It's always so flattering when a complete stranger picks out your work to be commented on or for a lovely Treasury like this one. If you want to see the original, it should be up for a day or two more at: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=78845. Thank you, Red Panda!

warpeDesign's Twin Waves card is on the left column, second row from the bottom. Here's a link to it:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24713099

Inspiring minds want to know

It's dangerous to ask an artist where they get their inspiration from. Either you'll open up the gates and they'll vomit indecipherable personal information about their treacherous search for either inner truth or the meaning of life... or they'll say the truly deep "I felt it in my gut". I'm a gut person myself. Makes me deep, huh?

Gut instinct, though, is incredibly important to creativity. Every artist knows when something 'feels right'. They know when they're on a roll, doesn't matter if they've been working 1 hour or 10... Something clicks in them and they know they can't stop, shouldn't stop, because there's a very good chance that they wont be able to pick up again when they come back.

I could almost compare it to an athlete getting their second wind. It's that moment when your body stops struggling, stops fighting you. It's the same for an artist. All of a sudden your hands know what to do before your brain does. Instead of thinking about what you want to do, you just do it. Instead of the brain leading the way, the gut does.

Stars in the sky

When you live in New York City you forget what the sky is supposed to look like. A dark, rosey smudge seems to be the status quo for that space above your head. You rarely see any stars, certainly not in any quantity, and if the moon is out, you'll be lucky to see it for a few minutes before it ducks behind a building.

And scale... well, the concept of big sky does NOT exist here. Small sky... no... Minor sky, seems to be the word for it. There's just no place to be reminded of how big the sky is, unless you're on a rooftop which most of us aren't on a regular basis. We spend our time either tucked into buildings or ducking through concrete canyons. Maybe the minor sky syndrome is one more reason why New Yorkers are so fascinated with their feet. It's not just about avoiding eye contact, we just don't want to be reminded of how enclosed we are.

On my trip to Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley to be specific, I was enthralled to reacquaint myself with that luscious, sparkling dome. There was one night where the storm clouds had rolled off to the side and the stars glittered through the remaining humidity. The water still in the air seemed to add extra facets to each twinkling dot. And best of all... there were no buildings in the way. Just an inky, sequined ceiling that seemed to stretch and stretch and stretch.

Fall Handmade Cavalcade

Two posts... in one week. Don't get too used to it. But I really really wanted to put this up...

The NewNew NY Etsy Team is going to be in Beacon, NY on September 12th hosting their Fall Handmade Cavalcade. I will be among them. It'll be my first show after my summer break. I'm looking forward to showing off my new lamp designs. I may even have some cards in color... ooooh. I know... how exciting. Color!

But back to the show... it'll be great. Lots of good people with wonderful arts and crafts and we're doing it on one of Beacon's Second Saturdays, so there'll be lots of action around town. If you are interested, you can get more information at: http://handmadecavalcade.com/.

Touching Hello

So it seems only logical to restart my journey into blogdom with a "greeting" card that displays warpeDesign at it's best.

"hello" is a classic. I use this card as the sampler at all my shows. There's always one sitting on the front of the display for people to pick up, fondle, stroke, hold up to the lights, show their friends... as I watch quietly from the other side of the table. And, believe me, I am not understating how people react to the cards. Everyone's first instinct is to touch them. I see hands stretch out, fingers extended. Some people just go for it... and then others freeze, look at me questioningly, waiting for permission. Makes me wonder if I shouldn't change the word from "hello" to "sample" or "touch me"!

Children are naturals. They always want to touch the cards. There's no pausing with them. If they like something, if they are curious, they just grab. (Someday one of them is going to pull my table over on top of themselves.) But I like that honesty. That's a pure reaction, and the best of compliments.

It's why I love this technique. There are so many printed cards out there. And I know a lot of amazing artists who make them and make them really well. But my cards hit a visceral sense that print cards do not. How many cards are as fun to touch as they are to look at? How many cards change the way they look when you move them around? Each card is definitely a labor of love... labor being a major part of that... but it's always worth it when I see someone reach out to touch "hello".