Personal Eye Candy

.....otherwise known as my artistic inspiration.

As an artist of mostly commissioned pieces, it is often difficult to transition from honing in on the inspiration of others to my own personal inspiration. I am the kind of artist that has "writer's block" when it comes to creating on my own. I often end up painting the same objects and end up with them in still life paintings. So maybe I'm not blocked as much as obsessed.

I love my coffee time and relish in a "favorite mug" or my collection of Italian coffee pots (called Mocha Pots) that are often a staple in the Italian home. I have a couple of white cream pitches that I claimed after they were rejected by another. I don't use my cream pitchers very often, they are saved for special guests, but I love the shape of a small cream pitcher...petite little pieces of functional art.

I love * love * LOVE * functional art. A shapely cup that fits snugly in my small hands with a well placed thumb rest is a piece created for me by a friend and local potter. (I intend to feature her work very soon.) I also have another piece from her that is the water pitcher that I fill my coffee pot with; no other container will do. It is the ritual of my coffee time to include these loved pieces and I am certain that it is why they often end up in doodles, drawings, paintings, and other artistic creations of mine.

I love drawing cups, mugs, coffee pots, creamers, and accouterments to the

event of "coffee time" in general.

I chide myself often for being mundane and boring in this aspect of my creativity but it is what I enjoy. So I will likely keep creating art with these items in mind.

In my defense....

I heard only this past week that there is an acclaimed artist nearby that is obsessed with painting cows.

Seriously, cows!

She paints them over and over and people love it. Probably because they kind of "liked" cows but then saw her love of cow reflected in her paintings and then loved it too!

I think I may be in love with the coffee pot.

Not the modern glass and plastic version of a drip pot that plugs into the wall and automatically spits out watered down drips of colored water.

They are often just the uninspired holders of flavored water that inject

caffeine into the masses.

No, I am talking about the beautifully shaped table and stove top versions, that make coffee even when the electricity goes out. The pot that encourages time to slow down to enjoy the company of friends and family. I love the differences between coffee pots in the international community of coffee lovers; American, French, Bosnian, Turkish, Dutch, and Italian versions all have a distinct touch that makes the pot their own. The interior mechanics are mostly the same for the most part but the exterior is where artistic liberties can be taken. I have seen all metal, a combination of metal & glass or even metal & ceramic, painted, unpainted, rubbed, etched, and even cast. They are all gorgeous and functional eye candy that inspires this artist.

What gives you inspiration?