Monday, April 23, 2012

Santa Fe Inspiration

It's nice to escape to another world on occasion, to find inspiration in a different landscape. While Austin has been extremely hot and dry this past year, it hasn't quite reached the high country desert feel of Santa Fe. On a weekend anniversary getaway, I was surprised to encounter widespread beautiful spring blooms of lilac and forsythia.


I was totally captivated by the Southwestern architecture, where almost every home is surrounded by an adobe wall and gate. Wood or metal, carved or painted, the gates bring a sense of mystery to the beautiful winding streets. What lies within?


My self-assignment this week at home is to contemplate how to utilize this inspiration directly in my own work. How can I bring a sense of mystery to my jewelry? I've long been attracted to mechanisms, to hinged doors and secret compartments, and I'd love to incorporate some of the enigma of the Santa Fe gates into my designs.


Inspiration is all around. The tricky part is to reduce it into my own practice in a mindful manner. I clearly don't have a Southwestern aesthetic, so while I appreciate the classic motifs of Southwestern art, they won't ever appear in my own art. I have to delve a bit deeper to seek elements such as emotion that are more universal.