I am moving along with the new designs! I spent a couple of hours yesterday sketching and researching, and I am really happy with this new dragonfly design (the bottom one). I can't wait to start carving it! It was too late last night, and I knew I would never sleep if I started, so instead I worked on yet another variation of the scarab carving I did a few months ago. This one has a background that is more interactive with the scarab itself, with a sort of Egyptian/Art Deco sort of feeling to it. I want this series of insects and wildlife carvings to reference historical art styles. Hopefully the historical inspiration will tie the series together and make them interesting.

Another bit of inspiration has been entertaining me lately, the work of nineteenth century scientist/biologist/illustrator/artist Ernst Haeckel. I discovered his work Art Forms in Nature when I was in college, and it had a big influence on my work then. I recently rediscovered his work because I found a documentary about him called Proteus. I had originally fallen in love with his illustrations on a purely aesthetic level, but this documentary taught me more about his life and influence on the world of science. He is a rather controversial figure, it seems, because of his ideas and works having to do with evolution. It's fascinating stuff! But mostly I love to look at his gorgeous drawings of Radiolaria and other sea creatures. Here is a short video with images of his work that I would like to share with you:
 

And one more thing! Thanks to atdt1991 for my new banners for the blog and the Etsy shop! They look awesome!

I am very happy to say that I finally just dug in and started (and finished) a new carving! I have been wanting to do a dragonfly for a while, to replace a charm design that I used to make that was a really good seller. That old design was cast from a vintage button, and while it is beautiful, it wasn't an original design. So when I discontinued it, I decided to make my own version, with my own imagery. This is what came out last night and this morning. I didn't sketch it first, I just started carving the clay while looking at several pictures of dragonflies. Perhaps next time I will start with a sketch.

I like it alright, but I want to do another one. This feels a little stiff to me, and I want to have a more art nouveau feel to it, so I am going to start a new one. This one has too many roundy spiral things for what I was going for. But since I am working on a new molding technique, I think this one will start the experimentation. Also, I have another line that I want to start carving that will have a lot of roundy spirals, so I think this was good practice.

I am never sure if I should post these experiments and process pieces that I am unsure about. I am not posting and questioning the design to fish for compliments or to have my ego boosted. This is just my process, and I like to share it, even when I am not entirely sure of the direction. Anyway, I have had to little to blog about lately, I am excited to at least have the start of something new.

And now that I have started something and have a direction to go, I am motivated to work on more things. Carving is very addictive to me, once I start, I want to do more and more. I just love working in porcelain!

I have gotten some work done in the past couple of days, along with having some fun. I spent some time over Labor Day weekend taking some pictures of bead accent pairs and sets for the Etsy shop, and got them listed there. So if you are looking for small accent beads to go with my charms, you can find them there, as they are no longer available on my website. They are the perfect size for bracelets and earrings!

I am sort of cleaning things up a bit before moving onto new stuff. I think part of that was procrastinating, not knowing exactly what I wanted to do. Part of it is just dealing with the messes though, too. Today, I am working on cleaning out my computer desk, because my PC sorta exploded (and I lost a whole lot of information...poo). I think I am going to move my beading area back into that room, maybe put up some storage shelves, so I can work in there again. I don't like when my craft stuff takes over my living space, and it has taken up permanent residence in the dining room, so I hope to change that.

I started sketching my new ideas, and have been trying to figure out how I want to make them, technique wise. There are ways that I could do it that are easier and faster, but I do not enjoy them, and lose interest quickly. The techniques I prefer, carving porcelain in particular, take much more time, but I will stick to those designs more because they have more of my heart and hand in them. But the problem is in the molding, which I haven't found a good solution for myself. But now that I have an amazing mold making expert (my brother) living with me, I think I am going to try something new... something he is confident will work for me. So onward with the carving! I hope once I start that I will get really addicted to it and will continue making new pieces in a frenzied manner. It's just a matter of making that first tool mark.