Inspiration in Two Mediums

For those who know me, you know I love art in many forms whether that be music that touches the soul, visual art like paintings, sketches and photography or artistic filmmaking that captures that special something. This week I stumbled across two of my favorite art forms in one place.

I myself shoot a lot of video. It’s a hobby but also a passion. I want to eventually start making documentary films. I currently use a Panasonic LUMIX S5ii to shoot my videos. I was curious about the camera’s capabilities, so I searched for documentaries shot using that particular camera. That’s when I came across this video made by UK filmmaker Ian Snape. (Ian is pictured below ⬇️ )

From Ian’s website he says he “loves the art of crafting visually stunning images that not only support but also create captivating narratives. There’s nothing quite like the awesome feeling on set, fully immersed in crafting beautiful lighting setups, seeing great composition frames and getting the perfect camera movements that all come together to create the perfect final production. . . . It’s all about pushing the boundaries, painting reality with the hues of imagination, and giving our stories a cinematic flair that lingers in the minds of those who experience them.” https://www.iansnapedop.co.uk/ I really love the way Ian describes his art and his process. You will see in the sample video posted below why I was so moved by his work.

That brings me to the second artistic motivation for this week — the subject of Ian’s mini-documentary: a UK-based sketch artist named Abbie Severn.

Here’s Ian’s short documentary about Abbie that I keep referring to (definitely take the time to check it out, it’s well worth it):

Abbie Severn is a reportage artist originating from coastal Pembrokeshire in Wales. She moved to Birmingham to study for her undergraduate degree 2015. The vast contrast in environments, led to an intrigue in documenting her urban surroundings. She loves sketching urban locations whether that is interesting architectural buildings or graffiti-filled industrial areas.

Having spent 3+ years documenting the industrial Digbeth, Birmingham, her website has many prints and original works for sale. I’ll leave a link here. Abbie is a selected Graduate Member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. She has recently started to expand her palette and is now sketching people as well. Here are some samples of her work:

The moral of this week’s blog post: You just never know where you might find inspiration. I randomly clicked on a YouTube video that led me to not one but two incredible artists. I highly recommend you check out Ian’s website and YouTube channel as well as Abbie’s website and Instagram at @abbie7illustration.

Cheers to both of these artists and thanks for the inspiration!