my favourite pieces of Georgina’s. I adore the intimacy of the piece and how all the fleshy tones meld together. All her paintings seem to create an intimate atmosphere (even her landscape works) and present her connection to the subject. When discussing her work, she said she aims to “create…a narrative that captures these experiences in their essence.”
Check out all these amazing artists and share your favourite artists below! Filling social media with such beautiful things has improved the time I spend online. I completely recommend adding beauty to everywhere you can.
