Over the past several months I have spent quite a lot of time in Utah, most of it between the Wire-Sculpture offices and warehouse.  As a serious rockhound and ‘outdoors person’ this has been extremely difficult for me, because I have had no time off to explore the beautiful countryside or to look for rocks!  During my most recent trip an opportunity arose and I was able to draw one of the staff and his family into a small adventure.  Wire artist ‘inspiration’ has been one of the themes around the office this summer, so we are pleased to present the first:

Wire-Sculpture’s Side Trip Adventure!

For Inspiration and Education

Located at Rozel Point of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, the Spiral Jetty is an earthwork sculpture that was created by American sculptor Robert Smithson in 1970.  In a previous post regarding inspiration, I mention folks who use mathematical formulas to create physical art, as Robert Smithson did when designing the Spiral Jetty.  Read more about this amazing artist:  http://www.robertsmithson.com/index.htm

The Spiral Jetty is a form of art known as Earth Art, Earthworks or Land Art.  From other examples found around the world, Land Art has been a practice for thousands of years but became a recognized ‘movement’ of the art world in the 1960’s, led by Americans.  What I find so cool about this art form is that it uses only materials native to the natural area in which it is created, and over time the art is actually meant to erode back into the earth from which it came!  (Talk about recycling.)  This is a great video clip that shows Smithson planning this sculpture, as well as its’ creation by heavy equipment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTx4Pp4aPXA

The only Sign that told us were we headed in the right direction!

Our travel to the Spiral Jetty was enjoyable and it is ‘out there’!  As we rode through the terrain I thought of the first settlers traveling through the Utah prairies in covered wagons; women wearing all those cumbersome, hot clothes and what a challenge it had to be to find drinkable water.  Our first stop turned out not to be our end destination, but we were all glad to get out of the van and walk around on the salt flats, which seem to go on forever!

During our exploration of these flats, we checked out what appeared to be puddles covered with a thin layer of ice.

Ice in August in Utah??

Upon closer examination, the ‘ice’ was really a layer of salt crystals in the process of forming as the water evaporated.

Nope - Salt crystals!

The challenge for everyone then, was to find a formation of salt crystal that was different from anything we had already seen.  There were so many, really cool examples!  Although tempted to remove our shoes, as it was rather hot and we were in a wet location, I do not recommend it because these crystals can be razor sharp and some of them are as big as a dinner plate!  (Find out more about salt/halite crystals: http://www.galleries.com/Minerals/HALIDES/halite/halite.htm )

Loading everyone back into the van, our driver expertly maneuvered around not just rocks in the roadway, but miniature monoliths!  Continuing on to the Spiral Jetty location, we stopped to leave some water and fruit with a young couple that had not been as careful and had cracked the oil pan of their little car.  (Warning!  If you venture out to any remote location be sure to take along plenty of water and a few high carb snacks, as in some places cell phone reception is non –existent!)

The Jetty is awesome!

August 30, 2009

Talk about an ‘inspiration’ for everything beyond jewelry making, from: ‘we need to take care of the earth because it takes care of us’ to ‘one person can make a difference’.  Yes, we all walked the entire spiral and then explored the salt formations on the local basalt rocks that had been used to create it.

My only wish now would be to see this Earth Art sculpture when the water is up because the salt here is tinted pink with the salt tolerant algae that lives in this lake, and when the water level is up the black jetty jumps out of the blood red water, aligned with the bright white salt encrusted shoreline.

Leaving for the long drive back to Ogden, we each felt just a little closer to Mother Earth, and everyone has a nice salt crystal to remind us of this wonderful ‘Side Trip Adventure’.

Moral of this article: take an occasional ‘Side Trip’ in your local area and see what you didn’t realize was in your own backyard that may just be transformed into an inspiration for both your life and your art!

Stay ‘Twisted’!

Dale/Cougar

I’ve presented the title to this article as a quote because it has been my email  ‘signature line’ for more than a year, to answer to the question I am most often asked:

“Where does your inspiration come from?”

This is the most frequently asked and can be the most frustrating question for almost all artists in every medium, (be they authors or writers, painters, sculptors, actors, architects, chefs, clothing designers, etc.).  The various reasons can include that those who admire our work for whatever reason, would like to know if their thoughts align with those of the artist, or to have more of a story/explanation for the way an artist created and then named a certain work.

An artists’ inspiration does come from every ‘Where’ and every ‘Thing’!  Many artisans, whom I have the honor to know and to work with, take photographs of objects, people, and landscapes; every ‘Thing’ that catches their eye.  They carry a small digital camera or a cell phone camera every ‘Where’ they go, so a possible inspiration for future works is rarely lost. 

Resulting Pendant: 'Agate Butterfly'

Butterfly Pendant Inspiration

Some folks always have a small sketch book within reach for the same reasons, as often a simple rendering of the lines within an architectural structure or the way a tree branches that needs to be drawn to be remembered.  One freelance writer friend frequently begins his stories at the end and works backwards, while listening to a certain type of music, and another starts her adventures in the middle and then fills in the details on each side, (similar to laying out a stone and some corresponding beads for a piece and then figuring out how to make them all come together). 

Humm . . . pendant frame?

Occasionally, raw emotion is the total reason for a design and by using whatever shapes and colors the artist visualizes as their mind-set, he or she combines all of the ingredients with their art form, resulting in a physical release.  Then there are the folks to whom I personally refer as ‘scientific artists’.  These individuals actually ‘see’ their designs within written mathematical formulas and the like, transferring them into physical works of art!

Maybe Earrings?

Many years ago, I worked as an advertising artist and one of my resources was a collection of  ’cut-books’.  These were published volumes that contained a selection of black and white line drawings which an artist could use for free, to help speed up certain jobs.  Using this idea/inspiration within my jewelry training sessions, I cover the simple ways of creating your own inspirational ‘cut book’.  First purchase an inexpensive photo album and then browse through the variety of catalogues received in your mail, and cut out every ‘Thing’ that you find interesting.  (These items may include nick-knacks, prints of framed pictures or posters, the pattern of a piece of clothing, a colorful vegetable dish, etc).  Another idea is to ask a local salon to save all of their old magazines for you!  These can include many typical subject choices, such as fashion, wedding, and prom, but also wildlife and sports titles, where you will find ‘Things’ you may not have considered ‘inspirational’ before!  Put all of these pictures into that photo album, in a random order, (upside down, sideways), creating collage pages.  When your brain hits ‘artists’ block’, prepare your favorite beverage, relax and open your ‘cut book’.  Look through it from the front first, then turn it upside-down and look at it again!  You will be amazed at what can ‘happen’ within your designs.  (I do have to warn you though, often a design idea that you ‘think’ you are going to make sometimes develops a mind-of-it’s-own during the creation process, and when completed looks nothing like your original plan!)

A page from my 'Cut-book'

The ‘inspiration’ for this article comes from Wire-Sculpture’s ‘Inspired Druzy’ wire jewelry design contest, for which I currently judged the $1800 Grand Prize.  What an amazing chore!  ‘Amazing’, because the required 150-300 word essays, (describing where the contestant obtained ‘their’ inspiration for the design they created), and the appropriate ‘titles/names’ of each piece, (that ties the written inspiration into each artists’ piece), are wonderful.  ‘Chore’, because these pieces have got to be some of the most creative I’ve seen in a while and I had a most difficult time deciding which would win one of the largest prizes ever offered in an Internet wire jewelry design contest! 

 The Official Judging Process

 The requirements to enter this contest were basically simple.  Each participant was required to send both a front and a back picture of each design they wished to submit, accompanied by a 150-300 word essay that described the inspiration for their design, along with an appropriate title.  The only required purchase was for the participant to have bought their Druzy cabochon from Wire-Sculpture, (where prices run from just $17 to $48 depending on the size).  My judging was based on 100 total points; 30 for originality, 30 for creativity and 40 points for the ‘inspiration’ that combines each design with its’ essay and name.

(I do have to mention that several folks did not send a picture of the backside of their design, which was needed to properly judge the creativity of the techniques executed, and that a ‘formal’ essay was not required,  just the artists’ thoughts that transmitted into their piece.)

When YOU view all of these amazing pieces, please take the time to read the accompanying essay to discover if you can ’see’ through that particular artists’ eyes!  From the spectacular and calm ocean and water themes, (including delightful Pond Scum), to foods,  music, stars and star ships, odes to beloved pets, vacation memories and pieces that were from the artists’  heart of hearts, you will enjoy every piece more with their story and then realize just how very difficult my decision was.

We  invite you all to please participate in the Popular Vote.   Just click  http://www.wire-sculpture.com/pages/druzy_submission.html    and vote for your favorite!  (Voting ends on September 10, 2009.)

I’d also like to take this opportunity to publicly thank each and every wire artist who participated in this contest.  My goal was to encourage you to ‘think outside of your box’, enabling you to see your designs in a different way, resulting in more creativity for YOU and hopefully better sales at your upcoming festivals and shows.

Of course, these are just a few of the ways many artisans answer that age-old question.  I am sure that many of you have your own personal techniques, and I invite you to comment on this post and share them with our ‘Wonderfully Wired World’!

 Here’s wishing all of you Great Inspirations, (as for me, I’m already thinking of our next contest theme!)

Stay ‘Twisted’!

Dale/Cougar

While on a business trip with her husband, Sonja discovered an article written by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong in Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry Magazine. The article intrigued her so much that she contacted Dale and began taking classes at ‘Cougars Creations’ studio.

Sonja has a Master’s Degree in Studio Art and presently teaches art at the middle school level.  She has previously exhibited and worked in a variety of art media including watercolor, pencil, and photography.  Before venturing into the world of wire, she had previously exhibited and sold jewelry made from wood and oven baked clay. Sonja now admits that making and creating her own wire jewelry designs is her favorite artistic endeavor, as she loves taking an idea or inspiration and forming it into a piece of wearable art.  She credits her love of creating wire jewelry to the teaching and encouragement from Dale.

Sonja has recently published her first wire jewelry pattern in Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry, and also has a design featured in Dale’s new Book “Wirework.”  Sonja resides in eastern Kentucky with her husband and their son.