Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Guest Post: The Wierd, The Odd and The Ugly on Etsy



Handpicked on Etsy, with comments provided by April of lunasheart

What if the Ugly Duckling never turned into a Swan but was nonetheless alluring? What if everything malformed and disturbingly different were passed through an Alice’s Wonderland-type of 2-way mirror to emerge both captivating and glamorous?
Let’s just turn the world as we know it upside-down and see everything through different eyes. Today we seek the Beauty within the Beast.
Can people be persuaded to look-at/see things differently? When we think of insects, for example, it is easy for us to associate beauty with butterflies and moths. On the other hand, rarely are beetles, the dominant insect species on earth, considered so lovely. If we open our eyes, however, we discover that many beetles have dazzling, shining, jewel-like coloration that can rival any precious mineral.
An important role of the artist is to help us perceive what we often overlook because it fails to meet the archetypal properties of ‘Beauty’. A courageous artist who ignores convention may stimulate us to survey beyond traditional prototypes of perfection, and appreciate the splendor inherent in every animate organism, whether or not it conforms to our ingrained cultural yardstick.
All too often we forget that Beauty is not just what meets the eye and triggers pleasurable sensations by conforming to primal ideals. It lives in a smile or a laugh, feeling good inside, feeling inspired. Things that provoke these responses certainly deserve the name “Beauty.”
Here’s to the offbeat and the Belle laide: “… attractive despite having ugly features… “
Click on the pictures to go directly to these Etsy listings. Prices range from $10.00 tp $185.00. From top left to bottom right,the artists are: ingeniouslycreative, essentialmonsters, clairepayne, manymonkeys, stinkberryfairy, nouveaumotley, ElinThomas, nouveaumotely, Grotesquesins, ingeniouslycreative, ElinThomas, manymonkeys

About Today's Guest Curator: April is the creative force behind lunasheart. April's selections and comments reflect her interest in how Nature inspires artistic expression. Visit April in her Etsy store, Cherry Icing!

4 comments:

Beth Howard said...

Not to turn my comment into a plug, but you may also enjoy my Barbie Murders series if you dig the offbeat and weird :)

http://wildemoon.etsy.com

Andria said...

No problem, Beth! That's what this blog is all about -- to share our own work and that of others. Thanks for commenting and I'll check this out. :)

ingeniouslycreative said...

Thank you Andria for blogging my faces!!! You're right, they fit into the weird, odd, AND ugly...to be sure!!!!

Your blog is delightful! I had no idea this existed!!! Now I will be a regular viewer and discover gorgeous shops on ETsy that I knew nothing of!!!
Warm Regards, Carol on the Coast of the Irish Sea

KCR Lehr Studio said...

I don't know how you found these but they are awesome. They all make me think and appreciate in such a new perspective. I like all of them but am particularly drawn to manymonkeys figure chest. I went to see some more in that shop. It was a great way to spend some creative time. I was so intrigued that I visited all the shops.
Great blog subject. What is beauty anyway???
Colleen