Jazzy Inspiration

There’s nothing like ending the week with a brilliant splash of vibrant color and pattern, don’t you think? Well, that was my thought when I came across these vessels by Carol Blackburn. The color palette and some of the patterning is familiar from other examples of her work as are the contained and immaculately finished surfaces.  However, the denser patterns feel new, creating an undeniable, dancing energy. The solid color of the lids creates a kind of anchoring rest area for the eye, sitting very heavily on the top, making the vibrant energy feel held in place and contained.

Although she actually created forms like this a couple of years ago, I think it’s a combination of these forms with this intensely active pattern that made them jump off the page to me. She calls the pattern “Jazzy Missoni”, a reference to the Missoni fashion house and its heavily patterned and colorful knitwear. The patterning is reminiscent of the textiles from that design house but she has taken it another step,  echoing even the movement of the lighter knitwear and the layers that are often associated with their designs. I found this to be a wonderful interpretation of what is obviously inspiration from a designer in another material.

Carol has a variety of these patterns and the vessels posted on her Flickr photostream and website. Go ahead and take a stroll through them as way to jumpstart a colorful weekend.