Finding Inspiration in the Arts

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit Art Prize in Grand Rapids, MI.  Art Prize is a city-wide art exhibit full of paintings, sculptures, and other amazing art from artists all over the world.  I’ve been there before, but each time is a new adventure since the exhibits are new each time.

I photographed some of my favorite pieces.  These were the ones that most inspired me as a writer.

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This piece was called Silent Chorus and was created by Eva Rocha.  It was tucked into a corner of a lovely, old church downtown.  To me, the ghostly images conjured up all kinds of ideas for a scary story.  These life-sized figures were both haunting and beautiful.

 

The next exhibit came from my hometown of Detroit.  [image error]A part of the Heidelberg Project, it is the brainchild of artist Tyree Guyton.  The exhibit was placed on the top floor of an abandoned building, a fitting place since the collection was made from found objects.  Although this installation took up the entire floor of the old school that housed it, it was a very small part of the original project.

[image error]My final favorite piece among the hundreds I saw was this one.  It was called Cinderella: the Sequel by Vivianne Carey.  I loved this one!  It was like Tim Burton made a wedding carriage.  The front of it looked like a skull, and the entire thing was part fairy princess, part funeral procession.  Unfortunately, my picture doesn’t do it justice!

Yes, these are all spooky exhibits.  There were plenty of pastoral landscapes and fanciful creatures, but because I’m a supernatural suspense writer, I found inspiration in these.

I can’t wait until the next Art Prize!