anonyrrie: Inspire Me Thursday - Five Senses

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Inspire Me Thursday - Five Senses


This week's Inspire Me Thursday challenge involved using all five senses to create a piece of art. I have to admit that this one really did challenge me, because I was totally out of my comfort zone. I don't normally mix media beyond using some paper collage here and there in a drawing or painting, so even getting my hands on "stuff" was a challenge! Anyway, here it is (although it's much darker here than "in person"):

Sight - I was surrounded by paint on a palette, pretty paper in a basket, drawings and paintings in my studio, many books, and my fat cat Jezebel snoozing on the sofa. Lovely. The idea of sight is also included in the pieces of mirror in which the viewer can see pieces of herself.

Sound - I put iTunes on shuffle ( I randomly recall hearing songs by Morphine, The Isley Brothers, Sinead Lohan), and I started to create using a small piece of scrap maple from Jol's guitar factory. You might say that the whole piece is grounded in the idea of music! I then took an old plastic compact and smashed the outside case so I could get to the mirror. Noisy! I ended up with shards in various sizes, choosing those that I could use as the rays coming from the eye.

Touch - The whole experience was touch! I felt the grain of the wood. I created texture in the background of the base coat of paint using a series of leaf stamps. I rubbed layers of paint on with my fingers. I gingerly handled the broken mirror so I wouldn't cut myself. I used paper in various thicknesses and textures. The finished piece is dimensional with smooth, rough, hard, and soft surfaces.

Taste - There are five coffee beans on this! I painted them gold and used them as the centers of the "flowers."

Smell - The coffee beans smelled wonderful....

23 Comments:

Blogger Caroline said...

Wow this is an amazing piece - you really got into the whole sensual experience wonderfully!

I wish I could see the mirror more but of course that's not going to work on screen is it?

8:59 AM  
Blogger Misty Mawn said...

Carla,
I think you did an outstanding job on this piece, you used all of your senses and well!
The piece is beautiful and I would love to see, touch, and maybe even smell it~! ;-)
Thanks so much for playing!

9:33 AM  
Blogger Brian the Mennonite said...

Starting with a scrap of maple from the guitar factory...lovely sensory stimulation for me.
A few years ago I had a guitar custom made for me...the back and sides are made with beautiful flame maple. It sounds, looks, feels, and smells wonderful. I wonder how it would taste. Quite good with pancakes, I'm sure.

I think this creation of yours is beautiful. I can sense that you enjoyed creating it.

11:34 AM  
Blogger isay said...

lovely creation. i can feel some passion and those great beans fits well in it. it's like it was created as tin plate.

1:19 PM  
Blogger Regina said...

Carla,
This turned out wonderful. I can still see so much of your style in this piece even though it was outside your comfort zone and you were using very different materials. It's musical qualities sing to me and it's wonderful texture and design is a delight to my eyes!

2:27 PM  
Blogger Leeza Hernandez Illustrator said...

Oh WOW! Carla, this is brilliant! Look at you! What a way to let go ... there is so much energy in this piece.

Now ... do more, do more!!!!!!!

3:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with leezy... it's truly brilliant! Great composition and variety of materials/surfaces/ textures. Also enjoyed reading the behind the scenes description.

4:56 PM  
Blogger Bearuh said...

Hey I like how you used mirrors.. that was a good idea and a nice touch

8:42 PM  
Blogger Powpourri said...

Wow, looks like you really went wild on this one! Great job! Brandi

9:07 PM  
Blogger andrea said...

What fun! It looks like this really stretched you creatively, Carla. Did you get a whole bunch of fresh ideas from it? I'd love to see it in person -- and touch it. Those three leaves along the bottom are my favourite part!

9:18 PM  
Blogger Brian the Mennonite said...

Can I be the one to tell you why the three leaves along the bottom are Andrea's favourite part? Can I,can I...Huh...can I? (hand raised, waving wildly like a school boy)

11:10 PM  
Blogger tiffini elektra x said...

Carla - your art and blog is becoming one of my favorites! Awesome job on this challenge - I just love the colors and image! Anyway you ROCK!

3:17 AM  
Blogger Colorsonmymind said...

Carla,
I love how you put so many different things together to make this piece. It is so interesting. I too would love to touch it and smell it. Tee hee:) I LOVE coffee and coffee smell.

8:19 AM  
Blogger Karen Jinks said...

This is really vibrant and tactile, you really rose to the challenge, fabulous!

8:25 AM  
Blogger TXArtcGal said...

This is brilliant! You hit all of those senses with flying colors! LOVE the concept, the colors, you technique! I always love seeing what you come up with! VERY nice!

8:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fantastic!
a.

9:10 AM  
Blogger TheTart said...

Wow.... this is so cool.
I must try this. In the meantime...

Please help, need advice, guy stuff...
Would value your opinion, not art related!

Smooch,
The Tart

12:07 PM  
Blogger The Crafty-Girl™ said...

This is such a beautiful piece of art! Wow...I love it Carla. I've been trying to get some time to do one of these Inspiration Thursdays, but I'm so overcommitted with things right now. Thank you for leaving such a thoughtful comment on my self-portrait post...i think the journey to knowing oneself is fraught with unexpected discoveries which is what makes it one of life's greatest adventures.

1:01 PM  
Blogger Amy Zaleski said...

Wow, this really pops right off the page. I wish I could see the original. Even though you were out of your comfort zone, this turned out quite nicely. I really enjoyed reading how each of your senses was engaged.

3:02 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

a beautiful abstract piece!! LOVE IT!

7:53 PM  
Blogger Laini Taylor said...

Very cool image. Great for the theme, as it makes one want to touch it, as well as look at it. & love your description of the process. Your studio sounds great, as does your cat!

9:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a great piece. It jumps off the page and you can feel the excitement and energy there.

9:54 PM  
Blogger Lia (artjunkgrl) said...

whoa! this is amazing! very powerful piece! love how you describe the process as well!

7:43 AM  

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