Which artists influence me?
The list grows and changes all the time, but the durable ones are: Barbara Rae (whom I’ve had the privilege of meeting and interviewing), Ralph Steadman, Grayson Perry, David Hockney, David Gentleman, Edward Bawden, Lucian Freud, Quentin Blake, Degas, Marino Marini, Howard Hodgkin, Paula Rego, Brian Wildsmith, John Piper, Edward Gorey, Maggie Hamblin, Henry Moore, Manet, Chagall, Paul Klee, Eric Carle, Picasso, J G Posada, Clifford Harper, and Hoffmann (author of Der Struwwelpeter). There are probably loads more that I can’t think of right now. In addition to these long termers I’m fast adding new (to me) illustrators. These are the ones I’ve blogged about recently and a couple of others I’m familiar with from the Guardian. I am looking at these illustrators again and again… Oliver Jeffers, Benoit Jacques, Gary Panter and Psillos. Then there are those that I like at the moment like Jill Calder, Swoon and Charley Harper. I’ll add to this list over the next few months. Ones I want to take a closer look at are Saul Steinberg, Neasden Control Centre, Michael Sowa, Mr Bingo, and Alex Kanevsky.
