Inspiration

Thank you to Meek Gallery for this image.

I have been thinking about how much inspiration I gain from my interaction with other creative types. Recently I had a great conversation with Bill Meek, glass artist extraordinaire! My husband and I recently visited Bill and found him to be full of conversation about how he finds inspiration in his every day experiences including dealing with a house re-build along the Texas Gulf Coast after last years Hurricane Ike (where his glass sculptures were the only pieces of art to survive the flattening of a gallery). He talked about how he is inspired when hiking the Pacific Coast Trail with his son. Each of these times, he couldn't wait to get back to begin pieces which were playing in his brain.

Several of you know I have a glass sculpture by Bill called Mariposa. My husband and I recently celebrated a wedding anniversary and decided we would mark the occasion with one of Bill Meek's pieces. We choose Antler of which you can see a similarity in the photograph above. Bill talked with us about the process he went through to produce this piece and the process of finding glass this thick to work with and how the veins and subtle impressions happen which is sometimes by happenstance. It was fascinating to listen to him talk and to hear about how his adventures influenced him to create these pieces.

This has made me think about how I find inspiration for my work. Clearly, I know, travel is a HUGE inspiration for me. I learned something else, though, I am also inspired by other artists and their work. My mind cannot stop racing with ideas since talking with Bill and seeing all of that beautiful, lovely glass. How about you...do you find inspiration from the work of other artists?

So please visit the Meek Gallery web site. I think you will be delighted. If you ever have a chance to see his work in person, you will be glad you made the effort. He has many fabulous architectural installations which might be near you or near a place you might be visiting. Bill also can be found in various 'shows' throughout the year. I hope you can see his work sometime.

By-the-way, the bowl is called Antler because he shapes those veins with an antler.