I reside in eastern Pennsylvania among Sassafras and Tulip Poplars, near the shores of a lake frequented by Great Blue Herons, White-tailed Deer, and Muskrats.
• About this Website•
Welcome to Desirée's Musings - the collective musings of Desirée Isphording wrought in both word and image. It has been a continuous work in progress since the Main Wing, which contains my writings, opened on July 30, 2000 and the Gallery Wing, which contains my artwork, opened on October 20, 2000.
Unless otherwise stated, all contents of this website including the text, graphics, design, and HTML coding were entirely created by me and are protected by copyright law. Since I lack a computer program that generates HTML and CSS code, I write virtually all of it out by hand. Where I choose to quote or reference another source, I like to give credit where credit is due and cite those resources to the best of my ability.
I sincerely hope that you enjoy your stay!
• About the Artist•
To begin with the basic, my name is Desirée Isphording (pronounced: Dez·uh·ray Is·for·ding - it's easier than it seems!). From my research, I have found that my first name is from the French, and thus from the Latin, for "desireable", "attractive", and "so long hoped for". I actually am rather fond of my first name, however, considering its meanings, I don't think it describes me very accurately.
I am currently twenty-four years old. I reside in eastern Pennsylvania among Sassafras and Tulip Poplars, near the shores of a lake frequented by Great Blue Herons, White-tailed Deer, and Muskrats.
I've been creating art for as long as I am capable of remembering. I enjoy incorperating mythology ,symbolism, local flora and fauna, the realm of Faery, legend, folklore, and my other interests into my work . In particular, my spirituality heavily influences my work, and my work influences my spirituality. My artwork also possesses something of its own dark aesthetic - there are threads of melancholy, sorrow, and subtle traces of a morbid fascination to be found by the observant throughout my work. The chthonic, arcane, and mysterious have long been inspirational companions, stirring my imagination, leading me to explore certain aspects of myth and symbolism through art.
My art is an integral part of my personal path. I am certainly no shaman in the traditional, academic sense but I believe the artistic process engenders a sensitivity, a shift in consciousness and perception, as well as a form of nonlinear, nonverbal dialogue with the living world that enfolds us and responds to our senses. In this way, among others, it shares an affinity with the heart of shamanic practices from around the world. If you learn to create in the right spirit, one simultaneously learns two arts (and likely more). Hopefully I will finally get around to writing that essay that has been haunting me: the connection between art, magic, and shamanism.
I attended 4 years at Tyler School of Art of Temple University. I majored in Graphic & Interactive Design. Some future career interests include illustration, webdesign, and graphic design.
I may be reached via e-mail at these addresses: sphinxmuse{at}yahoo.com. Also, I currently have a Livejournal: Flora, Fauna, Persona.
• My Artwork•
"To create art is to do magic, to be actively engaged with the sacred."I have been creating art for as far back as I can remember, and it has been my lifelong ambition to become an artist. My art is inseparable from the rest of my life, and it probably reveals more about my own nature than even I fully realize. People are often afraid to let others read their poetry because it can reveal so much about the poet. It makes some individuals feel uncomfortably vulnerable to have their innermost thoughts and feelings read by another. It seems that many people do not realize that visual art is much the same; it can expose the innermost thoughts and feelings of the artist (even unconsciously). I suspect that people are less apt to understand this idea simply because they are not accostomed to "reading" the languages of color, shape, form, texture, and line. Words, even poetic, metaphorical ones, are generally more direct and familiar. So, I suppose if you really want to learn about me, you may be better off skipping the verbal information and delving into the imagery.
- Sabina Magliocco in Neo-Pagan Sacred Art and Altars"Myth must be kept alive. The people who can keep it alive are artists of one kind or another. The function of the artist is the mythologization of the environment and the world."
- Joseph Campbell in The Power of Myth"Nothing is more hallowing than the union of kindred spirits in art. At the moment of meeting, the art lover transcends itself. At once he is and is not. He catches a glimpse of Infinity, but words cannot voice his delight, for the eye has no tongue. Freed from the fetters of matter, his spirit moves in the rhythm of things. It is thus that art becomes akin to religion and ennobles mankind. It is this which makes a masterpiece something sacred."
- Kakuzo Okakura in The Book of Tea"Joseph Campbell has said that artists are the 'shamans and myth-makers' of our modern world. Like Campbell, I believe in the artist as shaman, jouneying deep deep into uncharted inner worlds, then bringing back sensations and visions encountered in that mythic terrain."
- Brian Froud in Good Faeries, Bad Faeries
After considering various general terms to describe my art or to place it within the confines of a certain category or genre, I have found that the designation 'mythopoetic/mythopoeic' best describes my approach. Most of the time, I am quite aware of the mythological references in my work, and it is largely a conscious and deliberate choice that such references are made. However, even when I do not strive to make specific references, it is primarily through mythology, legend, and symbolism that I relate to the images I create. At times, my art could acceptably carry the title of 'fantasy,' or 'anthropomorphic,' etc. but these designations feel much more limiting to me. Although in all truth, I would have to agree with Ben Shahn when he stated that "I believe that if it were left to artists to choose their own labels, most would choose none."
For more information on Desirée and her artwork:
Desirée Isphording Fantasy Artist
Desirée
• Some of my Favorite Artists •
Yoshitaka Amano,
Sandro Botticelli,
Susan Seddon Boulet,
Brom,
James Christensen,
Salvador Dali,
Leonardo DaVinci,
Edward Gorey,
Hans Holbein the Younger,
Georges de La Tour,
Tamara DeLempicka,
Brian Froud,
Andy Goldsworthy,
Steven Kenny,
Gustav Klimt,
Anita Kunz,
Alan Lee,
Rene Magritte,
Dave McKean,
Alphonse Mucha,
Georgia O'Keefe (particularly her bone paintings!),
John Jude Palencar,
Michael Parkes,
Arthur Rackham,
Dante Gabriel Rossetti,
Mark Ryden,
Remedios Varo,
John William Waterhouse,
and whoever animated the Sprite in Disney's Fantasia 2000 (many more art-related websites can be found at my Art Links page)
