(this is 100% not art history related, I just wanted to cry over my favorite artist)

I don’t have any artist friends outside of the internet. Most of my friends growing up excelled in maths and sciences, so social media became my #1 way to interact with other artists who were my age and who were also struggling to be seen in the art community.

I think that the main reason that I started seriously practicing art was because I was so inspired by all of these artists that I was seeing starting to pop up on YouTube and Instagram. In the early days of YouTube I would spend hours watching Speedpainting videos. I would literally sit with my notebook and jot down their tips and tricks, and soon I started drawing with the videos playing in the background.

One artist in particular that has continued to inspire me is a Canadian artist by the name of Audra Auclair. Through a mixture of pop art and the female form, she creates these exceptional surreal pieces. Her use of color is game-changing and she is a constant inspiration to me. Now I’ll admit that she’s kind of like a celebrity to me, and I have never spoken to her. I’ve never commented on her works, but I’ve seen all of them, and I can honestly say that I love every one of her pieces.

I think that the internet has done wonders for many artists. Many of my artist friends work from home and rely 100% on their websites and selling their art to pay the bills. (That’s the dream)

Here’s some of Audra Auclair’s work (my personal favorites)

Her use of color is just kind of amazing.