Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Iteration and Intersection


Recently, Deryn at Something Sublime, wrote a post, What Not to Do, something she had told herself she would never do. It's about copyright and making things your own and it is a wonderful post. It's a prickly topic which I think Deryn has done a lovely job of addressing. It's a very supportive and positive post and definitely worth reading and giving some thought.

As it turns out, I was in the middle of making drawings for a new design. I was definitely inspired by a zen tangle tile I had seen done by another artist. I thought it might be interesting to take you through my design process, at least the on paper part, and then show you where the inspiration came from.



Rarely, maybe never, does a design spring from my pen to paper to a model in one step. It's an interative process for me. I draw out what I see in my mind. Make little adjustments. Start over. Redraw, refine. Each time I put pen to paper it seems that I see something new. A little tweak that might feel better to me.



This is the final drawing from which I made my mold that I used in ceramic and metal clay.

This is the tile that I loved, drawn by Christina Vandervlist shown here on her blog. See there that flower pattern in her tile? I love that. I'd thought about doing something as a texture plate and then as I was working on that concept when the idea to just do a flower seemed to work for me.

The intersection part of this whole thing is that when I contacted Christina to ask if I could post her tile, I found out that she is a bead weaver. I only knew her from the zen tangle community. She's been a bead weaver for 37 years, taught at Bead & Button and Bead Fest. Her work is published and her Traveling Spirits have been featured on the cover of Beadwork. I love and admire all things bead weaving and seed beads. How extraordinary is it that I would be inspired to make a jewelry component by a drawing made by a jewelry maker that I've never met?



In Deryn's post she references a published letter by Heather Wheaton, editor of Art Jewelry magazine. Apparently, there are all sorts of rules of thumb for how much of an alteration makes something your own, 10%, 20%, 30%.....  One of Deryn's DO's is to "Allow that transformation to take place and release the original artistic voice within."  Good advice!

As visual people we aborb images from everywhere. I think it's important to recognize and acknowledge that . For me, iteration is a process that allows me to absorb those images and let them come out as my own. In that process, I have time to reflect on what I am saying, what resonates with me. And I'll tell you with absolute certainty, that with the bitter cold we've been having, flowers and blossoms definitely resonate with me.

Thanks Christina for your lovely field of flowers and the inspiration.

22 comments:

Marie Cramp said...

Wonderful new pendant! I love it! Seeing the process you go through always fascinates me. There are so many things I want to learn and try, it would be wonderful to spend a day in your studio with you :)

Unknown said...

LOVING your new design and enjoyed seeing your thought process that went into the making!

jessememan said...

great post, LeAnn! Love seeing your sketches and inspiration, and especially the finished products :)

Courtney Breul said...

I love your new design. Loved that tangle too. :)

Courtney Breul said...

In fact, just bought one! :)

Marsha of Marsha Neal Studio said...

Well said! I guess - actually, well written!

I saw Deryn's post a couple of weeks ago and now with yours as well - I think I've got an even clearer view of all these fine lines with copyrighting.

When I get back to writing my post - I'll be drawing inspiration from your post and Deryn's (and of course, linking it up).

I love the clarity in the metal pieces of your drawing. And somehow I can see some of those new colored celadon glazes on this - the puddles of color would look so incredible (like that picture up top - YUM!!!)

Keep warm!

Anonymous said...

Great post and great story about serendipity. I love your flower design, and the description of your process.
I linked to Deryn's post from yours and it was very helpful to read too.
I learn so many things from looking at other people's blogs and following their links. 5 years ago who could have imagined this cyber art community, where we get to feel like we know each other, even though we might never meet? It takes time to keep up with reading blogs, but what I read often helps to make my day!

mairedodd said...

so beautiful leann, and you bring up a very important point - we absorb all of the time... and it is all about what you do with it... i will shut myself off from mags and such on purpose out of fear of feeling like i am copying - i think i need to read the blog post... thank you -

Silver Parrot said...

Great post - thanks for taking us through your process!

windrock studio said...

Hey, LeAnn ... isn't it a wonderful thing how all this blog-ness creates connections? So many lovely people out there.
Your work, as always, is gorgeous.
Susan

Unknown said...

Excellent post! I read Deryn's post as well, and to be quite frank, it's a topic that I think about a lot. Your SO right, we absorb images, and ideas, daily from our surrounding, and while it's difficult to give credit for all inspiration...however, one knows if they are using a specific image, tutorial, or piece for their inspiration or if they are straight up coping. It's a fine line, but it really angers me when I see work done by others who don't give credit!
Anywho...I really enjoy seeing your process and the pendants are gorgeous!

stregata said...

Gorgeous piece - I am totally over the moon the way you are making the new molds - they are fantastic!
Inspiration can be a very prickly topic - I enjoyed Deryn's post as well. Love how you have shown how your design developed.

Kit @ Dreamscribe said...

What a stunning way to use a tangle design - wearable art - from illustration to 3D. Loved reading about the process too. Thanks for sharing!

steufel said...

Thxs for sharing your design process. That was really interesting. And I LOVE the result! Funny you mentioned Deryn's post. I found that a great read too!

Melinda Orr - BANDANA GIRL said...

Love this! The glaze variance is amazing and each becomes it's own piece! Very nice :-)

Shai Williams said...

Wow! Thank you so much for sharing your thought processes.

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing the process, the new pendant is fabulous!

Mary Harding said...

Love this post and the tiles. Especially the colors you have achieved with the glazes. Just fabulous.

Unknown said...

Your new pendant is just lovely and I could see this on a summery necklace. This is a great post!

Cindy said...

LeAnn...it is interesting how the post on Deryn's blog has tied in with your new pendant. We truly are influenced by so many things that surround us -consciously or subconsciously. The zentangle art that you showed is incredible! And wonderful how you created a similar in ceramic - so beautiful.

Pretty Things said...

I had to search to see what was Zentangle and what was your piece so I guess that's the point, right?

In things like what you do, creating from nothing, the copying issue is much more painful, I think (please people, don't hit me). For those of us who string, it's SO easy to accidentally do something very similar because we're all buying from the same small pot of artisans. Makes me so nervous there are times I feel like giving it all up.

My Life Under the Bus said...

All sorts of gorgeous!!! I love the bronze patina.