Elysian Field Originals » Nature

Happy Faerie Day!!

vashley — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:39:36 +0000

Happy Faerie Day!!! It’s a day of celebrating nature
and everything to do with fairies!!!

The Observer

vashley — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 21:17:21 +0000

Sitting at my sculpting table last week, I realized I was surrounded by more polymer clay leaves than I had a pile of in my back yard. After time spent of mixing clay, imprinting leaves, and curing them I had a pretty substantial array…and yet, no motivation to do anything with them. Uh oh, creative block !!!

When life gets in the way (and head) of an artist, that finely tuned thing we refer to as creativity, muse, or inspiration will often grind to a screeching halt. “Things” had gotten into the way of my “flow” as I like to call it. Family responsibilities, employment woes, you name it, I allowed it all to overwhelm me and each time I sat down to work all I could see were my problems.

Fortunate to have a place to retreat to away from everything, I packed up some clothes, clay, sundry crafty bits, and high tailed it to the mountains of Maine

For two days I sat on the screened porch that overlook the mountains and listened to nothing more than the whisper of wind through the trees and birds who were ever busy at the feeders in the yard. I was an observer to the busy forest life that went on around me as if I were invisible. There are so few places nowadays where you can witness the rhythm of nature uninterrupted like this, and here it’s a magical thing.

Birds tending to their young, deer coming to the lake to drink, the whimsical otter that busily swims back and forth searching for a tasty mussel, the whippoorwill who sings as the last light of day disappears.

Mountain storms blow throw with a fierceness that is scary at times, and the wind howls like a freight train through the forest, and yet if I were not here it would still go on. I am just honored to share the experience, an observer.

I thought about the birds particularly after a fierce mountain storm the other night. All during the day they were at the feeders with their young, back and forth and as the storm approached they slowly disappeared to take shelter. The forest became quiet and as the wind came through, and then the rain, I wondered how they fared. When the storm had passed and the rain subsided slowly, you could hear the symphony start up again and within minutes they were back at the feeders as if it had never rained at all. And I realized that to the birds the storm was an inconvenience, nothing more, and they stayed right on track with what they had been doing before.

So I sat down to my table I have set up here and began to create once again. My muse was back. This time taking it in stride that I’ll run into a metaphoric mountain storm now and then, but maybe this time I’ll view it as an inconvenience and continue down the path I’m traveling in Nature’s stride.

Thanks for visiting!

Faerie Slumber

vashley — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 01:15:26 +0000

I thought I’d share a new little piece I’ve been working on. It’s a faerie child wrapped in a maple leaf and asleep in an oak leaf cradle. The faerie is 3″ long and was sculpted using Kato clay with Genesis heat set oils for added color. I really prefer this clay now for sculpting as it is very strong and if properly conditioned doesn’t moon at all, and the color when cured is beautiful.

I miss sculpting these miniature fantasy pieces and will add her into my Etsy shop along with more wearable art pieces.

I’m also working on a pair of Nature Spirit earrings for my April giveaway coming up soon. I’ve not done earrings with the faerie faces before so these should be a treat. Add to that they are Birch leaves and very sacred leaves to faerie and pagan culture, and with Beltane coming up will be a wonderful addition to someone’s wardrobe. Here’s a sneak peak of them in progress!

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…

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.

Nouveau Tree Nymph

vashley — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:04:00 +0000

A unique blend of Nouveau and Nature!

This tiny art nouveau style bas relief of a tree nymph is set into an imprint of a 2″ Norway Maple leaf from Rhode Island. Both are sculpted using Kato clay. The leaf has been colored with inks and mica powders and the fairy nymph is colored using watercolors then sealed.
The brown leather necklace is 20″ with amber glass beads, silver beads, sterling silver bail and a hand crafted sterling silver clasp.

Autumn Leaves

vashley — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:18:00 +0000

So dear friends, I’ve been away and obviously not blogging like I should. Here is a commissioned piece I’ve just finished of a very large Norwalk Maple leaf spirit. The leaf measures 6″ x 7″ and is done in the warm, subtle colors of Autumn. Enjoy!

Waning Days of Summer

vashley — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:12:59 +0000

Hello my friends! The spring/summer has come and gone and I’ve been a very bad blogger, so forgive me dear readers for my extended absence, but now I am back.

I’ve been busy with family, spending time outdoors, working on new pieces, and experimenting with polymer clay techniques. Ah, the sweet joy of success…and of failure too when trying new things.

One thing I’ve thoroughly enjoyed is incorporating precious & semi precious gemstones into my work. I’ve met a wonderful gal, Shelly, who carries the yummiest gemstones and it takes all my willpower to stay away from buying everything on her site, Sapphire Gardens. Make sure you stop in and take a peek.