Many times I feel that I lack inspiration in the studio, something I know every artist goes through at one time or another.  Recently I was asked how I handle this and I had to stop and think about what I do to get into making art again.  Two activities usually work well for me.  One is to make rain chains with the scrap materials that I collect for my more free form pieces and the second is to make the free form pieces.

The chains are simply to get my mind away from the chores of life and into some fun. The serve as ornamentation outside my house and studio and are an excellent way to get a nice patina on some of the metal objects I use in the free form pieces. For the latter, I use anything I have at hand and follow no particular plan.  I do strive for good composition, pleasing shapes, and good color organization. Some of the examples below are available, others are sold.  No two are ever alike.