So What Makes Me Think I'm Steampunk?

By Phantoms-siren

     This is a good question.  I don't even own a decent pair of goggles, for Pete's sake.  I'm pretty sure I don't have anything with gears glued onto it.  I rarely wear brown, sepia, or cream. In fact, most of the time I wear black and some interpretation of what I think is a Victorianesque look.  I'm certainly not historically accurate.  I suppose I could be most accurately described as being in some kind of Gothic time warp.

(Sorry about that - I had to).

     Which is rather ironic, as I have been accused in the past of  "trying to dictate to others what is Steampunk" (kind of hard to do, since I can't seem to achieve this for myself, let alone anybody else).  I even have the temerity to host a weekly meetup called "Steampunk Coffee & Community"!  And it is well attended!  And people seem to be having fun and liking it!  Some of them even come back!

     So before I get hauled away as some kind of Steampunk "poseur", let me just tell you what I do stand for.  I love the Victorian era, and history in general.  I am fascinated by Science (yes, with a capital S). I like meeting people.  I like making friends and socializing. I like to drink tea.  I like to wear elegant clothes and dress up.  I like to behave in a genteel manner toward my fellow human beings.  I like art.  I like creative self-expression.  I like "weirdos".  I like a "do it yourself" attitude.  I like old things with a history over new things without a soul.  If you're reading this, I probably like you, too!  Maybe Steampunk isn't exactly the right word for me, 'cos I don't shoot a raygun or wear mechanical wings or pilot an airship.  But it is the place where I find the most fun, interesting, and compatible people, so I'm stickin' to it!

Photo by Orange Kraftwerks

It's Often in the Last Place You Look

     This is a photo of my most recent piece, finished on Feb. 13, right before Valentine's Day.  This collage had been languishing in my studio for a couple of weeks, unfinished.  I had the back ground I liked (leafless trees done with stencil and India ink on green tissue paper), and the vintage images of the two little girls, but I was kind of stuck there.  I stamped words on the girls' dresses and added glitter and sequin accents, but it still wasn't quite right.  The stamped words were too distracting and I wanted something different, but no inspiration was coming.

     "No inspiration" usually means that it's time for me to get out of the house.  I attended a wonderful two day even called Curious Gallery and was deeply impressed by what I saw there.  Many of the art pieces in the Curious Gallery show incorporated natural elements, like moss and dried plants, bones, etc.  I loved the idea of gluing some twigs and moss to my collage to add texture and interest, so I did.  I also was inspired by the Valentine's displays in the local Dollar Tree to cut up some lacy doilies and add them as pinafores to my girls (thus covering up the distracting words).   The Valentine's issue of a magazine had a cute tea set pictured, which I also borrowed.  After a week of nothing, the collage came together into its final form in about an hour.

     When things are going slowly, I have to remind myself to take time to go out and see the world and enjoy some experiences, because this is what nourishes my creative wellspring.   It feels like slacking off sometimes, but I have come to accept that this is a necessary part of my creative process.  I have to take things in and let them steep in my brain for a while before they come out as useful ideas.  Even going to Bi-Mart was an inspirational experience for me today.  I'm not telling, but I've got two words - "cherry blossoms".

New Year, New Endeavors

     I must be one of the worst bloggers ever.  Last post was dated October 2013 - what?!  Here it is February 2014 and I'm picking up again.  Oh well, I always was kind of a late bloomer.  Here is my reason for starting up again - I have decided to pursue my art.  My recent research in How to Be an Artist tells me that one of the necessary components to being a contemporary artist is to have an Art Blog.  So- poof!- voila! - Notorious is now an Art Blog!

    Because an Art Blog should probably contain Art, or at least pictures, here are some of my collage/ mixed-media canvases that I've been working on lately:

     I have more, but boy am I having a hard time uploading these pix from my phone!  Talk about technologically impaired! This is why I make my art the old-school way, with paper, scissors, and paint, instead of digitally.  The problem there is that there are lots of fine details to these pictures, like dimensional accents, glimmer sprays, and glitter that don't come thru on reproductions and can best be seen on the original canvases.  Here's more:

     Well, that took me most of the morning.  I really should keep up with this blog, so I don't have to relearn how to do it every time I post!  I also need to get to work making more art, and getting ready for the Art Show and Tea Party on March 1. More to come, I promise!