My Steampunk Romance

Welcome to my world! Lately, I have been watching Dr.Who on BBCAmerica and Oddities a show about the shop Obscura Antiques located in NYC in between working on new pieces. While watching this show I was introduced to the world of Steampunk and felt instantly drawn to it. So I began to research it to figure out my fascination with the genre as well as to learn about its origins. I do not consider myself to be totally goth, rocker chick, or punk, but some combination of them all. So I wanted to share a little information about it, and what fascinates and draws me to it.  Yes, there is a history behind it, and I am an art instructor who loves the history of things. So let's begin, I promise to make it interesting!

Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century. Therefore, steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the 19th century's British Victorian era or American "Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power.  Steampunk perhaps most recognizably features anachronistic technologies or retro-futuristic inventions as people in the 19th century might have envisioned them, and is likewise rooted in the era's perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art. Such technology may include fictional machines like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or the modern authors Philip Pullman, Scott Westerfeld, and China Mieville.  I am big sci-fi fan and love a lot of the old school stuff like Lost in Space, Dr.Who, Star Trek etc., and H.G. Wells rocks! Funny couldn't get into him in high school, but once I hit college, watch out there now! He became a favorite.


Steampunk may also, though not necessarily, incorporate additional elements from the genres of fantasy, horror, historical fiction, alternate history, or other branches of speculative fiction, making it often a hybrid genre. The term steampunk's first known appearance was in 1987, though it now retroactively refers to many works of fiction created even as far back as the 1950's or 1960's.

Steampunk also refers to any of the artistic styles, clothing fashions, or subcultures, that have developed from the aesthetics of steampunk fiction, Victorian-era fiction, and films from the mid-20th century. Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded by individual artisans into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical "steampunk" style, and a number of visual and musical artists have been described as steampunk. Steampunk is influenced by, and often adopts the style of, the 19th-century scientific romances of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Mary Shelley. These scientific romances are noticeable in some of today's animation on Adult Swim. Talk about six degrees of separation! While I'm not a big film watcher, I do have my moments.  Saw a great sci-fi movie yesterday with actors I recognize from other shows, but for the life of me can't remember the movie name. 

Many of the visualizations of steampunk have their origins with, among others, Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, including the design of the story's submarine the Nautilus, its interiors, and the crew's underwater gear; and George Pal's 1960 film The Time Machine, with the design of the time machine itself. This theme is also carried over to Disney's theme parks in the design of The Mysterious Island section of Tokyo DisneySea theme park, and Disneyland Paris' Discoveryland area.


Although many works now considered seminal to the genre were published in the 1960s and 1970s, the term steampunk originated in the late 1980s as a tongue in cheek variant of cyberpunk. It seems to have been coined by science fiction author K. W. Jeter, who was trying to find a general term for works by Tim Powers (The Anubis Gates, 1983); James Blaylock (Homunculus, 1986); and himself (Morlock Night, 1979, and Infernal Devices, 1987)—all of which took place in a 19th-century (usually Victorian) setting and imitated conventions of such actual Victorian speculative fiction as H. G. Wells' The Time Machine.

The BBC series Doctor Who also incorporates steampunk elements in the design of the Doctor's time machine,[citation needed] the TARDIS, first presented in the 1996 American co-production when the TARDIS interior was re-designed to resemble an almost Victorian library with the central control console made up of eclectic and anachronistic objects. Modified and streamlined for the 2005 revival of the series, the TARDIS console continues to incorporate steampunk elements, including a Victorian typewriter and gramophone. Steampunk has begun to attract notice from more "mainstream" sources as well. For example, the episode of the TV series Castle entitled "Punked", which aired on October 11, 2010, prominently featured the steampunk subculture and used Los Angeles-area steampunks as extras in The music videos from both David Guetta's "Turn Me On" and Panic at the Disco's "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" have drawn heavily on steampunk inspirations.

Steampunk Clock

Steampunk design emphasizes a balance between the form and function.  Like the Arts and Crafts Movement, this blurs the line between tool and decoration. Various modern utilitarian objects have been modified by enthusiasts into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical "steampunk" style.  Example objects include computer keyboards and electric guitars. The goal of such redesigns is to employ appropriate materials (such as polished brass, iron, wood, and leather) with design elements and craftsmanship consistent with the Victorian era, rejecting the aesthetic of industrial design.


Because of the popularity of steampunk, there is a growing movement towards establishing steampunk as a culture and lifestyle. Some fans of the genre adopt a steampunk aesthetic through fashion, home decor, music, and film. This may be described as neo-Victorianism, which is the amalgamation of Victorian aesthetic principles with modern sensibilities and technologies.

Have to admit, steampunk gear is pretty cool. Even though I can't envision myself walking around in Victorian styled clothing, at least not the bustles and dresses. But some of the corsets and some of the accessories would work really nicely with my Dr. Marten boots and would be a lovely addition to my wardrobe. I especially would love a top hat, some of the tops, coats and well hell, I want a little bit of everything.

Steampunk fashion has no set guidelines, but tends to synthesize modern styles influenced by the Victorian era. This may include gowns, corsets, petticoats and bustles; suits with vests, coats, top hats and spats; or military-inspired garments. Steampunk-influenced outfits are usually accented with several technological and period accessories: timepieces, parasols, flying/driving goggles, and ray guns. Modern accessories like cell phones or music players can be found in steampunk outfits, after being modified to give them the appearance of Victorian-made objects. Aspects of steampunk fashion have been anticipated by mainstream high fashion, the Lolita fashion and aristocrat styles, neo-Victorianism, and the romantic goth subculture.

If you want to know more about Steampunk, there is a facebook page dedicated to it, also a steampunk.com which is a blog, Steampunk Magazine.com. For the fashions, DraculaClothing.com and SteampunkCoture.com These are only a few sites, there are many more. My information comes from these sources as well as Wikipedia online.


STONEWOMYNART now has a public page on Facebook.  If you haven't already gone to the page to hit the "Like" button, I would appreciate it if you would.  This page features current works in progress and I talk about the "stages" each piece is going through, while I'm working on it. You can see an image of my new piece in progress in Stonewomynart new works, if you click on the image it will take to you stonewomynart on facebook. You can see the stages of development for this piece along with all the trials and triumphs of creating the piece.  I summarize the process on this blog page so I can talk about other things too. Also comments, questions can be addressed better if you can see how things go from start to finish.  So check me out. Also, I will launching a collaborative women artist site next month. This site will feature works from women artists as well as our exhibits and the events we participate in. So look for it soon.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my posts.  Will see you next time at the....

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New Year, New Beginnings, New Art

Happy New Year!

WHY?

It's been a moment since my last post.  I've had some minor issues to overcome, but I'm BACK! and ready to get things poppin'.  The holidays revive the desire to loose weight, and make new years resolutions that are broken within the first 30 days.  I decided to make a plan and set goals for the year. Things that can be accomplished without starving myself and fooling myself by trying to achieve unrealistic goals, such as loosing weight.  I'd rather eat healthier and be more active and lead a better lifestyle. I'm not trying to compete with the stars who have trainers, chefs, stylists and other amenities to help them stay slim. Can't afford those things, but I can go for a walk, eat a salad or two, and buy clothes that accentuate me in a positive way. My focus is on finding my truth, it's on and I'm ready.

life size plaster cast

One of my goals for the year is to show more of my work.  My pieces have a lot to say, and are not just a bunch of pretty rocks and textured clay.  There is a consistent body of work and each piece has a different story to tell. I have pushed my work via social networking and exhibits.  Guess a lot of people are apprehensive about sculpture.  Part of my goal for more exposure is to overcome that obstacle.  Sculpture is not all about massive public art pieces, where most sculptors seem to go.  My work is more intimate, it can be touched and is attractive in a home, office or any indoor venue.  It can sit on a shelf, table, or wherever. It does not require any special stands or contraptions for it to be seen. Part of my plan is to revisit some of the previous methods of creating my art, as well as exploring new ways of telling my story. Some of my earlier work included pieces that could be hung on the wall, they were armature pieces that incorporated plaster and other lightweight materials. I love doing relief sculpture, and it can be done in clay or plaster like fresco paintings. It's back to the studio, with new ideas and plenty of motivation. Sometimes I can be my worst enemy and my toughest critic about my work.  Its nice to be able to seek feedback from other fellow artists, sometimes....

I recently read an article by Alan Bamburger, Art Business.com about "How to Respond When People Criticize Your Work," In the article, Alan talks about opening up the can of worms when you ask someone what do they think about your art. "All kinds of people will say all kinds of things about your art, whether they tell you to your face, write about it, make videos about it, blog about it, post about it or gossip behind your back. Not only do you have to learn how to handle this continuous onslaught of thoughts, feelings, feedback, comments, criticisms, observations and impressions, but also how to evaluate and respond to them, and most importantly, how to not take them personally." The truth is most people have no idea of how to respond, and will give the "it's nice" response, because they don't know what your looking for, they may not feel they are qualified to speak on the art and perhaps they don't want to hurt your feelings. I've stopped asking people long ago. However, I do like to talk to those who are familiar with my work and can offer some insight about it.

I don't take them personally, I do listen and filter out what is usable to me. The one thing I have learned is that I don't need anyone to validate what I do. Whether or not anyone comments, sees, or buys my work, I will continue to create. Because it is my truth, my passion and I believe in my work.  This article is good for  any artist or those interested in art, especially if your questioning yourself or your work. I found it enlightening and informative, it gives another perspective. The main question Alan says you should be asking is "What do YOU think of your art?" Bingo! What do I think of my art? I think it's great, with room for improvement and expansions.

view 1

view 2

Speaking of great art and improvements, my new piece is a head in Agata Alabaster, it's intriguing to watch my stone morph and transform into an image.  Despite some frustration, especially when it's not going in the direction I planned, taking a step back helps me work it out.  My drawings and mock-ups look very different than the finished piece, but that's okay.  I learn something new every time and I find a new way to get the desired result and accomplish what I want to do. Often times, they start off looking scary and the image is some what illusive. When the stone is turned to another angle, the whole image changes and often looks totally different.  This is unintentional, and once the piece has been totally fleshed out, the idea and the image become one and I can see one expression versus many. I spent the afternoon, working my Black & Decker drill with rotary rasps to help smooth out the stone surface and shape the face.  It was invigorating and productive. Haven't done this before, I usually hand carve it all and then use my rasps and rotary tool to enhance and smooth out the stone.  Using the drill was really effective and saved a lot of time.  Now I have to work on the actual shape of the head/hair, shape the mouth and add curves.

view 3

View 3 is after using the rotary rasps, what a difference. View 2 has that scary/mean look. The rotary rasps eliminate the tool marks and brings out the shape a lot better. I'm so excited, can't wait to shape the head/hair more.  This technique will definitely be used again on future stone pieces.  It speeds up the process greatly.

Now that things are underway, I feel more confident about where my work is going.  Larger pieces are in my future as I expand to 20-30 lb stone. I have to increase in increments, because my work space has to accommodate the size of the stone as well as my clay work  and any other materials I use.  At some point, they may become life size, but that's a future goal not set for this year. But who knows, life has a way of changing one's mind. Also, I want to take a few classes and get out there and do some Master class workshops to better hone my skills.  It would be awesome to study with a Master sculptor. We shall see.

Well, the day is calling and I want to take advantage of all this semi-nice winter weather. I'm not a snow lover, so this is a prime time to work outside and get the most out of the day, before other things interfere. 

Find your truth this year!

Thank you for reading my blog, enjoy your day. Feedback is always appreciated. See you next time....

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