things I saw and read in April that made me want to make art:
post inspiration from rama duwaji
half of New York City is now obsessed with Rama Dwuaji, Damascus-born illustrator based in New York City. Oh, and she also happens to be the wife of New York City's freshly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
There is much (or little) to say about her relatively new limelight, but today's post is inspired by her monthly series of Instagram posts where she highlights work that's inspired her studio practice. It's rare for artists to post openly about their inspirations, but her posts typically infuse personal takeaways with her description of items.
In no particular order, here are some things that have inspired me in April.
- the flowers in bloom around the city
florals for spring aren't groundbreaking, but they are nice to see after the coldest winter (of the five I've experienced)
- hand-painted type on the side of a truck
This truck was outside the Home Depot in Chelsea on my way to a workout class. I did a double-take since I couldn't remember the last time I saw hand-painted type on a vehicle.
- longer days, the sun, nature
There's a very base urge to appreciate the ethereal nature of sunlight and shadow when the weather is no longer 3 layers of clothing neccessary.
- this page in a zine I did not take down the name of
a professor brought this zine into class and I really appreciated the textures created here with all the different typefaces
- mixing inks for printmaking
i did joke with my classmates that this specific image was probably what most of my friends expected to see from me more often.
- information visualisations by Fredrica Fragapane
stunning.
- Work I saw at the Parsons Communication Design Thesis Showcase- Making Space
that's all folks! I was very busy and unfortunately was less engaged than I should've been
