Artist Spotlight: My Neighbor Totoro by Louise Terrier

These excellent watercolor paintings were created by French artist Louise Terrier. She created a series of artworks dedicated to the movies of Studio Ghibli, including My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and Howl's Moving Castle.

According to an article on Demilked, Terrier was inspired to create since early childhood, when she was encouraged by her parents. “When people ask me: where does that creative energy come from? I would say I don’t know! But it’s just a part of me, like my nose in the middle of my face! Even though my studies take the most part of my time, the pleasure to paint never leaves me.”

These watercolor paintings are absolutely spectacular. I wish I had a studio space where I could just cut loose and create wild colors like these. I'm a great fan of vivid color tones and expressionist brushstrokes, which these Totoro pieces have in spades. The compositions are also quite excellent, taking advantage of the picture frame to emphasize emptiness and action, movement and stillness. There's also something of an Asian style in the compositions, a use of flat planes instead of the Western "vanishing point". It fits the subject matter perfectly. Terrier's other Ghibli paintings are equally impressive, and I highly recommend you check them out.

As always, if you know of any other artists who you'd like to see profiled in out "Artist Spotlight" series, please send a message, including a link to the artist's website. Much thanks in advance.