Cross-Pollination

I'm SO MUCH happier writing about and showing other people's work. I don't mind posting photos of my work on Flickr but blogging about it makes me nauseous for some reason. Hopefully, it won't make you nauseous too. Queasiness aside, I'm going to write about myself today. When I first started this piece, I was thinking of the magnolia tree at my parent's old house. I was fascinated by their tree and it was the first time I'd ever been up close to a magnolia seed pod. But, at some point during the creative process, a lotus pod got involved and the cross-pollination resulted in something that would probably make a botanist cringe. It's growing on me though (no pun intended) and I think I'll explore this design a little further. I've listed it in my Etsy shop if you'd like to take a closer look.

Speaking of Etsy, those of you who sell your work there or on other online sites, know how difficult it is to drive traffic to your shops. There's a brand-new site called LuvHandmade that's meant to be a way for artists to promote their items. The have a blog, a forum, and an online community and it's totally free to sign up. I was chosen as their rise and shine seller this week and you can read my interview here. Hopefully, the site will continue to grow and bring exposure to many online sellers.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Berry Inspired!

Russian artist Oksoon recently created these wonderful polymer clay berries that make me long for the warmer days of spring. As soon as I saw them, I was reminded of one of my favorite Flickr photos and sure enough, that's exactly where her inspiration came from.

Tamara, of Block Party Press, in addition to being a talented polymer clay artist, takes amazing macro photographs like the one of these berries she discovered on a walk last year.

Nature provides us with a bounty of free inspiration. Embrace it!

All You Need is Love

Where does inspiration come from? If you're anything like Leslie Blackford, it comes from everything you see and everything you do. Leslie (along with myself and Judy Belcher) had the good fortune to see Cirque du Soleil's The Beatles LOVE show while we were in Las Vegas last year. What a stunning tribute to the greatest band in the history of music and what a treasure trove of inspiration. The costumes and characters are simply incredible! Leslie's "Walrus and Eggman" is the first in what I hope will be a whole series of sculptures inspired by the show.

It's cold here in West Virginia today so I'm going to pretend I'm sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun to come. If you'd like to join me, click here. Coo coo ca choo!

Inspiration Abounding!

I ran into a photo site yesterday called Every Stock Photo, which is basically a search engine for license-specific photos. It's nothing like Flickr or other photo sites I've visited. This site gathers photos from all over the web, including Flickr, and lists them in one place. You can do a search for almost anything you can think of and hundreds or thousands of images will come up, along with a link to view the photo where it was originally posted. There were just a few images listed under polymer clay but I was totally mesmerized by the shells, fossils, and stones. I see this as a wonderful source of future inspiration. Membership is free and allows you to rate, tag, collect and comment on photos. I've borrowed a few to share with you and I'm linking back to the photo site where I originally found them.



The photo above is avacado and rambutan. I had never heard of rambutan before so, in case you want some more information about this cool-looking fruit, click here.

This was, without a doubt, my favorite photo from yesterday's exploration. The color, the pattern, the texture . . . have any idea what it is? It's a Romanesco cauliflower! Of course, I've never seen one of these in West Virginia but, if any of you live in a real city , maybe you can tell me what they're like. It's almost freakishly beautiful! I don't even care what it tastes like but I'm sure it must be magnificent. I just want to spend hours and hours studying it. Does anyone know if there's a gourmet market anywhere near Synergy next week?

And here's one more special photo that I found just for you. I hope your Valentine's Day rocks!