Forever Inspired

Beautiful muses have inspired artists for virtually as long as art has existed. For all I know art was borne in the first place as a result of the great feminine beauty that has inspired artists for ages. After all, amazing goddesses have graced artists’ canvas and have been depicted in epic artworks for eternity.

The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses of the inspiration of literature, science and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally and visually for centuries in the ancient culture that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muse)

Wikipedia goes on to identify the nine muses as Clio (history), Thalia (comedy and pastoral poetry), Erato (love poetry), Euterpe (flutes and lyric poetry), Polyhymnia (sacred poetry), Calliope (epic poetry), Terpsichore (dance), Urania (astronomy), Melpomene (tragedy) – all daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Although writers similarly disagree concerning the number of the muses; some say that there are three, and others suggest that there are nine; all note them as female. I believe however that today’s muses number in the millions, and, I have no doubt that many reading this post even know a couple. It has been my privilege and honor to know a few who have inspired my art.

Over the years I’ve worked with literally dozens of models, photographing them in the name of art as reference for my paintings. In the end though, only a handful of them actually become muses for my creations on canvas or metal. To me, a muse is far more than a beautiful naked figure. Virtually anyone can disrobe for a photograph. Model related web sites now make the availability of models just a click away and number in the millions. A muse, a real muse, on the other hand, inspires. And great muses, while plentiful, are still rare.

Real muses bring both beauty, confidence and that “something special” to the experience, and that is reflected in the finished art. They can be short or tall, big or small, young or old, but in the end, what really matters is their ability to stand out as special. And it isn’t always obvious at first.

I remember a chat with an artist friend years ago. We were discussing what makes a great muse. Sometimes you can tell just looking at a model that she will inspire art. Other times you never know until you have them in the studio. I’ve worked with models who on the surface would be considered “average” for lack of a better word. But when the clothes come off and the camera is clicking shots, they seem to come alive. I’ve also worked with models who are absolutely stunning in person but didn’t have that “something special”, so I have lots of pics, but no paintings ever resulted from our time together in the studio. The model/muse and the art experience have to sync for me to create something epic. Fortunately, that happens more often than not and my body of work is a reflection of that.

Sometimes I’m blessed to work with a young model (like Jessica above) and I get the experience of working with them again years later. It’s always amazing to watch them blossom into beautiful women who know their strengths and realize the power in their beauty. It may sounds cliche, but I believe that with great beauty comes great power. It’s in realizing that that ones is really empowered. After all, the original Greek goddess Thalia (muse of comedy and pastoral poetry) never succeeded at being Melpomene (muse of tragedy). The real power is knowing thyself.

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