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Creative Glass Art by Jeannie Cox

Saturday, July 9, 2011

What Inspires You?

So, what does inspire you to create?  I have been asked that question many times over the years, in many different ways.  "How do you come up with these ideas?", "Where did you learn how to make this?", and "How did you create something so unique?", are just some of the questions I have heard over the years.  Well as for learning and creating my own pieces, most come from working with the glass, learning how it flows, moves and melds, then experimenting with different ideas and techniques to get my final products. As for inspiration, that's a different story.

As many artists may tell you, whether they are painters, sculptures or little 'ole glass artists like me, that is a hard question to answer.  The best answer I can honestly come up with is "everywhere"!  I am so in love with the art of melting glass, that just about every day, I see something, think of something or hear something that inspires me to mentally transform an image into a glass bead or sculpture.  Of course, there are so many ideas bouncing around in my brain each day that most don't turn into an actual finished glass piece, but maybe one day,  given enough time. :0)

Many of my ideas come from, where else, my imagination.  I love fantasy and so I created my beautiful Faerie beads and my intense Dragon Eye pendants.  Both came from a visual picture in my mind in which I had also visualized the process of creating the pieces.  After drawings and then practice at the torch, they gradually took shape into the final pieces you can see today.

 Other beads I created "off the cuff" so-to-speak.  Just sitting at the torch one day, had an idea or image and took it from there.  Some of the beads I made were also ideas from friends, just suggesting an idea or asking if I ever created this or that.  I was glad for suggestions from friends because in many cases it pushed me into different directions of creativity and helped open the door to new techniques and skills.  For this I am very grateful, thanks friends!  One of these creations was the shark tooth bead (left) that came from a conversation with a past work-mate of mine.




Of course, nature is always a big inspiration. Trees, mountains, flowers, streams, oceans, sky, etc. All can be transformed into lovely art. I have created various beads with ocean themes, space/moon themes, desert landscapes, trees and mountain, flowers, etc. They are always a joy to make and each one I create has it's own, unique landscape, just like a precious painting. But in this case, it's a painting you can wear!





There are so many other inspirations out there, too.  Seeing a unique painting, the design of a fabric, a children's book, a stuffed animal, a movie scene or even a commercial - - any of these things can put ideas in my head of a new bead or glass art piece.  They come from everywhere and anywhere, at any time.  It is amazing to me still that glass seems to be a constant learning experience, bringing new challenges, new ideas and new techniques all the time.


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