Being an engineer, I am always problem solving. And being an artist, I am always striving to be creative and create new work. Seems like a good combo to me and but it can be an overdose of ideas floating in my head at all times.
I have made incense holders in the past and designed them such that the ash fell directly on the tray rather than creating a mess all around. These still work very well and have beautiful stamped patterns on them. A few months back I started thinking of how to make them even more interesting. This is when I designed a lidded incense holder. The lid has holes through which the incense smoke escapes making these smooth curvy patterns. Of course I went crazy decorating these lids. They took me forever but I love the way they look and especially when the incense is lit. I just posted some on Etsy in my shop.
Another I have had on my mind is oil vinegar bottles. I have been struggling to get a form which would work and had made a few prototypes but not to my liking. This is when observing everything around you becomes important. Just be aware and enjoy and take in all that you see. I was looking at the smoke patterns from the incense holders and decided that is the shape I want. I made a new extruder die, got to work and made these oil vinegar bottles. These still need to be decorated but couldn't wait to share my Aha! moment. Looking at the group photograph they look like dancers in Bollywood dance routine. LOL!
