Wow! It seems like forever since I posted. Between the day job and Luna's Parlour it's been a crazy-hectic few months. And I'm having the time of my life!
I often get asked, especially with my larger and more complex trees, where I get my inspiration from so that each tree is truly unique. I like to walk and I like to snowshoe (when Michigan weather cooperates). I'm always on the look out for unique looking trees and landscapes. I probably now have more pictures of trees than I do of my kids and pets combined! (Ok, that may be a stretch, but you get what I mean). From the photos, I look for ways to stylize nature into my wire creations; I pick out elements from photos I take like the one below and translate them into wire and gems. Often, I'll sketch out variations of ideas before creating as a guide to my stylization. Sometimes I'll just go for it and freeform.
The base of the tree is equally important. I use both natural materials and reclaimed items. Natural materials never have the same patterns, sizing, or shape. Reclaimed items can be a little tougher to work with. My most recent obsession is working with miniature teacups, miniature vintage vases, and Saki cups. Often I find the cups as sets. So to enhance their individuality, I fill them with different materials such as sand, shells, pebbles or glass to create the "earth" foundation on which to nestle a tree. I select the gems I want to work with to make the tree - that's not just for color, but size and shape as well. I may use larger stones to represent a fuller tree canopy or teardrop stones to create the soft leaves of a willow.
And then there's the wire. The wire. From different metals, to different gauges, to different hardness, I can get so many different effects just by using different types of wire or mixing different metals, colors or gauges together in a work. And there's nuances in the twisting, bending, curling, and wire-wrapping as well. Every tree I make has a backstory!
Now that you know my general creative process, I'll answer the next question I inevitably get: how long does it take you to make a tree? And I always say: It depends. I've made some of my smaller trees in 1 to 1.5 hours + 24 hours cure time for the adhesives (not to mention the creative clamping I sometimes have to rig on irregular shaped materials!). Some larger trees have taken me 40-50 hours or more (plus cure time) to work through from concept to final piece (so I'll work on that type of piece typically over the course of 4-6 weeks).
So there you have it! Answers to the two most common questions I get about my work.
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