You Were Inspired by What?

I had a memory pop up recently when I was teaching my son a skill all artists must learn... the M birds. You know the birds shaped like the letter M that you put in the sky whenever you make a land or seascape drawing. It brought me back to memories of my Dad teaching me the same thing. I always thought it was the coolest thing in the world and I felt like I knew a big secret. I mean how simple & brilliant was it to make a bird by making a letter M. I think I added those birds to all my pictures for years. I had totally forgotten about them until we were painting a house recently and I thought it was missing something. It was the birds. His turned out to look more like S's, but I think he thought it was as cool as I did when I was 5. In honor of my fond memories of the M birds (If anyone knows a cooler name, please let me know) I created this little pendant with a flock of M birds. Who knows where they're going or where they've been, but they will always remind me of my early art years. For those of you who don't have a past filled with M birds, this pendant could also represent or commemorate a journey (literal, emotional, creative, etc...) For me it represents the journey from making M birds to making a living with my art!












Here are some great flocks I found on Etsy:































































Artist Credits:
1. Flock Smock by Hende.etsy.com
2. Birds in Flight Print by CuriousZoo.etsy.com
3. Birds in Flight Wall Graphic by oneupdesigns.etsy.com
4. Going Up - Together in Chaos - set of 3 prints FRAMED in 11x5 Silver Vintage Frame by flywithme.etsy.com
5. The Birds- gocco screenprinted flatnote stationery set by heatherjeany.etsy.com

M birds & M birds Pendant- blockpartypress.etsy.com
SBirds - Kyle

Inspired by Pods - Etsy Front Page

Sorry I haven't posted a lot this week, but I have been crazy busy. I am still busy today, but I thought I would sneak in a post about being on Etsy's front page last night. The gorgeous pod treasury list was created by shelleartist.etsy.com, a very accomplished treasury curator. I knew the first time I saw the list that it would get to the front page.


It was just beautiful and luckily she featured my blooming pod pendant. I have been on the front page before, and each time it is a thrill and there is a whir of activity in my shop with lots of views, hearts and even some purchases. The great thing about being there last night was that I am closing in on my Etsyversary (1 year on Etsy for you non-Etsians) and I have set a couple goals. I would like to hit 500 sales and 2000 hearts by my Anniversary date Sept 12th. I actually didn't start my shop until September 27th, but it would still be cool to make my goals by the anniversary of the first day I joined Etsy. Well being on the front page has greatly increased my odds of reaching those goals in time. I am currently at 492 sales and 1976 hearts. So close, I can almost taste it. Hopefully not everyone will be going away for the long weekend, and I will get the sales I need to meet my goal!

I don't know if you knew, but pods are really big on Etsy. I don't know if their organic feel, their coloring, their shape or the possibility that lies within them, but they are extremely appealing, especially to artists (and me). I have created quite a few pod pieces and really want to do some more. I am actually carving a large one now that will eventually become a necklace and I have a sketch of an ACEO that I would like to create featuring some pods. So take a little time to enjoy this treasury list and explore pods and see where they take you!

Have a great long weekend!

You Were Inspired by What?

OK, I have to admit that I have been inspired by some strange things. Probably the strangest was when I actually found inspiration in spilled milk. I was cleaning my counter when I noticed a drip of milk that was shaped like a woman. Now don't write me off as a looney, I'm not claiming to have seen Elvis or the Virgin Mary in my food (not that there is anything wrong with that!), but she was there. I have photographic proof . Yes it is very blurry (isn't that always how it is when you are trying to prove something with a photo), but it is there, I swear!













Well, I took that image and drew it out on a block and commenced to carving. The milk drops had a perfect circle as the head and the perfect curves at breast and hip. The 2nd photo is the finished pendant entitled "Modern Goddess" and it is for sale in my Etsy shop. So the lesson today is don't cry over spilt milk , be inspired by it! (You knew I was going to say that!) Keeping an open mind and akeen eye out, you will find inspiration in places you never thought you would. This may be another regular feature (monthly or when I am lacking writing inspiration). I am going to poll some artists and see what the most bizarre thing is that has inspired one of their works of art. If you are an artist who has had some some strange or bizarre inspiration that turned into an amazing piece of art, contact me at blockpartypress@yahoo.com and you may get a feature!

Inspiration From Color

I was trolling the Etsy forums last week and I found a thread by LoveGemma.etsy (AKA Gemmafactrix.etsy, AKA Jewelry Artist Brooke Medlin). She had found a very cool site, COLOURlovers™ , "it is a resource that monitors and influences color trends. COLOURlovers gives the people who use color - whether for ad campaigns, product design, or even in architectural specification - a place to check out a world of color, compare color palettes, submit news and comments, and read color related articles and interviews. "

Being a color addict myself, I checked it out. The palettes Brooke had posted were very timely for me as they were from butterflies and moths. I had carved a moth stamp about two weeks prior and already made 2 pendants, but I was struggling with what colors to use. Needless to say I was excited to find this site and try out some of the color possibilities. The two pendants I made were done in black and brown clay, so I knew I needed to use those as a one of the colors in the palette. After some debate, I chose 2 very different palettes, "Elena is warming up"by Glenset which included colors such as Fuzzy Wings (taupe), Moth Beauty (deep brown), Red Rsing (Red), Autmn Flight (Orange) and Warm Air (Orange/Gold) and "Butterfly Winter" by Ben Nelson which included Winter Water (A kind of sage green with a touch of aqua), Ice Wings (pale aqua blue) Flutter Snow (bluish white), Winter Warmth (orange) and Nutrient Soil (black).

The two color palettes were very different and not combinations that I would normally use, so it was fun to to try to make them work within the pendants I had already created. I really like how they turned out and I am very grateful to Brooke for sharing that site at just the right time.

If you find yourself feeling less than inspired, sometimes looking at color combinations can really get your creativity flowing. The COLOURlovers™ site is a great place to explore color and it's many possibilities. Take some time to check it out and get inspired!

The Journey Begins

Have you ever seen those little dandelion seeds floating by and wondered just where they would end up? I have been seeing them everywhere and of course they have inspired me to create a little something for my etsy shop. This pendant is called "The Journey Begins" and is a dandelion seed beginning it's journey to find some fertile ground and start it's new life. The carving was pretty simple, just a few lines and I tried to keep it as true to form as I could. The finishing is what makes it interesting. I used several shades of brown and green and layered them, then distressed them and finally added some copper over the top to add a metallic sheen. I would love to see this pendant given as a gift to a new graduate, a new mom or someone starting a new job, to commemorate the beginning of their journey. Where would you go if you were that seed with all the possibilities ahead of you? I think we should consider each day a journey and embrace the feeling of the infinite possibilities of the little dandelion seed.

My journey today takes me to the etsy showcase. Stop by and check out all the sellers featured today!