Things that I've found visually inspiring lately

Dear reader,

I hope you’ve been well since we last chatted! A bit of a chiller Letter this time, because I’ve just moved to a new continent alone, and life got in the way.

So, today, I’m showing you a curated version of my Pinterest/Instagram feed. I’ll also be pointing out why I like each item. I hope my selections inspire you too.

The four categories are

1: Paintings with lots of luminosity, colour, and depth

2: Childhood media, like pop-up books and fairytales

3: Warm vs cool juxtapositions, sunsets, fires

4: Analog or nostalgic textures in graphic design

(Two images per category, in order. Had to reformat for the website. Not sure why my commentary doesn’t show up on mobile.)

Paul Hedley

Paul Hedley’s work in general. I primarily did watercolours in my mid-teens, so I’m fascinated by how oil paintings build up towards the lights instead of layering darks. Would love to try more someday…

Nathan Fowkes, 2017

Nathan Fowkes, 2017. Not sure what the medium is—perhaps even digital—but I do love the luminosity in the warm vs cool. I’ve been to the Sagrada before, and must bring tools with me if I get to go again.

The Trees by Hong Tham Nguyen

Pop-up book—The Trees by Hong Tham Nguyen. I love the magic and movement of pop-up books; the sense of awe. In 2022, during a technical theatre training course (think backstage, lights, set, costumes), I went through a phase where I was obsessed with pop-up cards/scenery, so I did experiments in my portfolio. I don’t think I created anything substantial, but it was still fun, and I still learnt a lot. Might experiment with pop-up cards again someday.

Hallmark greeting card, 1940s

1940s Hallmark greeting card. I like the whimsy, the posture, and the liveliness. Feels like the fairy could move at any moment.

Qu Ruiqing (@quruiqing)

@quruiqing on X. Luminosity is clearly a theme amongst everything I’ve selected, but I also deeply enjoy the juxtaposition between warm and cool. I like the individual variations within the warm and cool too; the blues contain purples and greens, and the oranges contain yellows and reds. I like how there’s just enough detail to signal what’s going on to the audience. I want to develop that kind of subtlety someday. Gorgeous!

Hiyo (@hiyoponyo)

@hiyoponyo on Instagram. Hiyo is one of our artists from Mint Condition. She loves blue, so this is something new (and very well done, might I add). It’s darkly humorous to me, which I enjoy.

Khuyen Le (@tuongkhuyenle)

Khuyen Le (@tuongkhuyenle on Instagram). I’ve been wanting to upgrade my graphic design skills, so I did a study of this piece. I love the contrasting grittiness and smoothness of the different elements. It was stuck in my head for a day or so after I first saw it, so I made my own graphics for my own version. Really cool work!

Yaroslav Iakovlev

Yaroslav Iakovlev. I quite liked the layout and balance in this piece. It feels harmonious, but, at the same time, very bold.

That’s it for now! If you like this format, please let Team Riverbed know—I’d love to get others to do this as well.

Best wishes,

Erin