Nature Photography | Charlotte Hupfield Ceramics

Patterns in Nature

January 16, 2013 Charlotte No comments

I think these amazingly close up images of tree cells and cross sections of tree roots are stunning! I’ll be using them as inspiration for some new designs… I love the different sized circular shapes bundled together in little patterns.

Posted in: Inspiration, nature, nature photography, organic objects, surface decoration, surface design, surfaces Tags: surface pattern

Botanical Garden

August 01, 2012 Charlotte No comments

Thanks to one of my lovely customers for sending me a selection of photographs from her visit to a botanical garden on holiday in Tenerife. These are a few of my favourites that have been a great inspiration for my work.

Posted in: nature, nature photography, photography

Nature Inspiration

September 12, 2011 Charlotte No comments

Isn’t nature beautiful?

These images were taken from my Pinterest Nature Board ~ Click each image from there to be taken to the source.

Posted in: Inspiration, nature, nature photography

Natural Inspiration

February 17, 2011 Charlotte 5 Comments

The inspiration for my ceramics comes from the natural world and many of the organic objects and surfaces around us. Nature is a huge source of inspiration for many artists & designers, but we all take something different from it in our own way, with how it is interpreted in our work.

above – Sea Urchin by Marie Cloke

Not only do I love this arrangement of cut apples above, (the different forms, how they are grouped together, the subtle greens from inside of the apples and the deep reds on the skin), but also the distressed paint in the background, what a gorgeous surface!

This photo by ‘redmegan‘ below is equally as beautiful, I love the layers of thick leaves with that burst of colour.

This beautiful pattern that has been formed from sand erosion reminds me of an impression in clay. The detail is amazing. The photo was taken by Ken Douglas on Flickr.

Next up is this carefully arranged cobbled pathway, which reminds me of individual sheets of clay that are pieced together when constructing my sculptural vessels.

I found the image above on this blog. I was particularly inspired by the following quote, written by the author of the blog;

“Natural fractals can be found in so many forms, shells, snowflakes, crystals, wildlife, the coastline, trees, leaves, plants, germs. As with fractals’ pattern inside another, the list goes on and on.”

I saved the best image til last

Don’t you just love the crevices and rock formations? The photograph above was taken at Shore Acres, Oregon Pacific Coast, and was one of the many striking images to win the International Award in Photography for the Conservation of Wildlife. <-- Check out some of the other photographs by following this link, especially if like me you love nature and wildlife, they are stunning!

If you’re interested please also feel free to take a look at my full collection of Inspiration images over at my Pinterest pinboards, more added weekly!

Posted in: Inspiration, natural surfaces, nature, nature photography, organic objects

Winter Walk

November 22, 2010 Charlotte 1 Comment

I can’t believe how quickly the autumn leaves are falling from the trees. The gorgeous red, yellow and orange colours from the leaves are a rare treat when autumn comes, because they are all gone before you know it!

That Christmassy feeling is definitely in the air now, there are Christmas songs being played in shops, the garden centres are littered with decorations and the Christmas lights were turned on in our town this weekend (by Chesney Hawkes!)

I’m trying not to get wrapped up into it yet. There is still so much to do in preparation for The Contemporary Craft Christmas Shopping Experience – work still to be made, glazed, fired, orders to finish. So no mince pies for me until everything is all up to date

I think I’ll wait a couple of weeks when all the hectic days are over with, then I’ll be able to relax and put the Christmas decorations up, which I am itching to do!

At the weekend I went for a walk in the woods with Dave, where I took these photos of the sunlight bursting through the trees. This has given me inspiration for a new surface design. We collected lots of twigs to use for new my hanging mobiles/wind chimes – more on these soon!

It was Dave’s birthday yesterday and we had a lovely meal in a restaurant and sat next to an open fire, surrounded by yet more Christmas decorations!

For now I’ll leave you with these winter tree images to enjoy. Hope you all have a good week!

Posted in: natural, nature photography, trees, walk in the woods

Featured Interview – Emele Photography

November 09, 2010 Charlotte No comments

Meet Emily Goodwin:

Emele Photography

How long have you been focused on photography and how did it all begin?

It all began by accident! I bought my first digital camera in 2004 purely to take product photos of the handmade cards and gifts that I was making and selling through my website, I had no intention of becoming a photographer or making money through my photos, but somehow, it happened!!

What processes & techniques do you use in your work?

I like taking macro photos (closeups) of flowers etc but I don’t really do much post-processing. I like my photos to look real rather than to have an arty/textured look. Editing wise I’ll go into photoshop and do a basic crop, give the colors a boost and maybe take out any unwanted items – Such as a phone line wire or a branch that got in the way!

What are you inspired by?

Other photographers, travel, color, or just seeing a scene and thinking aha!

Do you have a work space or studio?

Nope – One day though!!

Where can people buy your work?

Etsy – For Prints (International)
Folksy – For Prints (UK Based)
Zazzle – For Cards, Home Decor and Gift Items including keychains, mugs, mousepads and more.

How do you promote your work?

Through Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, by joining Etsy groups and by participating in the Etsy and Folksy forums. No one tells you that it’s 90% promotion, 10% creating that makes a business successful – I’m still working on getting that percentage right!

What goals do you have for the future?

I probably have too many goals! Short term it would be to have greeting cards for sale in my Etsy store.
Long term I want to have a wholesale side of Emele Photography, suppling small gift shops with my prints and cards, plus to have a stand at one of the big UK trade fairs such as Spring Fair or Top Drawer.

What advice would you offer to someone thinking about turning their craft/art into a business?

Just go for it! Do your research but don’t be put off by how “big and scary” a step it might be… We all have to start somewhere and learn from our mistakes along the way.

A few of your favourites (just for fun)….

Colour: Green, Yellow or Purple.

Animal: Cats, Monkeys, Lizards.

Season: Spring / Summer

Person: Ummm don’t know?

Food: Roast Dinner.

Website: I blog at – http://www.emele-blog.emelegifts.com