Friday, February 23, 2018

Art Imitates Life or, Life inspires Art




Probably the question I am asked the most is "Where do you get all your ideas?"  It's usually followed with very much appreciated comments about my creativity, sense of humor and whimsy.  I'm always at a loss to answer this very important and sincere inquiry because honestly my mind works overtime with suggestions for what I should make next.  What my eyes see my hands often want to put into clay.  How does this happen?  Let's take a look.





















One of my neighbors gave me this wonderful bird bath.  He thought I should have it because I love nature.  So, I might look at this and start to think about how to sculpt it.  Then I see the birds gathered around one of my bird feeding stations and I start thinking about that.  This might dance around quietly in my head for a few days or weeks and it finally comes out like this birdbath with delightful little bathers eagerly awaiting their turn.







Here's one more.  The birds in my garden constantly amaze and amuse me.  Last year I had two successive and successful blue bird nestings.  The Mr chose it, the Mrs agreed and I had bustling, busy, chatty flashes of blue all summer long.  So of course, I am making lots of birds and birdhouses this spring.  I am not a realist in my work.  I think I should be classified as an Impressionist, because I like to bend and alter colors, attitudes and activities to match what I see in the aforementioned crazy brain.  And besides, it's really hard to get that color of blue...


Back to the two cutie pies and the clay piece at the top.  My grandkids are always up to something.  I love that about them and I try to keep my phone/camera ready.  When I started making gates, inspired by my blue million trips to the fenced in garden for Leon's potty breaks, the first one I HAD to make  featured the rascally bunnies sneaking into a garden with a locked gate.  My grandkids inspire me like everything else.  And I am thankful for that.




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