We Seek it Here

Above, pages of a sketch book from few years back.

Re-filling The Well

Some days inspiration strikes, but not necessarily in the direction you were 'supposed' to be working in.
But the muse must not be denied!
So today I was working on a commission for an athame - a symbolic dagger used to cast protective circles during pagan rituals.
I got to the 'full-on-creative-buzz' phase, when you just know that you are in the process of creating something good and worthwhile. Experiencing that feeling that accompanies taking a shape out of your head and making it real. That moment when the final piece of the jigsaw leaves your mind and you perceive how the object in your hand can fit back into your original vision.

Further Study of Crows

There is, I think, a myth that art comes easily to talented artists, implying an effortless process. Yet, in opposition to this, is the portrayal of the tortured artist which is so beloved of Hollywood. The truth is so often closer to monotonous and seemingly endless study and iteration, in search of those sainted moments. Inspiration and a satisfying articulation of my thoughts and feelings and quite often my dreams.

So today it is yet more crows, seeking an image that says all that I need to say within the shape of it's flight, truth and beauty.

Raven Reaserch

Been a very busy day today just lapping up the beauty in the world! Oh and what beauty, so just time for some visual research. My thanks to Dotty for finding the raven website.

Nothing to Show For it

Some days go better than others, surely a universal truth? Though experience has taught me that it is often on the days when no real progress is observed that the real work is done. The rest of the journey towards the glittering prize comprises merely the 'sweeping up'.
Spent a long morning struggling with the technicalities of the crow lofting mechanism, only to have my muse (yes she's back) tap me on the shoulder and all became clear in a flash of embarrassing simplicity the solution was so clear.
Suffice to say, none of this produced much to photograph so today another page from the sketch book.

Great Artists Steal

To paraphrase Picasso. Apologies for the lack of a post yesterday - sometimes the muse just is not with me. So today - a fairly random sketch book page of visual research a lot of which came from a book of contemporay illustration. Personally, I believe that this is on of the most exciting and inspiring areas of the visual arts. It appears that the artists involved in this media have not forgotten that seemingly essential element of visual art - that which captivates the eye. Subliminal meaning and expression are clearly important, but without drawing the observer closer, one cannot deliver the underlying message.

A Murder of Crows

Today another page from the pocket divinity sketch book. Crows have long since held a place in my heart and recent reaserch has shown higher inteligence than certain primates - 'tool making' as well as 'use of tools' skill sets.

A box for the hand, inside a flock of crows.

With elements of sculpture, automata, devotional object but with the simple tactile plesure of a cigarette case or 35mm camera.

Pocket Divinity Sketch Book

Today, for interest's sake, I have posted a page from the pocket divinity sketch book, Pocket Sculptures, Amulets for a modern age. Talismans of sensuality. I believe that as humans we contain an element of the divine within us, and connecting with this will enrich our lives immeasurably. Small, human scale, no monuments to the ego here, sculpture for the hand, to touch.