Tag Archives: black snowstorm

Quoth the Raven “Ever More”

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I lEver More Raven snow globe by Camryn Forrest Designs, Denver, Colorado 2015ike ravens. And crows. And red-winged blackbirds, teasing with a flick of color.

And I like Edgar Allen Poe’s famous poem with the haunting phrase, “Quoth the Raven, ‘Never More.’ ”

 

But I also liked the contrast of a mysterious bird bringing life to a restless heart — the flick of color in a dark landscape.

And, because I remain a romantic, the bird dropped just one letter, changing the meaning from Hopeless to Hopeful.

 

Ever More.

 

 

“The Raven” was written in 1845, a mere 170 years ago and is still disected, considered, copied and quoted.
Snow Globe details: hand-sculpted clay bird, embellished with metal details including eyes, beak and claws. Leafless bronze tree branch. The raven holds a single red glass heart in its dark beak. Handpainted round wood base in shades of gray, silver and black, finished with an engraved plate “Ever More.”
All images and designs copyright (c) 2015 Camryn Forrest Designs, Denver, Colorado, USA.

Oil and Water – or, Oil Well That Ends Well

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Ooooh! It was a dark and stormy night. Mystery snow globe. A Black Snowstorm. A riddle: What’s thick and black and swirling with potential?

Oil Well that Ends Well, custom snow globe by Camryn Forrest Designs 2013  What? A steam-powered oil derrick? Isn’t that a contradiction, she asked, in a concerned voice.  Or, maybe it’s deiselpunk, she offered helpfully.

It’s both, it’s neither, it’s not meant to be political commentary. It was just a passing thought — like asking a human to program a computer which will soon replace its job.

Was steam ever asked to help find the oil that would fuel combustible engines?

If you are looking for reality, you might have to look a little further down the road. Maybe even a different road. Steampunk is a fantasy bred of rethinking the past to create an alternate future; it’s not real life. And neither are steam-powered oil derricks. But I was enchanted with the idea of mixing it up, you know: Oil and Water.

From the land of pleasant contradictions and happy contrasts (with a sidetrip to the village of groan-able puns), I give you: Oil Well that Ends Well.

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Oil Well That Ends Well, custom snow globe with miniature oil derrick “curious invention” in deep black sooty dust (when shaken) by Camryn Forrest Designs 2013. All designs and images copyright (c) 2013 Camryn Forrest Designs, Denver, Colorado.

The Bomb (Hide in Plain Sight) snow globe

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The Bomb snow globe

This snow globe is da bomb.

When I’m digging through a bin of costume jewelry at a thrift shop or yard sale, I don’t expect to find a tiny bomb among the rubble of rhinestones, silvertone seagulls and tarnished beads. But just like in real life, you never really know what’s around the corner, or lurking under those authentic “made in China” pukka shells. We don’t suspect a “bombshell” before it’s dropped in casual conversation. We don’t expect to go from digging for diamonds to dealing with destruction in a flash.

So this bomb is front and center in a snow globe, touched with a shimmer of dark dust, and surrounded by what may be harmless shapes: towers and cones and flying saucers, planets and satellites. The shape of the bomb is seductive, its pose is alert but inert. For now.

Do you prefer danger to be out of sight and out of mind, or to be hidden in plain view?

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Radio Silence – vacuum tube waterglobe

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Radio Silence Snow Globe - Camryn Forrest Designs 2012A simple machine, or a curious invention, with a repurposed real radio vacuum tube as the focal point.

This tiny sculpture features a battered barrel of fuel, copper coils, measuring devices and assorted gears, bathed in a glittering shower of sooty dark dust when the globe is shaken. The custom base is wrapped with a canvas belt and rows of brass and metal details, and finished with a twine-tied corset closure.

As the title implies, it remains silent, but oh, the stories it could tell.

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Heart of Darkness waterglobe

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A dark heart emerges from the smoke and glitter, held firmly in the grasp of golden fingers. With heavy glittering dust in shades of charcoal and black, this globe becomes nearly opaque when shaken, and the hand and heart appear to rise slowly from the ashes as the smoky dust settles.

The sculpture moves between glimpses of hope, strength and darkness, as the solid hand and heart emerge triumphant from the swirling ashes.

Heart of Darkness snow globe, detail of hand

One of a kind, shakeable waterball (snow globe) with metal hand and support, grasping a glass heart with flecks of gold and black foil detail inside glass. Exterior base is wood, with aged paint detailing and hammered antique brass filigree embelleshments on each of 8 corners.

The artist, who is prone to terrible puns which only she finds amusing, respectfully requests silent acknowledgement for NOT calling this snow globe “50 Shakes of Gray.”