Since I've gotten back to blogging faithfully, I wanted to get back to doing some artist interviews and guest posts. I think it's good to get other artist's perspectives on inspiration. It's also a great opportunity for me to introduce you all to some great artists. Here's my first guest post by fellow clay artist and BEST member Jen Wilfong of Yummy and Company. Enjoy!
One reoccurring theme in my work is nature. It inspires me. Plants, rocks, pebbles, trees, grass and even bugs have all been known to pop up in my work! You'd think that living in the city of Baltimore, I would be deprived of nature, but I have found many ways to surround myself with lots of it! My yard and garden are what you'd call English-style, meaning it's free formed and flowing and has lots of layering and textures. Each year I add more layers and textures. Its a lovely thing to see the arrival of spring and the rejuvenation of plant life. I like to get up close and examine what is growing and can be seen nose to nose with plants and bugs alike. I am constantly reinvigorated by getting down and dirty with nature!The Pebble Necklace is part of a series I have done that
remind me of pebbles. The randomness of pebbles... their sizes, shapes and colors are so attractive to me. The textures and surfaces of each pebble have their own story. I love to think that although these tiny pebbles are so small now, at one point they were part of something much larger. I like to wonder about their journey and what kind of transformations and randomness got them to where they are.
Trying to capture a little bit of nature is a great challenge, and although I am inspired by it, I don't feel bound by it. I typically sketch or do field research before and while I'm working on pieces, but sometimes I will just sketch from memory. In most cases, I will start working on a series of pendants, rings and earrings, based off of the sketches. Eventually, after I've done a few of each, I like to start expanding on the initial idea and sketches, and just let my creative juices flow freely!If you are feeling uninspired, here are some things to get your creative juices flowing:
- get out of your normal environment, go for a walk, go to a museum, or a coffee house
- surround yourself with creative people
- listen to music
- do research on something via the library, web, or outside!
- http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm This is a phenomenal resource, but *remember.... the images are there are meant to inspire, not to be copied!*
- google images is great if you can't remember what something looks like!
- www.pandora.com is a fantastic way to find to new music
website
blog
etsy shop
baltimorecraft.com
Here are some of my favorites from her shop:
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