A New Twist to An Old Passion

One of the few things I am (sometimes) able to do when having to "go horizontal" (due to pain and such) is draw. Spending lots of time in the studio working with polymer is great, but my drawing skills can get a little rusty if I don't keep practicing. So, I am grateful that I'm forced to do down time, where I can get my 2D skills back in shape.


One of my greatest inspirations is the work of Ernst Haeckel. He was a German biologist and artist who loved wild and crazy (my words) forms in Nature. Below are two Haeckel illustrations (in color) and my re-interpretation of them in pen and ink.

While one could say I am just copying Haeckel's work, so be it. I remember as a child, visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City, and seeing students set up with easel and canvas... right there in the middle of the museum, copying the Masters. When I asked my mom why they were doing that, she said that one of the ways to learn to paint is to copy the work of others who's work you admire. It will help you to see through their eyes.

My mom was a wise gal. I would only add that it also helps you stretch your creative muscles and keep in "practice". The pen and ink drawings above, as well as others inspired by both Haeckel and directly inspired by Nature, will be transferred to polymer clay and turned into little pins and earrings and such... so, stay tuned. I'll do my best to share some photos of them in a future post.

My next blog post, however, will be about some of the beads I have been making... so... um.... yeah, stay tuned.