It is Day Three of Etsy Week and I have two more artists who occupy spaces on my list of favorite etsy sellers to share with you today.
But first, for those of you who may not have been around for the past few days and are wondering what an ‘Etsy Week’ is, please check out the following posts:
Etsy Week: Day One
Etsy Week: Day Two
You will want to check out both of those posts because doing so, and commenting, will get you in the running for an end of the week prize pack. More importantly you will discover the work of some wonderfully creative artists.
Let’s get started for today, shall we?
Our first featured artist of the day is Elle Moss. Her etsy shop can be found here. In her profile, Elle Moss describes herself thus:
“I am a dedicated self portrait artist who is drawn to dreamy, surreal images with vintage qualities and charming details.”
(Magnify)
Elle Moss belongs to a group of photographers who make up the Female Self Portrait Artist’s Support Group—
“We’re a supportive, nurturing, loving group of women who enjoy each other’s photography, company, creativity, and inspiration.”.
I am unsure how new the phenomenon of self-portraiture as art is, but it is something I personally have only recently discovered. And I must say there are some terribly creative women out there, Elle Moss being one of my favorites of those I’ve seen thus far.
(Revolver)
Elle Moss’ photographs have a tremendous sense of fun to them. The images that she creates fit so perfectly with her look–she has the pixie-ish quality, if that is the right description, to look very natural in these whimsical photographic art pieces.
I really love these images with the wooden balls. I have seen ones similar to these at Hobby Lobby and own a few myself. They are another of those symbolic items which I was discussing yesterday that hold a certain attraction for me. For reasons possibly only to be understood by those who have played the computer game American McGee’s Alice (and maybe not even to them!), these pictures bring Alice in Wonderland to mind.
I certainly enjoy the antiquated, aged, patina look and Elle Moss uses digital means to very effectively achieve this with some of her works. I like the end result, they are very well done.
Not all of Moss’ work utilizes herself as the subject, as you can see in these next few photographs. Aren’t they magical? These images are heavy with nostalgia and (I mean this as compliment) the Ferris Wheel is also a bit on the eerie side. Delicious!
(berries)
I absolutely love the colors and the composition of this Berries image. Elle Moss is an incredibly talented photographer and photo manipulation artist.
(apple)
She has a creative eye that makes me quite envious. I love the sinister nature of the above photograph! It would have fit in quite nicely with last year’s Something Sinister photo contest!
The Escape Artist, like many of Elle Moss’ works, is so delightfully whimsical. With her dress and hairstyle and the overall look of the picture I can picture her as a character in some fantastical film…one in which the character goes forth on a magical journey!
(offering)
I like this use of the same photograph that acts as the foundation for “apple” above. Elle Moss describes this image as:
“A bewitching image inspired by Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and the forbidden fruit..”
Elle Moss has a wonderful Flickr site simply loaded with pictures that you should check out after you have visited her Etsy Shop. She also has a photography blog in which she goes into some more detail about her various creations.
The image above and the image below appear to be a part of what she describes as “Duplicity” photographs on her Flickr site. These are all interestingly creative images, many of which send forth a slightly creepy vibe that I just love. Especially the image below. It reminds me of the sisters in the movie City of Lost Children for some odd reason.
(secret)
I really enjoy Elle Moss’ photographic art creations. Her manipulation of the colors and contrasts of her image give them a hue that I find very attractive. I love how most of these images are ever so slightly dark and mysterious. I find her creativity, especially in the use of her self as part of the art, very intriguing. Please check out her various sites as there are a great deal more wonderful images and artistic creations that you will definitely enjoy.
_________________________
(VANITY)
Keeping with the “creepy” theme while taking things in a whole different direction, I present you with our second featured artist of the day: Liza Corbett. Her etsy shop, Feast, can be found by following the link.
(MARIE)
The above image was created for a t-shirt design. Click the above image to see the shirt.
In some ways I find myself at a loss as to how to categorize Liza Corbett’s work. I can easily point to my attraction to it–it reminds me of other artists I enjoy like Meat Cake creator Dame Darcy and also has the spirit of artists like Edward Gorey.
(Iceberg. see Illustrations section)
All I know is that in some ways it is very much out of the ordinary from the style of art I normally showcase here at Stainless Steel Droppings and I really, really like it.
With their exaggerated angles and proportions there is a dark beauty to Liza Corbett’s work that I find hauntingly attractive. Her images, like The Confidence Woman above, make me want to take a second, third, fourth, etc. look to see if I can figure out just what is going on.
Her sparing use of color and richly detailed line work combine to create some stunning imagery. While the bulk of her work that I have seen is done in a similar fashion, there are examples in the Design section of her personal website and her blog site that demonstrate that she has a wide range of artistic style.
One of my favorite design images is the one shown above. I don’t know what it is but there is something about that image that gives me nostalgic feelings for some memories that are just out of reach of my recall. I know there is something in my past…for some reason I am thinking television shows here…that this image reminds me of and I am really drawn to it. And of course it is just a fantastic image.
(deb, see Design section)
The above image is the cover to one of the books Liza Corbett has illustrated. If you follow the ‘books’ link and click on the book title you can preview some of the interiors of each book. And speaking of books, Liza Corbett provided the cover for this novel by Joy Shields. It certainly has me wanting to read the book!
(BEASTS)
In addition to her two dimensional works of art, Liza Corbett creates these quirky characters that she calls ‘Beasts’. They are: ” [a] Transfer of lace and ink drawing on cream muslin.
Densely packed with fiberloft.” They are one of the first things I saw when I discovered Corbett’s etsy site and were the reason I stopped to visit for awhile.
The oddity of these creations makes them so delightful. I would love to have a few of these myself to set in a bowl or box with other darkly curious pieces.
I have no idea where the creative inspiration for making these beasts came from but they are certainly unique and I really adore them.
(2007, see Illustrations section)
I hope you enjoyed Liza Corbett’s work as well. As I mentioned above, it is certainly different than the art I normally feature but I would be remiss if I didn’t share it with you as it is representative of a style of art that I really enjoy. Liza’s unique creations call out to that side of me that loves classic, Edward Gorey-style illustration.
(kamikaze, see Illustrations section)
I hope you check out her various sites as she has many more interesting creations to share.
_________________________
And your sneak peak for one of the items in the Etsy Week Prize Pack:
A print of The Other Side of Yesterday from, conveniently enough, one of yesterday’s featured Etsy artists, Jennifer Gordon!
Oh I love these artists. The self-portraits are gorgeous, haunting…just great. I love the fairytale quality of both artists. And the print for the prize pack is just too cool.
I love the self-portraits. They’re really incredible
Lovely works. I really love the crabapple picture, reminds me of my childhood home.
What an interesting genre of art (self-portrait)! Of course, it helps when you look like Elle Moss, lol.
I like some of the sketches a lot and others not-so-much. My favourite was the second one from the bottom, of the four socialites and “The Confidence Woman.”
Moss’ eye for composition is impressive. I love how she frames her work.
The self-portraits are wonderful. I particularly like “apple” and “magnify”,
The ability of Elle Moss to cature what seems to be a pretty clear artistic vision is remarkable – I especially love “The Performer”
Liza Corbett’s beasts look creepy and eerie and slightly unsettling – I really need one or two …
Those are all fantastic! You find the coolest stuff, Carl!
I love the berries photograph. I’ve seen so many pictures of berries and most of them look alike, but this one is unique.
Carl you always find the coolest stuff. I’ve been surfing about Etsy myself quite a bit today, didn’t come across any of these.
There are so many amazingly creative people out there, makes me quite envious 🙂
Doesn’t hurt that she’s really cute either 🙂
Wow! I think this is my favorite day so far! Amazing stuff!!
ooh, I love the photographs! Particularly, for some reason, the jugglers. (I swear I have seen those orbs as home decor somewhere…)
I want a beast!
Never in a million years would I have the confidence to pull off that kind of art. Me? In front of a camera? I don’t think so. But thank goodness for people like Ms. Moss who add so much to the creative field with their work. I particularly like “spontaneous revolution” – amazing.
Incredible! I especially enjoy the self-portraits and yet the beasts are too cool as well.
Well, Elle Moss…what’s not to love?!! She’s so dang cute, and you’re right, she has the absolute perfect “look” for her photos. So many of her photos had literary references just popping into my mind. You mentioned Alice, and something about “she still haunts me” made me think Fahrenheit 451, and “ferris wheel” immediately brought Something This Way Comes to mind. Anyway, I really LOVE her work!
But I have to admit I have really mixed feeling about Liza Corbett’s work. After the first couple of images, I thought I just didn’t like her style, but then there came “Birds, Cages, and Roses” which a positively adore!
Anyway, thanks again for the special treat! This etsy week is such fun…you might consider doing this a few times a year 🙂
Elle Moss’s pictures are amazing. Some of them remind me a little of Amelie, which I love. But at the same time there’s something about them that is uniquely hers.
I really like those little beasts by Liza Corbett, but my favorite thing featured today has to be the print titled ‘THE CONFIDENCE WOMAN.’ It reminds me of my genealogical quest.
cool stuff! Elle Moss definitely pulls off the waifish look well in her self portraits. Sort of an ani-mangaish vibe going there. Liza Corbett’s stuff reminds me of the illustrations in my childhood favorite book “The Dark is Rising” by Susan Cooper. I can’t precisely remember the artists name (possibly Glen Mabry) but the feel is remarkably similar and i remember how much they disturbed me as a child. Icky like roadkill, but you just had to keep coming back and looking at it, and poking it, and different layers would come to light. Heh…like i said, disturbing.
All this is making me want to pull out my camera and play with my photo-taking. That’s another thing I have been meaning to do more of, but time never seems to work out! Fabulous works, I especially like the first artist.
Truly delightful. I have to say that self portrait is an art not done by everyone as you need to have the looks to convey what your art is all about, which acts in full force for this amazing and talented photographer.
I enjoyed Liza’s linework and the pencil strikes are so rough and graphic that when you look at her 2D work you get the effect of watching a pop up book or card of sorts. Brilliant additions. Thank you for so many new artists! I have never been so visually stimulated before in my life.
Isn’t Etsy fabulous? I try to do as much as my gift shopping from there as possible. 🙂
Once again, an amazing set of artists. Moss’ photography is everything I love in a piece of photographic art. I love the colors and just the whole composition of all of her stuff. Beautifully done and very haunting. I think Berries is my favorite…the colors are just incredible in that one.
Corbett’s work is awesome too! I can definitely see the comparison to Dame Darcy. The beasts are so cool!! Very original. Reminds me a lot of Ralph Steadman’s work too.
The photo ‘Magnify’ totally reminds me of Audrey Tautou. I love that kind of grainy, old look she has in some of her photos. Very nice.
Tanabata: Me too…she has another blurry one in a ‘Zorro’ outfit that reminds me of Tautou in ‘Amelie’ as well. And I’m with you on the grainy looking photos as well, I want to learn how to do more of that stuff with my pictures.
Chris: I’m making an assumption that you know who Dame Darcy is…or at least bothered to go to the link. Kudos to you either way. Meat Cake is one of those comics I really enjoy but could never explain why to anyone who didn’t just get it and love it as well. It is probably the most bizarre and nonsensical thing I enjoy. Not sure I know Ralph Steadman, but I will remedy that!
Sassymonkey: It is wonderful and has become a place of gift shopping for me as well!
Harry: Great description of Corbett’s work. I hadn’t thought of it that way but I see it after you’ve mentioned it. And yes, though you put it much more tactfully, Elle Moss is definitely a cutie!
Kailana: Me too, and I especially want to practice more digital manipulation with my photos.
SG Taylor: It is that disturbing layer that definitely attracts me to Corbett’s work. I find her woman quite beautiful though which might surprise people. Not sure I can pinpoint why exactly, but I do.
Tasses: your quest sounds fascinating and fun. Glad you could make that artistic connection with that image.
Nymeth: As I mentioned earlier, I totally see the Amelie connection as well and I too think she has put her own unique spin on what she does artistically.
Debi: Don’t feel bad about not being as drawn to Corbett’s work, it is definitely a bit out of the norm of the art I share though it is a style that I really like a lot. The Ferris Wheel does call to mind Something Wicked! Haven’t read Fahrenheit yet, but I will.
Jeff: I like the beasts too. Some of the ones she has already sold are my favorites so I hope in future she makes more.
Chelle: you’re not alone, I wouldn’t be able to pull off that kind of cute factor…my self-portrait ‘art’ would definitely be more on the scary side. 😉
Sarah: Me too!!!
RB: I’m sure you have, like I mentioned I have seen them…and purchased some, at Hobby Lobby over here.
Jenn: Glad you enjoyed it!
Chris: No it doesn’t. 😉
Fence: Me too. I basically went on a journey starting with Anne-Julie Aubry’s favorite sellers which branched out more and more until I found many, many favorite sellers of my own.
Nicole: It really is unique, I like the somewhat aged color, the aged look of the photo in general, the composition…everything.
Somer: Thanks, I’m just thrilled there is cool stuff to find.
Ken: I need some as well. And it is amazing how Moss pulls off these interesting, well thought out compositions.
Mosker: Glad you enjoyed them. I too like Apple, especially for its fairy tale implications.
Sprite: Me too.
Eva: That helps, I’m sure!
Carrie: There is something nostalgic about her pictures, to be sure.
Becky: yes they are. There are many really talented artists/photographers who are doing self portrait art on Flickr.
Heidi: That’s just the tip of the iceberg as the prize pack goes, but it is indeed a great print.
Hm.. my favorite for today will have to go to the Ferris Wheel. It reminds me of all the spooky stories I’ve read and movies I’ve seen that focus in around old abandoned carnivals.. when they do a glance backward and show them how they were in their heyday. How bright the colors used to be, all the people in their old-fashioned finery gallivanting about. Nostalgic, and yet creepy, all at the same time!
The photography is great and I really like the atmosphere in the pictures, but I absolutely love Liza Corbett’s work, particularly The Bodice Rippers and Confidence Woman.
i went back and checked my old copy of “The Dark is Rising” and the artist is Alan E. Cober, it’s even creepier than i remembered ^_^