The Artist's Eyes by Jenn Lee

Over the years I have played with many types of art mediums, but one that really fascinated me in its skillful manipulation is wood turning. There have been examples of this dating back centuries ago, even as far back as 1300BC. These ancient artifacts are available for viewing in museums around the world.

When you think of woodcarvers or woodcrafters, I usually think of someone who makes furniture or cabinetry. For several years I worked under a Five Generation Finish Carpentry Company working on new and older homes. I worked with wood in more ways than I can count. We made base moldings and crown moldings, window and door trim, cabinet doors, custom staircases and more, from scratch. Back then, I never thought about the sculptural aspects in creating vases, vessels or bowls.

This past year, along with many other art styles,  I saw quite a few vendors showcasing their amazing artistic creations at the St. James Art Fair in Louisville, Kentucky.

It amazes me how a woodcarver can take a section of a tree trunk, set it on their work bench and see more than just a piece of wood. They set out their tools like artists paintbrushes and start chiseling away at the block, like peeling away an eggshell off a hard boiled egg. The woodcarver sees the wood like a sculptor sees a lump of clay.

The tools of the trade vary from hand chisels that fit in the palm of their hand, to large scale lathes. Of course there are many variations to lathes; there are wood lathes, metal lathes, glass lathes and even potters wheels are a variation of the lathe. The wood lathe spins blocks of wood at high speeds allowing the woodcarver to apply different types of chisels as it spins, to create different shapes, grooves and or textures to their project. The  possibilities are limitless.

Wood in it’s natural form has such beauty in the grains. The shades in the wood when coated with just a simple wax or polyurethane are like non other. Mixing Oak with Burl, Mahogany with Zebra, Birds Eye with Rosewood…there is no end to the combination’s or unique variety in look.

I am no woodcarver by any means, but I can appreciate the beauty, the natural art form and amazing eye of the woodcarvers of the world. The next time you have a project cutting down trees in your yard, tearing out an old deck or fence, try and think about seeing if there are any local woodcarvers/woodworkers around your area that might like a donation of your lumber to recycle and give new life. As an ECO artist myself, I know I appreciate it immensely when I get charitable donations towards my material usage.

When thinking about creating art, whether you are a crafter, hobby artist or professional artist, your materials don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Anything can be turned into art.

I was perusing my local arts and crafts store advertisement this morning and thought to myself how expensive some of the clay products were. When you think about your art needs, think outside the box. Imagination and creativity can be created out of items around your house.

If you like to sculpt, you can find many recipes for cheap homemade clays. For clays you can bake try:

4 cups plain/all-purpose flour
1 cup salt
1 teaspoon powdered alum (optional)
1.5 cups water

This clay bakes best if your clay doesn’t exceed 1/2″ thickness. It’s good for ornaments, home made picture frames etc.

If you are interested in air dry clays, this recipe is a good one:

2 cups baking soda (baking powder)
1 cup cornstarch (cornflour)
1.5 cups cold water
(makes about 2 pounds – the recipe can be halved)

You want to cook this recipe over medium heat till it resembles mashed potatoes. Once properly mixed, you want to dump onto a plate and cover with a damp kitchen towel, preferably a flour sack cloth, till cool. After cooled you can throw some corn starch onto your work surface, mold your clay and set aside to dry. Once dry you can paint it any way you want to.

If you are thinking of sculpting projects you can do with your children, there are many homemade non toxic clays and play dough recipes online as well. A good recipe to try is :

3 cups flour
1 cup salt
6 teaspoons cream of tartar
3 cups water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Food coloring

Cook for about five minutes over medium heat, then add coloring till you see the coloration you are looking for. Dump the dough out onto your work surface and knead for a few minutes. (Add flour if it’s too sticky)

These are all great homemade sculpting materials that are are low cost, easy to make, can be found in your local grocery store and most important, all ECO friendly.

I hope this inspires you or gives you some quick fun ideas to play with while you’re stuck inside with cabin fever (with or without children).

What is art? According to searches on the web, art is:

• the products of human creativity; works of art collectively; “an art exhibition”; “a fine collection of art”

• the creation of beautiful or significant things; “art does not need to be innovative to be good”; “I was never any good at art”; “he said that architecture is the art of wasting space beautifully”

• a superior skill that you can learn by study and practice and observation; “the art of conversation”; “it’s quite an art”

• artwork: photographs or other visual representations in a printed publication; “the publisher was responsible for all the artwork in the book”

Who defines what is seen as art? Is it the critics, the journalists, the curators, the gallery owners? Is it the art instructors, the art student, the person who’s traveled around the world looking at art or simply the general public? The saying art is in the eyes of the beholder comes to mind.

The motto of  the Artist’s Eyes is Your art as created through the artist’s eyes, whatever you dream I can create for you. I believe this is a true representation of art. Art in all it’s forms is art to some individuals and not to others. Some people may see nothing but a pile of junk when viewing an artists sculpture, yet another person may feel a strong emotion and connection with it. That is what defines art to me… a persons ability to connect or draw emotion from it, whether it brings back a childhood memory, inspires an energetic energy, a warm romantic feeling or simply put brings a smile to their face when they see it.

I believe art is whatever each individual sees. Art is whatever draws you to it. It’s whatever you see and can’t help but be drawn back to, it’s the connection.

What type of art/types do you like? Can you give a reason why? Just think about it for a moment…do you see the connection? Art IS in the eye of the beholder.

Are you feeling the winter blues? When winter rears it’s gloomy head, all the trees lose their leaves, everything that was once lush and green goes dormant and gray, the ground is covered with more mud or snow laying a bland palette before you. Winter saps your happy mood and your creative energies drain away with the last spots of color. What do you do?

You may be stuck indoors with none of natures inspiration, but look around you…there can be inspiration found everywhere around you in your own home. Most of us create warm, happy homes that evoke that homey feeling. If it evokes that feeling that you look forward to coming home to, then why shouldn’t it also inspire your creativity?

When I’m stuck inside during winter, I think of creative inspiration by looking around me. I always have a a stack of magazines whether National Geographic, Arts, Crafts or even a Vogue or Better Homes & Gardens. You may be thinking “How do you find inspiration in magazines?” Well I’ll explain. In magazines you find nature, you find scenery, you find interesting faces, places or things. Challenge yourself to create by perusing the pages. If you like drawing, there are always tons of inspiring photos in magazines. If you like to paint, there again you have tons of ideas in magazines. If you are a crafty person, stock up on a few Craft magazines from your local market, bookstore. There are so many easy to difficult craft project ideas you can do whiles stuck inside during the cold season.

Are you snowed in and can’t get outside to get to the store? Is there a lack of magazines in your home? Well if you’re reading this, you have internet. The internet is a treasure trove of creative inspirations. From people to places to things, I challenge you to tell me there is nothing to inspire you.

I have created a spot in my home that is just mine. I have a room dedicated as my art studio. Maybe you don’t have room to dedicate a room, maybe you are just a hobby artist or crafter and don’t want a room full of art supplies or maybe you are just getting started? If any of these fit you it’s still okay. Find a spot that is free of clutter and off the beaten track of traffic. A cluttered workspace turns off creativity and foot traffic will do the same. Always make sure to have a good amount of light as well, as low light will add negative energy vs. positive when you’re straining your eyes or hunching over to see your work. Always make sure you have a nice comfortable chair too. If your chair doesn’t allow you to sit over your work or have good posture, then it’s going to make your back and neck hurt thus again cutting off your creative desire.

All in all I hope this post helps a little in some ideas of how to beat those winter blues. Let your creativity reach outside the box…