Tag Archives: artisan snow globe

The strange saga of the Warrior Rhino snow globe

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It was a simple idea at the time. I wanted, I planned, to make a snow globe sculpture called “Invisible Carousel.” I sketched it out to perfection. Frollicking giraffes and unicorns, a pig and a buffalo, all parading in a whimsical circle.

A sweet little idea, with a variety of small metal animals, each perched atop an unseen clear support, at different heights, so when viewed inside the snow globe, it would appear to be a carousel with no mechanical support. The invisible carousel. Charming. Dripping with charm.

I collected the animals I needed and began to work.

Until the Rhino.

Oh, the Rhino! Barely the size of my thumbnail, he exuded a fierce personality, completely unsuited for the sweet endless ride of a carousel. “I want adventure!” he proclaimed. “I have battles yet to fight, and honor to defend.” He refused to sit politely on a carousel post, protesting that he was too old to be ridden by a child, no matter how imaginary. He seemed to cock his rhino horn in my direction, looking as threatening as his 19 or so millimeters would allow.

How does one deny the will of the angry Rhino? Using the tiniest tools, I crafted a tiny harness of leather straps and chains, and fitted the Rhino carefully. Next, I outfitted a grand airship for him, battle-worn, but complete with bazookas and other weaponry. I hung ammo belts and tiny knife sheaths off his harness, and put torpedoes at his disposal on each side.

Go forth and fight your battles, Warrior Rhino. The carousel can ride another day.

The Warrior Rhino flies at dawn.

Flight of the Warrior Rhino custom snow globe, Camryn Forrest Designs 2013

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warrior_rhino_sideangle

Flight of the Warrior Rhino custom snow globe, Camryn Forrest Designs 2013

Flight of the Warrior Rhino custom snow globe, Camryn Forrest Designs 2013

Flight of the Warrior Rhino Snow Globe, Camryn Forrest DesignsAll images and designs are copyright (c) 2013 Camryn Forrest Designs, Denver, Colorado USA.

Re-Run — Or, “have you seen this one before?”

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Repurposing, refabricating, refurbishing and … Re-Run.

This charming little vintage television did not want to be hidden away; it wanted to run out and tell its story again.

“I have NOT outlived my usefulness,” it huffed and puffed. “I can show you Mr. Rogers, Walter Cronkite and Captain Kangaroo and Mighty Mouse! The Twilight Zone, Sherry Lewis and Lambchop, Romper Room and Lawrence Welk! I Love Lucy! Andy and Opie and Aunt Bee. Fireball XL5. A black and white viewing of Wizard of Oz, which does NOT turn into color when the door opens on Dorothy’s house. Follow the gray-brick road, I say!”

Shake “Re-Run” and you will get a sparkle-fall of shimmering dusty static over the adolescent-awkward robot legs.  And on the base, an authentic vintage TV dial, dating back nearly 50 years. Watch any of 12 channels, kids, there’s always something interesting on.

Re-Run Television snow globeRe-Run Vintage Television snow globe, Camryn Forrest Designs 2013 rerun_snowglobe_blue rerun_snowglobe_bright rerun_snowglobe_bright_tan rerun_snowglobe_interior detail rerun_snowglobe_interior_frontRe-Run Vintage Television snow globe, Camryn Forrest Designs 2013

Airships, Dirigibles and Zeppelins, oh my!

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What is it about airships, you ask? I have no easy answer. I like the way they look, the adventures they imply, the endless possibilities. And they seem somehow, green, you know? They just putter along with mostly windpower (that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.)

TotusMel was kind enough to feature one of my floating snow globes on her recent blog showing a collection of airships. (Never say “blimp,” it hurts their feelings.)  http://totusmelswunderkammer.blogspot.com/2013/05/dirigible.html

It got me thinking: just how many airship/dirigible/zeppelin snow globes HAVE I made? I did a quick inventory from the past few months and it appears if you include hot air balloons, flying saucers, rockets and dirigible as “airships” … well, I’ve done quite a few.

Let’s see …

Airship Voyager snow globe by Camryn Forrest Designs

Dances with Clouds snow globe by Camryn Forrest Designs

Flying Saucer snow globe by Camryn Forrest Designs

Rough Sailing snow globe by Camryn Forrest Designs

Uncharted Skies snow globe by Camryn Forrest Designs

Launch Party Rocket snow globe by Camryn Forrest Designs

Scavenger Junk Airship snow globe by Camryn Forrest Designs

Airship over Rooftops snow globe by Camryn Forrest Designs

And then there’s this one, nearly finished.

I call it “Flight of the Warrior Rhino.”  Coming soon to a fantasy near you.

Don’t ask. Sometimes these sculptures have a mind of their own.

"Flight of the Warrior Rhino" snow globe by Camryn Forrest Designs

Work in Progress (Heart) snow globe

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“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

–          The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint Exupéry

“The Heart wants what it wants – or else it does not care.”

–          Emily Dickinson

 Work in Progress Heart snow globe

The workings of the heart remain a mystery. It dips and swims with swirling emotion, it aches for what it cannot have, and grieves for what is lost. The heart dreams of better days. The heart is selfish, and can be self-less. We want for ourselves, and wish even more for those we love.

Unseen by all but those who know us best, the heart carries scars and patches from battles, the repairs, the mending, the work-arounds. It is resilient.

The mythical source of love, emotion, kindness and desire, the heart is always a work in progress.

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Launch Party – A Rocket Snow Globe

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Imagine this: a small crowd gathers to see a rocket launch. Dressed in their travel finest, they prepare to be amazed, and perhaps to applaud politely as the rocket lifts off into a grand adventure.

Is it a manned ship, or just a test? Will the soft breeze of a lady’s fan protect her from the afterburn? Or is this launch party just for show?

Three, two, one … we’ll soon find out.

Launch Party snow globe, Camryn Forrest Designs 2013

The Promise: glittering gold waterglobe

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Sometimes I find odd little items and put them in snow globes to make a tiny scene, and sometimes I want to sculpt something specific I’ve imagined. I was working on shaping a small hand, reaching upward, and could not get the index and middle finger to stay the way I wanted. Finally, exasperated, I put the clay piece down.

Allright. I didn’t “put it down” — I sort of tossed it toward the foil covered table where I was working.

And in one of those moments of serendipity, the fingers crossed themselves. Crossed fingers were unexpected, and not the emotion I was going for, but there they were, waiting in suspense. Do you remember when you kept a secret by saying, “Cross my heart and hope to die?”  Or, when you crossed your fingers behind your back and it meant you weren’t really telling the truth, or the whole truth? Or perhaps, you waited for news and closed your eyes and crossed your fingers, wishing it would be good. Please, please, please!

I love when my artwork is a mystery to me. It’s not calculated; it leads its own life of ambiguity. The hand said nothing. Is this a promise to be kept, or a promise made with questionable intentions?

A few weeks prior, I had found a tiny pair of hammered metal earrings in the shape of hearts. I pulled one apart and placed it in the gentle, eager hand, and folded the ring finger to hold it in place. Now the meaning was clearer: Cross my heart. The Promise.

The Promise. One of a Kind snow globe with sculpted hand, re-purposed antique jewelry and shimmering gold dust in liquid.