A big part of my life has always been finding my way to nature when I need to recharge my batteries and find inspiration in my life and art. Simply put, nature is my church. It always surprises, teaches and awes me.
This weekend was pretty magical weather wise. The sun was shining and I spent some time just absorbing the rays and quietly exploring the beach and wooded trails that left there.
My mind was open to the beauty nature had to offer this weekend and I was not disappointed. There were many ice cakes/blocks on the beach. Worn away by some of the worlds highest tides, but not worn away enough to be carried back to the ocean where they belong.
Their temporary nature just called out to me to take some photos.
Initially, I was just inspired by the beauty of the different shapes. I then started thinking of how some of those shapes might translate into a sculpture, or a series of them.
Is this the Kraft bear on the peanut butter jar, or some ancient alien artifact? You decide!
Admittedly, I am no photographer, but I felt like one this weekend, trying to capture different photos in good light so I can reference some of the organic flow and shapes in my ice cake inspired pottery sculptures.
Stay tuned to see what clay creations may come of such inspiration!
On my way back from viewing the ice cakes I noticed this! To me it looks like one of the figures from Easter Island?
But what is it doing here in Canada?
Tell us about how nature has inspired your art or where you draw your inspiration from.
Towards the end of the week, we will be doing another ‘Name that Vase’ post, and you can check out some of our raku pottery vases here.
these were beautiful! thank you for sharing – yes nature is a beautiful church
Thanks for your kind words! I hope you are having a great week!
my pleasure, yes i am and the same for you too
Hola 🙂 Very curious to see what sort of pottery manifests from your explorations….
i just admire, not a potter myself
Thanks! So am I! I am finishing up a set of dinnerware and then I think I am going to play with some of these forms! Thanks for your comment!
I’ve started doing paintings of nebulae and planets. I guess they could count as nature?
I totally feel like those count as nature! Your paintings are very beautiful! I hope you are having a great week!
Tiring! Visiting relative needs entertainment
I know that feeling! Hang in there and I hope you get some down time soon!
He’s leaving Friday but then it’s the opening of the exhibition and a busy weekend. Argh!
Good luck with the exhibition! Anytime you exhibit anywhere, it is beyond busy, or at least in my experience.
Cheers
That strange creature must have crawled out of one of the thermal vents in the Mariana Trench where the biologists and geologists claim life began. And that means, if you’re an evolutionist, that we have some of that in us. Eek! Imagine that, humans with strange things inside. Great pics.
Poor creature! With their long journey halfway across the Earth, I am surprised they were able to get across the great wall of garbage in the Pacific. It can be hard for most people to imagine humans with strange things inside them, unless you work in an emergency room 😉
Thanks for your comment – awesome! Hope you are well!
Great photos!
Thank you!
Wonderful photos. Thank you!
We have about 15 acres of pine forest on our property. The bottom story is brambley so even the deer trails are impassable most of the year here in Mississippi. But in the winter… ! More like a cathedral than a church in so far as the ceiling– the blue winter sky with the sun shining through the pine boughs– is often the loveliest to gaze upon.
Thanks for your kind words! Your place sounds beautiful! You must love living there!
Are the pines mature? We have some pine tress in rows on parts of our property and they really look like a cathedral!
Something just came to mind that you might be interested in. The set up: “Here’s one technique for reaffirming the basic evidence of wonder in our world; that the world is made of a perceptible mystery beyond our means of measuring, but not beyond all sight unless we will ourselves blind.”
http://americandigest.org/wp/the-frame-up-go-with-the-throw/
I plan on doing this in the pines– after it warms up!
This is a very neat idea! I very much like the idea of being in the ‘now’ with nature, and am always looking for the beauty around me, and this sounds like an interesting technique to learn more appreciation of it. Thank you for sharing!
I know I dont comment often, but I wanted to tell you I always read your blog and find you and your work to be an inspiration. Thank you for being you and sharing your perspective with the world. It makes my week.
Wow! Thanks so much for your kind words and comment! I appreciate you telling me that and hope you are having a great week!
Your pictures seemed lovely…a melted stream …a tiny bit of snow….Yesterday it was -50 windchill in Minneapolis. My sister in Anchorage said it was even warmer there than it was here. So I wondered where your studio is. Can you fire when its really cold ? Does it affect the colors differently? just curious.
Thanks for your kind comments! We were lucky! I am on the East Coast of Canada, and the day was part of our January thaw! I try to limit my raku firings to days when the temperature is around 0C winter. The cold cools the pots quicker when they come out to the kiln and can have an impact. At -50C with windchill, it would for sure!
Elegant photos!
Thanks!
Elegant craft!
Thank you!
Love this post! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for your kind words!
What a wonderful read and I love the photographs. There is nothing better then walking in nature and taking in its beauty. https://noelliesplace.com/2017/10/03/let-the-trees-speak/
Thanks for your kind words!
Can’t wait to see what comes from you walk outdoors. 😊
Thanks! You and me both! I hope your week is off to a great start!
Yes, it is. Thanks. 😊
Hi – just letting you know I tagged you at the bottom of this page https://starrcreative.ca/2019/02/06/ladybug-challenge/
Thanks for the tag! I am going to make a ladybug for this challenge. Stay tuned!
Wow! Nature is beautiful and incredible.
I love being in nature, it is a big part of what inspires me!
I feel the same about being out in nature. You nailed it! The photos are great. I can’t wait to see what you do with them! Great inspiration!
Thanks so much for your kind words. There is something for me that really sparks creativity while I am in nature! I will be sure to share what comes of this.
This is lovely. Thanks for liking my post so I could find you!:)
Thanks for your kind comment and taking the time to visit! I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!
Lovely little essay and pictures. I like how you see things from the past and then also decide how to play those images forward in other art mediums. (Easter Islands — Pottery). You ask how nature has inspired recently — we so seldom get interesting weather here in SoCal, but this year has been full of interesting days of weather (for better or worse climate change wise). But the lovely and wonderful thing about this year has been we have finally seen day after day of glorious, majestic cloud formations. I know if you live in a part of the world where that is common, as I used to live in a place like that, it doesn’t seem so amazing, but here– It has revived my spirits in unexpected ways. Your pictures have blessed me today as well.
Thank you so much for your very kind words. I love referencing history and times past in my art, because I feel such moments, places and things hold meaning and lessons and universal truths. I love watching clouds as they dance and play in the sky and I am glad you are able to renew that experience for yourself. When I was a child, we used to see what animals or objects we could see in the clouds. Thank you for bringing me back to that special time and I hope you have an amazing week ahead!
Great photos and love the creativity you bring out of each photo to inspire your art ideas:)
Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope you are having a great day!
I really enjoyed this post-thank you!its good to know there are others who are as obsessed with nature!
It has been the on constant for my entire life! I hope you have a great week ahead!
Your pictures relaxed my mind. It took me somewhere. Thank you ❤
Thank you, for your kind comment. I hope you are having a great week!
I’m not but hopefully it gets better.
I hope so too!
Absolutely beautiful !
Thank you! I hope you have a great day!