or "Where Do You Get Your Inspiration" (there really should be a space for subtitles on blogger!!).
On a somewhat frantic & rushed Christmas Eve, in an attempt to avoid the larger malls by visiting more out of the way places, I happened upon a book store that I hadn't been into before. Oh dear!!
In my defense I was looking for a particular item that they would have normally stocked - so I wasn't just killing time browsing ;)
A book caught my eye as I entered the store & the thought went briefly through my head that I should buy it for myself, but it looked as though it would be a rather expensive volume, so the thought was quickly dismissed. Searching for the gift tags that I'd gone in to look for I came across the book again & discovered that it was surprisingly reasonable price wise. When I further discovered that there was 30% off store wide it suddenly became a done deal - I bought a Christmas gift to myself ......
For quite some time I took the volume to bed with me each night & lost myself in the panoramic images of a place & culture so very different & so very much older than mine. Conjuring images from a Thousand and One Nights I read the descriptions of each city, of the history, the people, of Maharajas & Moguls - their festivals, their traditions. This kind of thing spins my wheels - I can't help it & I really don't ever want to!!
When I look at the gorgeous panoramic images I cant help but notice the exotic contrasts in both landscape & buildings from the warm earth tones of some through to the refreshing white of others.The shape & style of the architecture is amazing & the hugely decorative detail inside & outside buildings is something else - especially when you stop to consider how long ago many of them were built.
There is art & colour everywhere in "The Land of Kings"....& it seems I have managed to add another destination to my bucket list.
I find books such as this hugely inspirational, as I find myself tracing certain shapes on images with my fingers, or admiring the way a colour has aged I realise that I am trying to figure how I could include that element in a bead or a painting & before I know it I'm reaching for my sketch book!
What sort of images inspire you?
2 comments:
What a fantastic book.
A while ago a discount bookseller came to the College, I spotted this beautiful book called 365 days underwater Eden. It's just full of the most spectacular images from under the Big Blue from all over the planet, and some of the colours make me want to sing, I love it, every time I look at it, it makes me want to get my beads or polymer clay out
Lynsey - your book sounds fantastic!!
I'll have to look it up & see if we can get it here.
There is so much of this planet beyond the "immediate" that I know I'll never get to see - & although inspiration really is everywhere you look it's kind of nice to have something on hand to lose oneself in for those harder to access places such as coral reefs ;)
It will make for a refreshing change as most of my books focus on the ancient civilizations.... or gardening.
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