Today has been an odd day of constant movement, but I don't feel like I really did anything. Looking back, I know I did... I got quite a bit of stuff done, actually. Its sort of odd stuff though, bits and pieces here and there. It adds up, but it can be hard to see it as a big accomplishment. One of the small tasks I did was listing a set of beads, shown above, in my Etsy shop. Two sets, actually, as one was requested by a customer, and I made a few extra. These beads are the ones used in the Treasured Secret necklace design that was created by Jess Italia Lincoln that appears in the Best of Stringing Magazine special collectors edition magazine, shown below. It is a lovely piece, made with lots of Vintaj brass and glass beads along with my porcelain pieces. I love the asymmetry of the design and the way the bird is used as a toggle. I also love the combination of the pale milky glass and my pewter glazes against the brass. Nicely done!

Speaking of secrets and treasures, I have a little bit of both of those today! Yesterday, I was out on a lovely window shopping date with Alex and we came across some unusual materials in an unexpected spot. We both immediately knew we had to have them and spent much time picking out our treasures. They were plentiful and cheap items, and although we didn't know what we would be doing with them, we knew they would be a great crafting material. Today, I made a sample of something that we are going to start to make, and I am super excited about it. But alas, there lies the secret... because I don't want to show or tell any more about them until we are ready to sell them! It might turn into a little side business... just what I need! hehe. If only I had enough hands to keep up with my ideas. Anyway, keep checking back... I will reveal it someday soon, before the holidays!

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!

Today I am partaking in two things I have been craving since last week before Penguicon. The first is diving into the order of Vintaj brass that I ordered and received over the weekend. ooh, it was so hard to play catch up with work and not just take these up to the studio to play with! Yeah, I drool about metal, so what? hee. These are mostly pieces that I haven't used before, so they will take some fussing and creativity to use. The possibilities are endless! I am excited to work with them. I want to wrap a few of the metallic hearts in new ways, because they seem to be a really great finished item, and if I get enough distinct styles, I think I can present it as a class. *bounce bounce* its playtime now!

The other craving I have had is for sushi. Now, I am a newbie to sushi, really. I am not really into fish at all, but I love the rice and nori and wasabi and ginger. I really have enjoyed the roll-your-own parties we have had because I can pick what else I want, but I have never really seen kinds at the stores that I will eat the way they are packaged. I have also been a bit intimidated by going to the sushi bar and asking questions and ordering on my own. But the craving was too much today! I headed to Noble Fish, and a very helpful young man asked me what I liked and made some suggestions. I had a carrot, cucumber and avacado roll, and a tofu and green onion roll. OMG they were so good! Now I feel a little more comfortable and will definately order again. (any suggestions for non fishy ingredient combinations? I like the idea of cream cheese and colored peppers as well) I think I would have liked something else in the tofu and onion one, maybe some more carrot? Ooh and the fresh ginger and wasabi was so good! wow that stuff can be spicy! mmm. Also I bought some sushi rice to make my own, along with some Miso soup base (need a recipe there too). So I may be experimenting with that soon.

ok, thats enough babbling for today, time to play with metal! whee!

I am still recovering from Penguicon, and trying hard to get back to work. I actually got some important stuff done today, including some shipping, some legal/copyright stuff, and glazing and firing a kiln. So that's pretty good! But I still don't have enough energy to post much, so here's another picture of some new work. This is a slave bracelet made for my new friend, the fabulous author Catherynne Valente! You may remember that her new novel and her character description were the inspiration for the Clockwork Scarab carving, and this is what I made for her with it. I had the pleasure of presenting it to her personally, when I met her for the first time at Penguicon last weekend, which was a real treat! Oh, and also, today is her BIRTHDAY! Happy birthday, Cat! *hugs*

I wanted to write some more about finding inspiration in the works of other artists, and how to use that inspiration ethically without copying. I once wrote a post about simultaneous inspiration, and how it often happens with my friends and fellow beadmakers Gaea, Diane, and I with our beadmaking. So I felt like I was repeating myself about how artists work with trends and sometimes come up with similar ideas, and how the exciting and challenging part of art is how to take these trends and ideas and things that inspire you, and use your own voice to express them. I still hope to write a bit about *how* do do that, but it is hard for me to put into words. It's a rather intuitive process for me; one that I have engaged in for years, so it is a challenge to actually describe it. I shall continue to try.

Anyway, while I was pondering this subject, I found myself inspired by another jewelry designer who was working on the same blogger outreach program with me, using the new Brown Lava beads from Rings and Things. While I was working with my own Puffed Square Lava beads, I recalled a pair of earrings I saw on Margot Potter's blog, using the same beads. I loved the way she wrapped the contrasting silver wire around the beads. As I was trying to figure out a way to attach my beads to the faux suede cords on my necklace shown above, I remembered the wrapping and decided it might be a good solution for me too! While the technique is similar, and the inspiration was certainly from what I saw Margot do, I think that my application of it turned it into something entirely different. Margot wrote about a creative process that she compares to musicians "riffing" off of each other in the great post she wrote about copyrights and copycats. While I cannot speak for her, obviously, to me this is an example of what she was describing. I saw something, took note of it, was inspired by it, and figured out how to use it in my own way, creating something both new and inspired by someone else. I try to acknowledge these bits and pieces that inspire me, and the sources, whenever I can. And I think that constantly adding new inspirations and mixing them up in my own way is what has helped me create and evolve my style over the years.

By the way, I fired some more of the keyhole pendants shown in the necklace above, in some new colors, and listed them in the Etsy shop. Gave them a new name too, Openwork Escutcheons, just to be fancy. Please visit the Earthenwood Etsy shop to see them.

Some people get involved with jewelry making to work with beautiful shiny materials like gold, and sparkly gemstones, and rich pearls. Sure, I like all of those things too, but I have always been more drawn to earth tones and raw materials instead of highly polished things. I use a little bit of everything, I have sort of trained myself to work with almost any bead I can get my hands on. Part of this came from working in bead and jewelry stores for so many years, making things that the customers requested and desired. This included many bridal pieces, filled with so many crystals that it made my eyes hurt from the sparkle. But I learned to be well versed in what people wanted, and knew how to make those things to suit their needs.

Now that I work for myself, I am a bit more likely to embrace the things that I like best, and seek to find customers who also like these things. Actually that is one of my business philosophies, I guess. I try to explore my own creativity and engross myself in the things that I love, without worrying too much about how they will be received. I have had enough experience in my career to know that I will find an audience, somewhere and somehow, if I follow my own creative voice and keep making new and original things to the best of my ability.

I am reflecting on these thoughts after opening my surprise package from Rings and Things, which had some lovely and colorful new very pretty Swarovski crystal colors. But what I really got excited about was the pile of chunky, earthy brown lava beads shown above. MMM beads that look like lava and mud! What more can a potter ask for? I can't wait to work with them... I am seriously delighted! I think they will work well with one of my dark earthy scarabs, like the one above. But I have other ideas too, and I am eagerly awaiting the time when I can spend an afternoon playing with them. Hopefully soon!

Today I worked on a sort of new carving. Not really new entirely, but a new version of it. You may remember the Fortress Key tile that I made last year, shown below. Sometime last year, I was pressing a tile and was a little overzealous in hitting it against the table to get the tile out of the mold, and I broke the mold in half. I was really disappointed, and knew I would need to make another one. The weather got cold and I don't usually press tile in winter, because I do it in the basement. So I left it and moved onto other things.
I recently rediscovered it and had the brainstorm to make the new mold, and while I was at it, make a new piece out of it. We had a need for a large medallion, to give away as the Penguicon Masquerade prizes. I thought the key would make a nice looking prize, sort of like a key to the city sort of thing. Or the key to the Con! hehe! Anyway, today I pressed the piece above from the remnants of the old mold, and cleaned it up and redesigned it a little bit. I love this version, which is about 3" round right now (but it will shrink up some in the process). It will make a nice medallion, as well as a nice ornament. I may even be able to shrink it down so it is pendant sized. Tomorrow i plan to finish cleaning up the new version of the tile, and pour plaster molds for both of them. There are not that many days left before Penguicon, so I better get moving pretty fast on these awards!

I don't have too much to say today. I have returned home from my blissful few days away and am working diligently to get centered and back into the swing of things here at home. I am doing a lot of cleaning up, errands, and working on orders. I am trying to do at least one thing a day that I have been dreading. I seem to have piles of paperwork and unpleasant tasks that threaten to overwhelm me, but I am trying to accomplish one a day, and feel happy with that. In fact, I feel so good, that I usually end up doing another of the tasks! Yesterday was my annual doctors appointment, and mailing off all my tax checks. Today was groceries and phone calls, and starting to file some of this quarter's paperwork that has piled up. whee!

In the meantime, in the background, my wheels are spinning and my mind is churning. I have some seed ideas for new carvings sprouting up and starting to bloom! I don't want to talk about it too much, but these thoughts are starting to get stronger and stronger. What usually happens, is that after being in this hyper inspired state for a while, I just drop everything else and *need* to work on it. That's probably how I get so backlogged with the boring stuff all the time, huh? hehe. Ah, the creative life...

After visiting the antique shop the other day, we ventured next door to another antique shop, but one of a different variety. This one had all sorts of architectural details. There were piles of old windows, floor vents, doors, tin ceiling pieces, and other large pieces. That was neat to look through, but of course what caught my eye was the small details. In particular, the collection of beautiful old brass door hardware, door knobs, hinges, and handles. This interests me particularly now because my latest carvings are inspired by them. Now I am further inspired to think about making more.

I really need a better camera if I am going to be blogging from things I see on my adventures. The cell phone just doesn't do a great job getting the quality that I need. This is something I think I need to invest in, once I get all my tax checks and real life payments written and sent off.

I am writing this post on Friday to publish Saturday. I have a fun evening planned ahead that I am sure I will want to talk about in my next entry! So I wanted to write this one and save it while the memory is fresh. Tonight, it is off to the Smart Shop, where the Art Hop is taking place. Squee! Fun!

One of the other inspirations to create this new design was a description of a character given to me by author Catherynne M. Valente from her new book Palimpsest. She told me that her character Casimira commands an army of clockwork insects. This was my interpretation of a scarab based on that description, and my plan is to create a brass filigree hand decoration using the design, something similar to the Alchemical Glove I made a couple of months ago

Unfortunately, I have not yet read Palimpsest, although it looks absolutely compelling to me. I have been in awe, reading Catherynne's Live Journal and following her book release and tour, and seeing all of the art and craft that has been inspired by her work. Check out the beautiful trailer for the novel:

I am longing for the leaves to start growing again and for the brown of winter to turn to the green of springtime. I think the warmer weather and the melted snow has inspired me. I think I will refrain from babbling on today, and just show two new pieces that I am rather pleased with. Click on the pictures to see them in the Earthenwood Etsy shop.

Tonight, a very quick post. I don't have many words to share right now. I have returned from a wonderful weekend, full of amazing sights and even more amazing friends.

I was in Chicago for a day, and got a rare treat of spending an hour or so at the Art Institute of Chicago. Sadly, most of the contemporary wing museum was closed, so I didn't get to see any Surrealism that I was seeking, but I did get so see some wonderful Chicago history and art.

I fell a little in love with this piece, I think its a piece of the Chicago Stock Exchange, designed by Louis Sullivan. I have blogged about him before. The detail was amazing, I got lost in the metal a bit. Quite moving.

Even though I was only at the museum for a short time, I was left feeling very inspired and dreamy and hazy for the rest of the day. I am reminded that I need to spend more time in places of beauty such as this.

I have been thinking about bones lately, both in a literal sense of the skeleton and in a conceptual way as well. And its funny to me how sometimes when I get something in my head, the ideas and imagery keeps popping up all over the place. It started the other day, when I was thinking about how I wanted to strip my website down, to the bare bones of my line, to make room for new items. I was thinking of my work as a body, and I sometimes need to reflect and narrow things down to the basics in order to make room for new ideas. I am doing a serious job of this right now, a little at a time, picking through and choosing the absolute essentials, down to the skeleton structure.

And the interesting coincidence is that someone sent me a link to a blog this morning about a Japanese funeral cremation ritual (warning, a little graphic) about a very similar idea, or at least similar imagery. That made me think about a necklace I made in college that resembled a spine with a vertabrae pendant. I thought... I should get that out of storage and look at it again, I think I am interested in exploring bones and skeletons again for a new line. I have also been thinking about skeleton keys lately, as well as the boning in corsets, things that have been important for me lately thinking about costuming and steampunk. I was just sort of brainstorming those two things, and enjoying the word play...thinking of them made up of actual bones, instead of keys and metal.

Later this afternoon, I was at the thrift store looking for clothing to upcycle for my Confusion costumes, and I saw this necklace in the jewelry counter. It has two large (about 2 inches) vertabrae made into beads. I did a double take and immediately got back in line to buy the necklace (for a mere $2.80). I am not sure what I will do with it yet, but it seemed serendipidous that it was just there today, with all my thoughts lately. I wonder where this inspiration will take me...

A very quick blog entry today, because I am off to start my weekend of crafty awesomeness! I just wanted to thank you all for commenting on my posts yesterday, on LJ and on Blogger and my email. WOW! I really just expected a few little nudges of support, but I got a flood of encouragement. Thank you, I appreciate it and I am super energized by it! Gracious thanks!

 

I do not know what creativity I will find today. There is clay and thread and needles and buttons and fabric in my future, this is certain. Plus some exciting thoughts and words and rhetoric to wrap my mind around, hopefully while my hands set to work with the tools and materials before me. Good work and good friends await me, and that makes for a happy Melanie. Thank you for all being my muses, and helping me find the courage and motivation to get back to work!

So, I am thinking about inspiration today and how it can come in both planned and calculated ways, as well as entirely unexpected ways. Take the piece above, called Sunken Treasure. This was a piece I made right around this time last year. It was the first Collaboration Exploration I did, with Cindy Gimbrone and Jean Yates. This was a project, where all three of us had some of the same elements to work with (namely, Cindy's glass spiral beads and my porcelain shell charms) and where we all had to make something. Sometimes, a limitation such as that is a good way to find inspiration. When you are limited, it makes you think creatively about how to solve a problem, and all three of us did very different things with our sets of beads. It was a very fun project!

 

I liked my piece from the Collaboration so well that I submitted it to Simply Beads Magazine. It is out in the summer issue right now as a project! It is so rewarding when something you do for fun and play ends up turning into something bigger.

 

I have been feeling very inspired lately by many things, which makes me feel very fortunate. My brain is definitely storming! And it is swimming in the ocean, discovering sunken treasures of imagination, things that I didn't even know I was looking for. It is an exciting time, when an artist can experience this, it is sometimes hard to be open to it, especially when wrapped up in other projects, or working on mundane details.

 

I would like to encourage you to discover inspiration's treasures too...to keep your eyes and mind open to them. You may never know where they will be swimming in the ancient ocean of creativity! It might be in a collaborative project that presents itself to you, it might be in a studious and calulated effort, or it may come in the form of an unexpected instant message one morning before you have even had your first cup of coffee...

I have been so very obsessed with the steampunk inspired line of late, I fear I have neglected to talk of much else. And since most of my beads are still put away from the last show, and I am not making much stock from my other lines, I have not blogged about much else, as it is not really close at hand or in sight. But I am reminded this morning, with the Bead & Button show very closely approaching, that I need to break out my other stock, and glaze up any bisque I have, and start to think about my work as a whole and how I will display it. I remembered that I have many, many Muse Stones in stock, some shown above. I think I need to make a finished piece of jewelry with one, a horizontal one, because I have only ever done really simple *pendant on a cord* types of things with them, and I think they could use a good example for display.

 

Oh look how easily I am distracted...*wandering off with a handful of them to my bead desk*...