Something new.... Trees

This weekend I was compelled to work on something besides clay and jewelry. I have a show coming up this weekend ( the 2nd one this month) and I needed a break from the production. I wanted to make something just for the sake of making something with no pressure about getting sales, feedback or promoting. What was I going to make? I didn't want to use clay, I didn't want to spend money on supplies and I wanted to make some "green" art since polymer clay isn't very green and I do like to upcycle whenever I can. The answer came in a stack of catalogs that have been sitting in my closet forever. I knew they would come in handy at some point, so I just couldn't throw them a way (Yes, I'm a pack rat when it comes to possible art supplies). Earlier in the week, I helped feed Kyle's creative bug by having him cut out shapes from magazines to create a collage, so I figured I would do the same. I don't like cutting much so I grabbed my trusty circle cutters that I use for making stickers and tags for my promo materials and atrted punching. I punched a bunch of different sizes and separated them by colors. Now I had to decide what to make, so of course I immediately throught of trees. I have made bubble tree ACEO's and pendant;s. so I just went with it and I like how they turned out. I actually spent most of Friday and Saturday punching and arranging and gluing (Yes, I did stop long enough to feed my kids). I started with simple trees the like the ones above and below and uses some cedar wood samples as my canvas:














Then I started getting a little complicated:















































While I said I wasn't going to worry about sales, I do plan on offering the trees as prints in my new Etsy shop that will be opening this summer which will focus on prints of my artwork and photos (of course there will be a big blog announcement and grand opening sales once I get it started). I wanted to wait to share them until then, but I hadn't blogged in so long and they really gave me something to blog about.

Take some time this week to create something totally new. Don't put a lot of thought into it and just go with what you're feeling. Lose yourself for a while in your new endeavor. Try to upcycle something that's laying around your house (or stuffed in your closet). If you make something inspired by this post, please send me a photo and short description, and I will be sure to post it here.

I leave you with a collage Kyle was inspired to make after watching me create mine. He's already asked me to add it to my Etsy shop too:

Inspired by Paper, leftovers and a Secret Desire - Artist feature with Marisa from Mlee.etsy.com

Hey there everyone. So sorry for the long hiatus, but I have had a lot going on plus a bad sinus infection, sick kids, another case of mystery hives (my son) and lots of making and planning for some new things. I have also been rounding up some interviews from some of my favorite Etsy artists. So at least if I am too busy for a lot of posting, I will be able to share some inspiration with you.

My latest feature is from one of my favorites, Marisa Swinghammer of mlee.etsy.com. She was one of the first shops that I added to my favorites on Etsy and I always enjoy seeing the new things she creates. She specializes in woodblock prints which feature layers of colors, patterns and imagery that together create fantastic pieces that seem to move and change each time you look at them. Recently she has been doing some fantastic collages using some of her printed pieces, gocco prints from sketches, washi and other beautiful papers and even some sewing. Below Marisa details the inspiration for one of her latest collages:


What inspired this piece?
My love of all things paper, my inability to throw anything away and my secret desire to be a quilt maker.

Can you detail how you translated your inspiration into your work of art?
My focus for the last two years has been woodblock printmaking and of course I have had my share of failed pieces. Unable to throw anything out I have kept these pieces tucked away, sometimes for weeks sometimes for years and use them in various projects. This piece started with one of those failed pieces ripped up and merged threw stitching and collaging with other papers hand printed and found.

Where do you tend to find inspiration for your art pieces?
Nature, namely the colors and basic shapes that come from nature that I see during my daily walks with my young daughter. The female form and shape. The various art papers and ephemera I have collected over the years along with my own hand printed woodblock and Gocco papers. The world is filled with so much to inspire me if I keep my eyes open.

Any advice for someone feeling uninspired?
First I would tell them that it is OK to feel uninspired and not to force creation when your body and mind may need a break. But at the same time ways that have often brought me out of creative slumps are daily drawing without worrying about a finished product and free thought journal writing. Getting out and looking around at life is always helpful as well.

You can find more of Marisa's work here:
http://mleeprints.blogspot.com
http://mlee.etsy.com
http://www.trunkt.org/mlee
http://www.flickr.com/photos/m_lee

Some helpful links:
http://printsy.blogspot.com/
http://www.imcclains.com/
http://www.dickblick.com/
http://www.danielsmith.com/
http://www.papermojo.com/

I too have quilt envy and wish that I had the patience to learn, but I love how Marisa has taken her hidden desire to quilt and used it to "quilt" a collage. She has done something similar to quilting in that she has taken several unrelated items (think quilting fabric patterns) and brought them together to create one cohesive piece. Each piece on it's own is significant and beautiful, but once it is added to the other pieces, it creates something spectacular. I also love that she used her own past pieces (even so called "mess-ups") as inspiration and that she continued to recycle her work rather than throw it out. At one time she offered collage packs of her "leftovers" in her shop and I was actually lucky enough to get some and they inspired me to create this ACEO.











I hope she doesn't mind that I punched a bunch of holes in her papers, but I really wanted to see all of the color combinations together and the funny thing is that the final result reminds me of a patchwork quilt. So take some time this week to check out Marisa's work (buy a piece or two too, you won't be disappointed), create something inspired by a secret desire, and use your leftovers to create something new or share them with other artists and inspire them to create!

Inspired by "Trash"

Have you ever been taking out the trash when inspiration hit? Ever thought that the bottle or box in the dumpster could be come something more? Well trash is exactly what brought inspiration to Lee Gainer and it led to some amazing art pieces that you can really feel great owning. One because they are gorgeous. I mean, hello, circles, colors texture (I think I'm in love) and two they are environmentally friendly, what more could you ask for? Here is Lee's piece, Magnolia, it's description and the interview about what inspired it.


Original and unique design on 48" x 48" cradled maple board. This piece is from a series of very large collages I created with each being named for a flower. The title is an expression of the "opposition" or things organic and natural, which this artwork is the opposite of. It is organic in it's appearance (like a field of flowers) but created from completely man-made materials. Each took just over a month to build. This piece contains a variety of recycled (upcycled) materials; fabric, paper, felt, foil, caps, carpet, metal, plastic, styrafoam, dried paint, beads, padding and cardboard, that have been hand-rolled into circles and swirls and placed perfectly and securely using Golden Soft Gel. Featuring a rainbow of colors and textures, this piece is unusual and gets noticed by every viewer.
What inspired this piece?
I used to live in a normal townhouse burb that threw out an amazing amount of "trash" each week. I am talking about entire living rooms sets, working light fixtures that just needed a new bulb, $150 of blown glass Xmas ornaments (with the tags still attached), perfectly good stuff! I knew there was something I could do with all these things so I began creating my rolled work in larger forms, using found materials. I had to find a a way to keep some of this good stuff out of a landfill.

Can you detail how you translated your inspiration into your work of art?
I was already working with various materials (dried paint, felt, papers, etc.) by rolling them up into "swirls". I wanted to use those "trash" materials and decided to work bigger. I contacted Al Souza and inquired about the boards he glued his puzzle pieces to. He gave me some pointers, nice guy! I taught myself to use a table saw, went to my local lumber yard and started making my own huge cradled boards. This allowed me to use the heavier, larger "trash" materials.

Where do you tend to find inspiration for your art pieces?
All over. How a shadow falls, the shape it makes. Trash, other artists, lights at night, images from books, bird's nests (they use all sorts of things!), video game screen shots, childhood memories (water slides, girls in parades, ice cream trucks), just about anything.

Any advice for someone feeling uninspired?
It's so frustrating when you get "that block". I will go read a book, do some chores, anything to get my mind completely away from art. After a while, I get an idea or the "spirit" again and hit the ground running. I think that your mind needs to rest its creative side sometimes. In physical exercise, you push a muscle just past it's strength. The fibers tear. You rest. The fibers heal and grow stronger. I think it's the same with creativity.











Lee is also a talented painter and I don't think it will take you very long to see what inspired her paintings! My personal favorite is her M&M paintings. My boys collect the little M&M guys that come out at every holiday, and they would look perfect on the wall over top of their collection! And the Necco wafer one really brings back memories! So fun!

You can find more of Lee's incredible work in her Etsy shop, her website, www.leegainer.com and her blog .
Wouldn't it be great if we all followed Lee's lead and started upcycling trash into amazing art. We could probably reduce global warming by at least a third! Al Gore would be so proud! But, seriously finding inspiration in your trash is a great way to add something new (or old) to your artwork! The next time you head to the dumpster, the recycling bin or trash can, take a closer look and you may be surprised by what you find, and no I don't mean the leftovers from last week (or maybe I do). Look at the shapes of containers, the colors of junk mail and even the strange, alien shapes of the mold that starts to grow after awhile. Remember, keep your eyes and mind open (I did find inspiration in spillt milk after all) and your nose closed, because while there is tons of visual inspiration in trash, the smell is still not so inspiring.

Also remember, supporting artists who use recycled materials is good for the environment!!
To see more cool upcycled art, jewelry, clothing and home decor items, search "upcycle" or "trashion" on Etsy.com, visit the Trashion Street Team page and it's member shops, check out the article, Upcycling for a Greener Living in the Storque and if getting close to trash is not your thing, check out check out these Flickr Groups: Trashion Nation , Trashionista, Free Market (the bargain bin), and The Reuse Project.

The trash photo was found on Flickr and was taken by hammerf.