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Our Aesthetic Sense Can be a Wise Guide to Our Work

Closet of Glass. Photo by Margaret Almon.
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Closet of Glass. Photo by Margaret Almon.
Orange Millefiori.
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Orange Millefiori. Photo by Margaret Almon.

Part of being an artist is being surrounded by my materials, and my art unfolding from their inspiration.  Our surroundings may bear the imprint of our aesthetic passions.  A friend, Ivan Chan,  once shared a photo of a chest of drawers he described as part card catalog, part Chinese apothecary cabinet, which caught my eye.  Perhaps part of my attraction to the librarian profession was my love of libraries as a place, and the fantastic furniture of knowledge embodied in a card catalog.  At University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, the main library card catalog lined the hallways. The drawers glided out, and with the right motion could be unhooked and rested on a sliding panel tucked into the center of each cabinet.

My Tower of Tesserae has pleasing drawers that glide out.

Top Drawer of Tower of Tesserae: Orange Gold Smalti. Photo by Margaret Almon.
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Top Drawer of Tower of Tesserae: Orange Gold Smalti. Photo by Margaret Almon.

Ivan is an artist and a psychotherapist, and a print of his, Here Kitty, watches over my studio.  The aesthetics of a psychotherapist office having a role in guiding him to the profession echoes what I felt about libraries and now with my studio.  The time I spent in such offices contributed to the possibility of creating art, to taking my love of color and creation seriously.

Second Drawer in the Tower of Tesserae
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Second Drawer in the Tower of Tesserae. Photo by Margaret Almon.
Third Drawer in the Tower of Tesserae. Photo by Margaret Almon.
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Third Drawer in the Tower of Tesserae. Photo by Margaret Almon.

 

What surroundings are you drawn to?  Is your profession or passion connected to a certain place and aesthetic?

2 comments

  1. As a writer and generally creative person, I find I need to surround myself with color and interesting things to look at. I have a collage of some vintage ads I’ve collected above my computer. I also have lots of fun and colorful postcards displayed. Eye candy, I suppose. It keeps me inspired!

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