Freeform Friday: Organic inspiration. Natural sculpture. Pods.

Hi. My name is Jenny and I am a pod person. 

No! Not THAT kind... this kind:

Mystery pods from my collection, including the essential acorn and something cypress. 

Eucalyptus, lotus, magnolia, Something from San Diego, milkweed. My personal collection... 

Its no secret that I find continual inspiration in Nature. Both the world around me, the turn of the seasons, the tiniest details. I have been in love with pods, leaves, fronds... as long as I can remember. ( And comparable water treasures: shells, seaweed etc.)

I discovered the work of Karl Blossfeldt in my college years. He was a German photographer, sculptor, teacher, and artist who worked in Berlin, Germany. He is best known for his close-up photographs of plants and living things, published in 1929 as, Urformen der Kunst. He was inspired, as was his father, by nature and the way in which plants grow. He believed that 'the plant must be valued as a totally artistic and architectural structure.' (Thanks Wiki) 

Image credit: Soul Catcher Studio

Medley of images from ASX

Very early piece of mine. Stoneware, maybe mid 90's. Influence seems obvious. 

Sculptural pods. A variety of finishes: smoke fired, glazed, reduction fired... All are handheld.

In the cyclical nature of things, I feel like making pods again. But I am in a different place now, and want to make small pods. Wearable pods, one of a kind carved pods, rustic stoneware pods... 

(This is where I am supposed to show you the pods I am sculpting. Oops. They are all still in my head. I tease you with all the pretty pictures, but I have been immersed in teaching clay camp and not in sculpting mode lately. Stay tuned!)

So I will grow these plans, nurture this idea - and hope to harvest the pods in time for Beadfest. (Too many plant metaphors?) Off to the studio with me... 

What is your favorite "old is new again" inspiration? What motif do you return to, time and time again? Talk to me! 

Jenny
www.jdaviesreazor.com

Blossfeldt books on Amazon: Many are reasonable priced and a treasure trove of beauty, awe, inspiration! 

Genius loci

From Merriam-Webster:

Definition of GENIUS LOCI

1

: the pervading spirit of a place

2

: a tutelary deity of a place

The place: Austin TX. 

The time: last weekend. 

The plan: take a walk, enjoy the weather. 

The result: inspiration!

I was born and raised in Maryland, and now live in Delaware. To be sure - I have lived other places, other countries, other regions... but I have four seasons in my blood. So when I was visiting Texas in January, and walking around in a tee shirt - I felt hyper aware of the outdoors, the environment, the ecosystem. 

Nature and natural forms always have inspired me... so trusty iPhone camera and I snapped a few pictures on a 4 mile walk...

Bare branches, net, blue sky. Patterns. 

Agave and sunbeams. 

Contrast. Complementary. 

Lone Star.

In the "spirit of the place" I was inspired to make earrings. (You have heard of our AJE earring challenge, haven't you?) 

Prickly pear: Dimpling with center punch, dimples, freeform similar shapes. Pearl "blossoms". 

Agave: shapes, marking a leaf ridge, mixing enamel colors.

The colors were as inspirational as the shapes. I am pleased with the shapes, and love the red/purple pearl "blossoms". The colors were another matter. The agave was a silvery green grey with hints of blue. The prickly pear was sage to chartreuse! I decided to experiment - feeling like an alchemist I threw together some enamel powders... opaque, greens, white, transparents...

The results are interesting, but not exact. I wish they were swapped, as one is more silvery grey...I like the speckles that result with opaque white in the mix. I could have tested the colors first, and taken notes. (No thanks). My biggest disappointment was the loss of my "dimples" - I would have needed much more transparent colors for the metal divots to show through the enamel. I knew that, but in the color mixing spontaneity I didn't think...I am going to have to revisit these, and keep experimenting.

What is inspiring you today? What new influences do you see in your work? 

Jenny

www.jdaviesreazor.com

Make merry under the mistletoe!

Mistletoe. How did a parasitic evergreen plant with poisonous berries become associated with kisses?  It was described in 1820 by American author Washington Irving in his "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon":

"The mistletoe is still hung up in farm-houses and kitchens at Christmas, and the young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked the privilege ceases.

Mistletoe is very prominent in the Norse myth of the death of Baldur. He dreamt of his death, and lest it come true... his mother Frigg, Goddess of Love, had all living creatures swear to do Baldur no harm. Except the mistletoe, omitted for no apparent reason.  Leave it to Loki, the Trickster, to wreck havoc and trick blind Hodor, Lord of Winter,  into slaying Baldur. Frigg's tears of despair were said to crystalize into the white mistletoe berries. Baldur was resurrected, long story short. Mistletoe became a symbol of love and peace, not death. 

Mistletoe, which was sacred to Celtic Druids because it mysteriously grew on the most sacred tree, the oak, was ceremoniously cut and a spray given to each family, to be hung in the doorways as good luck. Druid priests cut it from the tree on which it grew with a golden sickle and handed it to the people, calling it All-Heal. To hang it over a doorway or in a room was to offer goodwill to visitors. Kissing under the mistletoe was a pledge of friendship. 

Mistletoe Santa - antique postcard. 

Mistletoe dress! What holiday finery!

 The evolution of the "Kissing ball" 

Originally, during England’s Middle Ages, “holy boughs”—made from interlocking evergreen 
branches and supporting figurines of baby Jesus or the holy family—graced passages. Throughout the holiday season, the holy bough hung from entryways as an omen of goodwill for embracing visitors.

After a period of unpopularity, thanks to the Puritans, Victorians brought the holy bough back from obscurity, refurbished with a new look and a new name. It now became an elaborately decorated apple or potato replete with herbs and foliage. The herbs on each “kissing ball” were not only chosen for their beauty, but also for their symbolic value. Lavender and rosemary signified loyalty and devotion, while thyme promoted courage. Mistletoe was a popular decorative choice symbolizing good fortune and fertility.

The kissing ball began to emphasize romance, rather than mere good will. Dancers waltzed under the kissing ball laced with mistletoe for a peck, and single women stood in wait for potential suitors. Eventually, sprigs of mistletoe superseded all other greenery and became the enduring symbol of holiday affection that we know today. (motherearthliving.com)

And an easy tutorial: 

As well as more information if you are interested...And one more article...

I think I will try this this season, it looks simple enough, and I love the smell of fresh greens in the house!

Thanks for stopping by! And please feel free to browse our shops. As the season starts today with Black Friday we have many sales and tempting treasures... You can find all the details at our Holiday Open House 
page.

The Holly and the Ivy

Shiny lustrous dark green leaves, accentuated by bright candy like berries... holly is a holiday icon, a staple of decorating in its real form and many silk ( and plastic...) facsimiles. As a kid growing up in Maryland we had a HUGE holly tree in our yard - lovely to have so much green through the winter. And a veritable apartment building for the birds...

Image credit: www.flowersociety.org

And at this time of year - the British carol "The Holly and the Ivy " comes to mind. But why holly and ivy at Christmas time?
"The holly and the ivy,

When they are both full grown,

Of all trees that are in the wood,

The holly bears the crown:

O, the rising of the sun,

And the running of the deer

The playing of the merry organ,

Sweet singing in the choir.

The traditional lyrics link go on to link the red of the berries to Christ's blood, and the prickly leaves to the Crown of Thorns. The ivy is barely mentioned at all, and that was what had me wondering about the roots of the song, perhaps in older Celtic folklore?

Folklorist Cecil Sharp recorded older versions depicting a contest of sorts between Holly ( masculine) and Ivy (feminine):

Holly stands in the hall, fair to behold:

Ivy stands without the door, she is full sore a cold.

Nay, ivy, nay, it shall not be I wis;

Let holly have the mastery, as the manner is.

Holly and his merry men, they dance and they sing,

Ivy and her maidens, they weep and they wring.

Nay, ivy, nay, it shall not be I wis;

Let holly have the mastery, as the manner is.

There are records of Midwinter dances held in rural villages, complete with singing exchanges between the genders. Resolution - under the mistletoe, naturally! These three plants are very prominent evergreens in the English winter landscape, and as such work their way in to folklore over the years. 

I found a really charming mention of a British Midwinter/Yule tradition: The holly boy and the ivy girl. Representing the masculine and feminine, they sang and processed through town, carrying evergreens to symbolize eternal light and life during the darkest point in the year. 

In Celtic lore, the Holly King ruled over the "dark" half of the year, as days grow shorter. His reign ends at the Winter Solstice, when days gradually become longer...(His counterpart is the Oak King. ) Holly has been brought inside as a garland since ancient times - its evergreen heartiness a symbol of encouragement and fortitude in the bleak winter. Ivy was very popular for decorations, and "decking the halls" during the Victorian era...

                  

And yes - that IS mistletoe they are hanging... stay tuned for folklore on that most merry of plants!

Thank you for stopping by our Holiday Open House. And please feel free to browse our shops. As the season starts today with Black Friday we have many sales and tempting treasures... You can find all the details at our Holiday Open House page.

Jenny

Www.jdaviesreazor.com