Turn of the 20th Century Gems in Paris
Musee D’Orsay Clock
I was mining my old photos for my portfolio and I ran across this beautiful clock window from the Musee D’Orsay in Paris. The Louvre is great, but you can’t beat the architecture of this transformed train station. If you look closely the Sacre Couer is in the background.
Musee D’Orsay, this converted train station was inaugurated as part of the 1900 Worlds Fair in Paris
Here are a few more gems from the steam era. I absolutely love arte nouveau like the Metro gate below. I got to see a lot of it and modernisme while studying abroad in Spain.
Metro gate, Paris, built 1900
Eiffel tower, built 1887
Steampunk-inspired Assemblage Clocks by Yours Truly
Irene Adler clock
I started making Steampunk-inspired clocks about a month ago using mixed metals, fabric and scrapbook paper. This one is definitely my favorite so far and the only one I have kept for myself. The rose in the center of the clock mechanism acts as the second hand and rotates as the clock ticks. (You can see my posts about Steampunk scrapbook paper by Graphic 45 and Die Cuts with a View by clicking on the links.)
This clock was a gift for my sister-in-law because she collects vintage maps and loves to travel. (Please forgive the image quality. I’ve been messing with the camera settings for a while and I can’t get it to cooperate, but it is high time I got to post some of my own art!)
Around the World in 80 Days Clock
This last and most recent clock was a wedding gift for a friend.
Time Stands Still Clock by ForWhomTheGearTurns
Any feedback or questions are very welcome, feel free to leave me a comment below.
Wheels Whir and Away You Go!
There is no end to the creative ways cars, bikes, motorcycles and everything in between can be re-imagined in the Steampunk aesthetic. I created this gallery of steamy vehicles via pinterest, and when possible I listed the artist’s name. If you see something without a credit but you know the source please leave me a comment below. Also, if you have a steamy vehicle you created or have drawn please send me a pic at ForWhomTheGearTurns <at> gmail.com.
Click on the thumbnails for larger images.
There are also tons of awesome Steampunk vehicles that were part of the 2012 Paralympics closing ceremony, the Festival of Flame. Check out the video below or my gallery of images here.
Victorian Fairy Spotters
Victorian Fairy Spotters by James M. Bordeau
by James M. Bordeau
I was strolling around downtown Ann Arbor, MI yesterday and I ran across a series of whimsical and beautiful pieces by James (Jim) M. Bordeau in the WSG gallery on Main Street. He has created several brass and glass contraptions which he calls “Victorian Fairy Spotters,” as well as one “Steampunk Wand” (the curly one in the corner). I love the notion of a special tool just for finding fairies, and it made me think of one of my all time favorite books, Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book. I would have loved to handle them but it was an art gallery, not a store, so I resisted the urge to touch. The lighting made it difficult to take photos of the ones lying flat without casting shadows so I could only get a detail of the one above. The spotters were between approximately 8-14 inches in length. I haven’t been able to find much more information about the artist, but there is a very limited profile here.
Steampunk Stitchery from Urban Threads
I was doing some Pinterest trawling for inspiration for a Steampunk mask and I ran across a tutorial for a beautiful Venetian-style lace mask at http://www.UrbanThreads.com (pictured above). I don’t have the equipment to machine stitch the lace myself, but I started to poke around the site and found a plethora of hand-stitchable design packs for as little as $4. You can check out the whole sets of hand-stitching designs here and machine-stitching designs here.
There are a variety of tutorials for DIY Steampunk on the site, many of which could be adapted for the non-embroiderer. Here are pics of some of my favorites, but you can find all of their tutorials here.
A Little Steam With My Comics This Weekend
I am traveling this month to such exotic locales as Michigan and Washington DC, and while I was reading the Washington Post this weekend I ran into two comics that I wanted to post. This first one gave me a nice little chuckle and is from the strip WuMo.
Before Electric Eels
The second had a little Steampunk thrown in. Check out the decked out doggie in the third panel of this Prickly City strip by Scott Stantis.
Prickly City
Cog Couture: The Jewelry Designs of Angela Venable
The first place I ran across Angela Venable’s work was on YouTube. She has posted a video tutorial about how she creates her Steampunk statement necklaces. I recognized many of the findings and paper from my own sojourns to Michael’s and I think we share a similar aesthetic. I’ll start posting some of my own art soon (the pesky camera is acting up on me) but until then I hope you enjoy this sampling of Angela’s jewelry and paper arts.
You can see more of Angela’s jewelry designs as well as the tutorial I mentioned here.
Mo Rocca Reported on Steampunk for CBS
“Once upon a time scientists and inventors dressed up in outlandishly old-fashioned clothes and employed outlandishly old-fashioned technology in their contraptions. Turns out, what’s old IS new again, as Mo Rocca is about to reveal:
Welcome to the annual Steampunk World’s Fair in Somerset, N.J. – only an hour’s drive from Manhattan, but in spirit over a century removed from the present day.
One attendee said her prominent corset was comfortable: “Oh yes, absolutely. It’s very supportive and it encourages good posture.” Like a sports bra, noted Rocca.
Corsets and goggles and gears, oh my! And weaponry of all shapes and calibers, like the steam-powered ray gun. If you came unarmed, or under-dressed, dozens of vendors fill the fair with suitable steampunk wear.
By now you’re probably wondering, what IS steampunk?…”
Check out the whole 2012 article as well as a great collection of links at :http://www.cbsnews.com/news/steampunk-yesterdays-tomorrow/
They also featured the Steampunk World Fair in the video below.
For Whom the Gear Turns 