It's funny sometimes where you get design inspiration from, (probably subconciously more often than not), got any examples of places you've gleaned ideas from?

I'll start the ball rollin at my peril...
A friend has aked me to some abstract scolled bars as garden ornaments, I've got some ideas for the tops which that are like bracken leaves unravelling from their coil and flicking out.

I saw this door knocker at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Ma.  I put the basic shape into a recent project. 

 

                                          

 

 

One of my early attempts at being "artsy" was inspired by the junction of a tree branch and main trunk.  Ever notice the change in texture between the two?

 

I saw something like this.....

 

 

And turned a railroad spike into this.....

 

 

It was actually surprisingly difficult to forge something so "natural" because I was constantly fighting against the desire to smooth it out, make it symmetrical, etc. The head of the nail was meant to blend into the "trunk".

 

How'd I do?  Does it look tree-ish?

I have a shelf of books on old ironwork, mainly USA & UK but some German, Spanish, French, etc plus all my books on medieval times + Scappi's 1570 book showing cooking implements

VaughnT,

Looks like bark to me. Nice job.

 

My profile pic was walking on my tractor one day. I like mantis' so I made one from a spike and some cut nails.

Thanks, Rusty.  I call it "The Iron Limb - an Ode to Nature's Textural Variety" because you have to give art fancy names or it isn't art.  ;)

 

What'd you name your mantis?

Named it preconception,

 

 

Still ageing/patinating in the scrap pile.

Don't name most of the critters I make, they go in the general 'for sale' box and see if anyone likes them. I think I sold the last mantis I had a couple of weeks ago at a craft festival. I do butterflies and dragonflys with spike bodies and horse shoes for wings as garden art.

 

I make sea turtles from horse shoes and that insparation came from the image on a Florida 'Save the turtles' lic. plate. I understand that sea turtles and horse shoes have nothing in common, but a couple of horse shoes cut and bent make a pretty good sea turtle.

 

Insparation does indeed come from strange places.

 

Mark  

There is something womb like about your piece John, got that shape of a fetus curled up. If that's not the "conception" you meant then call me a taxi.

Rustyanchor, i'd like to see some pics, maybe for some inspiration of my own.

I always need quite some time to start a new project but once I start, I'm fully committed to it. It's interesting to read about your inspirations

Jim,

google 'horse shoe art' and my site should be the first one that shows up. It's markscustomhorseshoeart...(Don't want to get in trouble with the admins for posting illeagal stuff). 

 

Mark