Elysian Field Originals

Leaf Art ~During~

vashley — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:25:54 +0000

A few days ago I posted some pictures of assorted leaves I’d done and what they look like before I draw or paint them. I thought today I’d show you a progression of how some look so far. I have so many ideas and things I’d like to try but for now here are a few pics of current works in progress.

When I’m painting faces or images on my leaves I work in layers of color so that from different angles you can see the face but in a more subtle way. As in nature the hint of life and personality are “just” there beneath the surface.

The gilded leaf was a practice in doing a bas relief on a leaf and I had fun playing around with it. The leaf was such an odd shaped one and I still don’t know what it was or is. I’ll post some pictures in a few days of the finished pieces.

Till then…

And the Winner is….

vashley — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:57:29 +0000

Julie Hagar! Congratulations on being chosen to receive my Pixie Led Necklace.

Thanks to all who entered my giveaway this month. Please bookmark my blog as I will be doing a giveaway once a month. The next giveaway will be listed on March 7th!!!

Leaf Art ~ Before~

vashley — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:19:32 +0000

Old Man Winter is really giving us all a run for our money this year, and me? I’d like to step outside and give him a good kick in the snowballs and tell him to take a hike!! How about you?

In between taking care of my grandsons, and dodging snowflakes I’ve been mixing new batches of clay and pressing leaves for new pieces. Sometimes it’s fun to experiment with the clay to see how far you can take it with color or strength. I use Kato clay for it’s durability and strength, plus it has a nice “give” to it also that is good in wearable art pieces.

I tried Lumina for the first time and have mixed feelings about it. It is very flexible and can take quite a bit of stress, but it’s not easy to draw on and has a rubbery feel to it. I may explore using it on a bracelet cuff idea I’ve been tossing about in my brain. The white leaves in the pics are Lumina. Next batch I will color and see how it takes.

The fun part comes next when I’ll pull a few leaf pieces that appeal to me and see what kind of spirit face they’ll have. My next post will be work in progress pics.

Stay warm, stay safe, and don’t forget February 28th we’ll be drawing someone to receive my Pixie Led Necklace!

Valentine Day Giveaway!

vashley — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:27:31 +0000

In honor of Valentine’s Day I am giving away this one of a kind necklace!

Anyone who leaves a comment is eligible! I will draw a name on Sunday, February 28th, and I will be doing a giveaway each month. Each piece will be something one of a kind created by me. It may be jewelry, a sculpture, home decor…something to show my appreciation for those who pop in regularly!! So please leave a comment and make sure there is an email either in the post or a link back so I can contact you! Thanks and Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!!

Good luck and love to all!

Piece is a hand sculpted polymer clay heart colored with mica powders, 16″ sterling plated chain accented with assorted Czech beads, pewter charms, raw silk interwoven through the chain , and sterling silver spirals. One of a kind.

2010 Here We Go!

vashley — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:54:30 +0000

It’s a new year with many new things happening here at Elysian Field Originals. I took a break from figurative sculpture in 2009 and started a line of wearable art pieces I call Nature Spirits, based on flora and fauna. I am having so much fun with them and they are traveling all over the globe to new homes, but I miss sculpting those crazy quirky characters you all love. So this year I will be doing a few sculptures along with my jewelry, and wearable art pieces.

I will also be doing a giveaway each month on my blog , posting some tutorials, and I will…drumroll please…blog more frequently. It is definitely a habit that I have to learn. Those who know me, know I am never at a lack of anything to say but writing it down is another story.

The FAE magazine article was a wonderful jumpstart for the new year and new friends and contacts. If you’ve not seen it you can pick it up on their website or in Borders, Barnes & Nobles, Books A Million, Hastings, & Indigo/Chapter bookstores.

For fun I’ve been creating some whimsical character earrings that are super lightweight and are accented with precious and semi precious gemstones for a bit of pizazz… here’s a peek!

Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably…
Never regret anything that made you smile. “

What’s New in the Woodz!

vashley — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:20:43 +0000

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted to my blog! Things have been busy here on my end, getting ready for the holidays, sculpting new pieces, and creating some neat jewelry. Instead of a bunch of posts I created a collage to show a few pieces I’ve recently completed.

I’ll be posting more in a day or so when I finish up a commission and my thumb recuperates! Nothing like slamming it in a car door and having it rendered useless for a few days to really put you behind the eight ball!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving with your loved ones and are having fun getting ready for the holidays!

Love ya.

FAE Magazine and Silas…

vashley — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:29:35 +0000

Yes, I know, dear reader, I am a bad blogger, and as many of my artist friends would say, “Valerie stand in the corner!”

Ok…now that my stint in the corner is over, I’ve trudged back over to my laptop in tutu and combat boots to write to you. (I am very unorthodox fey you see in dress and deed)

For those of you who are newly come to my art…WELCOME! For my regular readers and friends, I’m glad to see your lovely shining faces once again.

Things have been crazy busy at Elysian Fields, many new techniques to try out and I’ve been working on stretching the boundaries in my work with polymer clay. I’m also thrilled that the medium is enjoying new kudos and has begun to be taken more seriously as “fine art”. Many amazing artists have pioneered and paved the way to make it easier for the rest of us to focus on creating, and for that I am truly grateful and inspired.

I also want to give a very special Thank You to Karen Kay, editor of FAE Magazine in the UK, for launching my first exclusive feature as an emerging fantasy artist. She is a truly amazing lady and I’m looking forward to the day I can fly over to give her a hug in person. Thank you also to the many emails I’ve received from all of you on my art as well, it really is great to hear from people and connect with you all…it is inspiring and always a welcome surprise when I open my mail.

So, now the seasons are changing and we’re heading into Winter, and that means all ten fingers and toes will be very busy creating new and unusual Nature Spirits, as well as a return to some

of my popular miniature sculpts. If nothing else that will silence, Silas, my house Brownie, who loves to sit amongst them like he is High King of it all and they his court paying homage. I don’t dare correct him for fear I’ll lose another necklace to his mini rampages. In the past if I forget to leave him his milk and honey he wreaks havoc around here and scowls most ferociously at me. I act duly chastened but really love the scolding he gives me, he sounds like a squirrel chattering away.

That’s it for the moment…I’m busy today finishing up on some new pieces to add to my Etsy shop. For those unfamiliar with Etsy it is a venue for all things hand made and a neat place to show and sell my art. Stop in, take a peek around and let me know if I can help you with anything, if I’m busy I’m sure Silas would love to help, although I’d keep a close eye on any sparklies you may be wearing…

Valerie & Silas

Lord Byron

vashley — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:47:00 +0000

“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and
What I can ne’er express, yet cannot all conceal.”

I saw this excerpt from a poem by Lord Byron on a neat blog I visited today. It pretty much sums up how I feel about Nature. Picture is of a butterfly from my garden.

A Dryad’s Dream

vashley — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:10:00 +0000

Winter’s here and tree spirits are slumbering. Here is a quick peek at a dryad as she sleeps in her Maple leaf.

The Road Not Taken

vashley — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:14:00 +0000

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

This has always been a favorite poem of mine, where Robert Frost speaks to the value of independence and personal freedom. I have always wished for a simpler time in which to live, and, as I grow older find myself creating just that.
This picture is in Brownfield, Maine where I go each year to relax, watch birds and sculpt.