Other Sources for Inspiration

The Southwest:

I am a traveler and have many favorite places, but no place draws me more than the southwest corner of the US.   Many people see it as barren and boring, but I see wonderful color, texture and contrast.  My favorite landscape is canyon, surrounded by towering cliffs or a flat-topped mesa.  I’m pulled into the ancient Indian culture through designs found on pottery shards or petroglyphs.  Everyone, at some time in life, should visit Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.  The National Parks offer wonderful scenery but the back roads let one in on the intricate sculpting of wind and water, subtle colors of vegetation and red rock, and peeks at civilizations that are hundreds of years old.  The colors and culture have inspired several of my purses.

 

Ethnic Designs:

Being of Dutch heritage, though born in the US, I visited Amsterdam and toured the Rijksmuseum, other museums and shops.  I was inspired by a Dutch tile pattern for a purse. In other travels and from books, I’ve found great designs in Mexican pottery, Middle-eastern rugs and Asian artwork.

 

 

 

Art Deco:

I love the geometric shapes and lines of Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Frank Lloyd Wright designs.  I’m inspired by stained glass, because of the definition created between spaces by dark lines.  I like to browse coloring books and design books that are specifically for stained glass art.

 

 

 

 

 

Occasions:

Weddings are one of the biggest opportunities to provide a beaded purse!  I have made many mono-colored purses for a bride or bridesmaids (usually pure white, but sometimes cream-colored).  But now and then I add a bit of color to match a wedding theme.  I recently made two black and burgundy purses for my daughter-in-law’s bridesmaids.  Showers, Graduation, Christmas, or Birthdays are great times to give a unique gift that can’t be found anywhere else.  

 

 

Crafts:

I can find inspiration in many types of fiber and fabric art.  Quilts are a great medium because of the interplay of color and pattern.  I have also found motifs that moved me in cross-stitch, jewelry, origami, clay and even stamping.  Sometimes I can find inspiration in the most mundane of things.  I can be browsing a home catalog and see a carpet that has a great design; I have adapted a design from a piece of fabric and even from clip art.

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