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Showing posts with label shells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shells. Show all posts

Friday, February 7, 2020

We're All Ears :: February Inspiration :: Sculpt the World

Jon Foreman is a land artist from Wales. He was inspired by the natural materials abundantly found in his seaside location to create his ephemeral land art sculptures. Stones, sticks, shells, leaves, sand, and more find their way into his hauntingly beautiful mandala-like sculptures. Can you imagine the delight in coming upon one of these out in the wild?

From his website - https://sculpttheworld.smugmug.com -
A creator of various styles of Land Art, he is ever in search of “different.” Be it with stones or leaves, inland or on beaches. He has even created works in derelict environments using materials such as broken glass or ashes and general debris. The scale of his work varies massively; he may use stones or driftwood to make something small and minimal. Otherwise he may be seen drawing massive scale sand drawings up to 50 metres across. His work is ephemeral in many differing ways; Most often the weather and immediate climate will make his work disappear (be blown down/washed away by the tide), and sometimes other people will interfere. This is all part of the creative process and has proven to benefit his work. Jon’s practice is not just something he enjoys but it is also a therapy for him, an escape from the stresses of everyday life. Jon began his journey making Land Art/Sculpture while in college but he feels his creative play with materials and innovative ideas are something which started long before. Most of his work takes place in an already beautiful setting such as the Pembrokeshire coastline. Having grown up there he saw the beauty of the coastline and woodlands and made use of them by collaborating with nature itself.

When I first saw these images on www.BoredPanda.com I immediately thought of beads! Each of these experimental sculptures is massive yet so intimate. The act of placing each stone, stick or leaf in just the right place based on color, size and shape is really remarkable. The circular shapes, with radiating rays and spirals are so very ancient and powerful. I imagine that there is a lot of planning that goes into these, and a meditative experience in completing them. Reminds me of my process of working with just the right beads that I "happen" to find in my beady landscape!


Be sure to look through both the 70+ pictures on the BoredPanda site for more inspiration as well as checking out his website for other materials and sculpture installations. There is even a short film of him working on a massive sand canvas piece along a rugged Welsh coastline. Beautiful! Well worth the time to watch. Show him some love, because his art is awesome!


Jon Foreman - Sculpt The World


Of course you could just focus on the patterns and shapes that Foreman uses, or you could incorporate natural elements like sticks and stones and leaves into your interpretation. Lots of options! Hope to have you play along with me...and tell your friends, too! Be sure to come back on Friday, February 21st for the reveal!

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Beach Walk


Me, about 1966, on the Washington coast
Do you walk the beach with one eye on the waves and the other eye scanning the sand for sea treasures? These earrings look like I had emptied my pockets after a day at the ocean and had gathered together my best finds.
Spiral sea shells, tiny stars reminiscent of starfish and vintage coral (I never buy new coral, because coral reefs are dying in much of the world).
It's almost as if you could hear the roar of the surf while wearing these earrings - the next best thing to being there.
Me, backpacking on the Washington coast, about 1974.

Friday, May 2, 2014

We're All Ears :: May Inspiration


Zigzag Nerite shells - Neritina Communis - from Atlantis Shell Co
God is the most marvelous artist.

There is such beauty in this world. And a lot of it is so tiny that we don't even get the chance to see it!

Case in point... this month, at the suggestion of our editor Linda Landig, I discovered the Zig Zag Nerite shell - neritina communis. The Greek legend is that there was a boy of astonishing beauty named Nerites. He was a lover of the sea-born Aphrodite. When Aphrodite was invited by Zeus to join the gods on Mount Olympus, she invited Nerites to join her. He refused, preferring to stay in his home, the sea. In revenge she metamorphosed him into a seashell.

Now all shells are simply amazing, but what I love about these tiny treasures - just over a 1/2" in size - is that each one is completely unique. Within the same population of these creatures found in the brackish mangroves in the Western Pacific, each shell will be completely different from the last. The typical shell is black and white, but can have colors that range from cream and yellow to red and burgundy, proving to be a very variable species. Of course, the more colorful, the more highly sought after!
Zigzag Nerite shells - from SeaLifeGifts.net

Check out this link to a blog post about the 12 Most Common Nerite Shells to see even more variety!


What inspires you from this marvel of nature?

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To participate in the We're All Ears creative challenge:
Make earrings inspired by this picture.
Write a post on your blog.
Add your exact blog post URL link to the InLinkz code right here
on Friday, May 16th.
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