Overbury Ink

I was raised in Michigan. My older brother was a great influence on me. He was really wrapped up in the fantasy and sci-fi world with just a bit of horror. He was also an artist and a writer. He babysat me much of the time and I watched him draw and tried to do what he did and this is basically how I learned to draw. Aside from that, I’ve always wanted to be a writer but have always been a bit self conscious of that writing and my storytelling, so I actually turned to my art as a way to tell those stories without that self consciousness. As I’ve grown older I’ve been slowly incorporating the two together and trying to give it my own style.



When I was younger I found myself being put into certain niches that limited my audience, so now that I’m older I prefer to just tell people I’m a fantasy artist when they ask what genre I fit into. Then I try to explain to them how beautiful and incredible this world of steampunk and neo-victorian is and how while this is my art style as of late, it’s also my personal aesthetic.



My home, the events I go to, all the way to my circle of friends, we just sort of live this style, lost to this older world. To represent myself I took one of my fictional characters, Etta Diem (an eccentric and slightly supernatural type of character who might fit in a Lovecraft meets Jules Vern world), and used her to represent my art shop as well as to kind of have fun hiding behind a larger than life character that represents everything I like about this genre. And she represents my work well. She’s an example that every idea or piece of art I do represents a story. This is why I like steampunk so much, there is so much wonderful storytelling.

I am taking part in an international art competition called Artprize (artprize.org) for three weeks at the end of Sept through the beginning of October. Our seven artist group is working under the title Cirque Acirca (circus out of time) based on the story that there was a collection of circus/carnival folk moving about a steampunk world in their airship, which crashes. From the remnants of this crash they create a massive steampunk/neo-victorian circus/carnival.



A large portion of the art is based on my work and my partner Myke Amend’s. Our exhibit space covers the space of a football field and literally is a giant steampunk circus. We have performers of all variety in theme, we have art displays, a mural that covers the entire floor of the exhibit and a massive exhibit of our steampunk world across the back of the exhibit that Myke and I are painting.



We also have vendor space and a games midway and fortune telling booths, etc. We had a Ben Stiller movie shoot here and two of our artists worked on set designs. The movie donated their entire sets to us to create this thing –although I’m not allowed to tell anyone about it yet ….. so we’re excited. This has been my major project for the last month and I’m trying to promote it, especially to get steampunk people/costume folk to come to the event. I have a bunch of revamped art on there for Circus Posters I would love to see used too. visit: Cirque Acirca


Links for Etta Diem
Etta Diem’s Attic Shoppe
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Etta Diem’s Etsy Attic Shoppe
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etta diem on Twitter

Bethalynne Bajema:
http://www.bajema.com
http://www.bethalynnebajema.com
http://www.bethalynnebajema.com/sepiastains –this is my tarot card site, my largest current project
http://www.facebook.com/bethalynnebajema

Atrophy is an upcoming Sci-Fi Action Adventure film by Imminent Entertainment, directed by Jason Slingerland with steampunk elements. The art department is constructing several steampunk props and weapons including a mechanical arm, a steam powered harpoon gun and a covered wagon. Today we share a behinds the scenes interview with the production designer and lead prop builder Rob Couch. He sheds some light on the building of the costume arm piece worn by one of the villains.





Matt Prior is an average family man with average family problems. Until one morning, when he awakens to find himself in a dangerous new world. With his family nowhere to be found, Matt ventures into this strange and untamed land, hoping to find a way to get back home. Along the way he meets two scavengers who offer to help, but can they be trusted? Soon Matt finds himself pursued by rampaging marauders, a rag-tag army led by a madman, and an infernal steam-powered machine that will stop at nothing to destroy him. Can Matt survive these dangers and find a way home?


Rob Couch: Prop building is a new thing for me. I’ve always been the kind of person who likes building stuff, but working on this picture was the first time I’ve ever had to put something together for a reason. This script called for a steam-powered exoskeletal arm which would enhance the character’s strength. So, having had no experience, I started by looking for photos online of what other people had built. Why reinvent the wheel, right?


My goal was to find ideas and structures that I could try to copy or rebuild to fit the needs of our film. But what I found was the difference between a cool costume and a good film prop. Everything I could find online was merely a costume. Elbow and shoulder joints had big shiny gears on them, but they didn’t move. Nothing really looked functional. It all just looked cool. Cool is great for a costume, but it’s not enough for a movie prop. My arm had to look like it could actually work. That meant I would have to figure it out on my own.





My next step was sketches. I drew a lot of them. Most of them were bad. Almost none of them look like the finished product. But that was an important step for me to be able to visualize the joints, think about how pieces might overlap, discover places where I might cheat, and then step back and really analyze the sizes and shapes I’m putting together. Throughout this design process, I was also talking with the director and the costume designers. A lot. It helped me immensely to talk out ideas with the director and get a good idea of what he wanted to see on the screen. Likewise, seeing the sketches for the character’s wardrobe, and talking about design motifs and colors really helped me make sure I was building something that would feel at home in the world we are creating.


But finally I had to start putting pieces together. And since this is a production with a pretty limited budget, I had to be very creative. The director and I spent a lot of time at hardware stores and junk stores to find inexpensive and interesting bits of things. When I had amassed big boxes of random stuff, I got started. Still, I had to monitor myself. I knew the most fun part would be detailing it in the end. The hardest part would be to assemble a solid foundation that looked functional. But that was the most important part, so I made myself start there.





The main forearm cylinder is built around a couple PVC toilet flanges and some large fittings. That came together pretty quick. But I’d bought those pieces in advance for that specific purpose. Thanks to the sketches I’d drawn, and a lot of time spent in the plumbing section of my local Home Depot, I knew what I wanted to do. From there I moved on to the elbow joint.


I’d planned to build that joint out of sheet metal strips, then attach a couple sprockets from a bike wheel, connected to each other by a length of bike chain. I got about halfway through fabricating that only to realize that it wasn’t going to work. I had a very bulky and powerful looking forearm. The thin sprockets and chain looked too weak and fragile by comparison. So I had to scrap it. In that moment I realized the importance of stepping away from the project periodically to look at the whole thing critically, and not focus on one small section at a time.


On a whim I tore apart a couple old toy robots I had in my attic. They were full of plastic gears and belts, and I hoped I might be able to find some nice detail parts. But I ended up pulling out a big bulky looking piece with a nice pivot built right in. After chopping it down at both ends I had my elbow, as well as my upper arm. The last piece to add was a big PVC pipe cap for a shoulder guard, and the main structure of my arm was finished.


Once all the detail work was done (actual time about 2 months of evenings and weekends from start to finish), I turned the arm over to a local artist (James Newman, also acting in the film) to do the paint job. We talked for a couple hours about what material each piece of the arm might be made from, what kinds of colors we like together, and different finishes and textures. He worked on it for a few weeks, and turned in what I think is a truly spectacular result. The arm ended up looking 10 times better than I expected it to. We were so happy with it that we asked him to paint all of our props and stunt weapons.


So that’s the story of building what I now call #418, the steampunk arm. It’s just one of several big props we’re putting together for Atrophy. Unfortunately, I am not authorized at this time to disclose any more. Still, someone’s got to build that infernal steam-powered machine mentioned in the synopsis…”


Find movie updates on the Atrophy blog : atrophythemovie.com
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Follow director Jason Slingerland on Twitter
Jason Slingerland is the Writer and Director of Atrophy. He also serves as one of the film’s Executive Producers
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What about goggles?
Goggles are often encountered in steampunk clothing and imagery, creating the misleading impression that they are somehow fundamental to the “steampunk look.” However, this does not mean that all steampunk outfits include goggles. Accessories such as scarves, driving coats, ray guns, aprons and overalls, goggles are a piece of fashion that can help give life to a steampunk world. Unique and creative goggles can be found worn by the airship aviator, inventor, scientist and explorer. Hans Meier is a creator of some of these custom made models.





“The Victorian esthetic, attracts me to Steampunk to some degree. But I think what attracts me most, is the merger of old and new. Things that we think of as modern technology, computers, submarines, things like that, built with Victorian era ability. Along with the inserting of fantastical technology, Time Machines, Aether Travel…it makes for a wonderful mishmash of old and new, modern and antique. I’ve always loved combining era’s. One of my favorite movies (not Steampunk at all) is ‘A Knights Tale’.





I like to make things that function, primarily. If it has a light, it should light, gears should move (at the very least), triggers should pull and cause something to happen. Everything I make functions to some extent. I can’t just glue a gear onto something and call it Steampunk, or cobble bits and pieces together. There are some really cool looking items out there, but I always feel a little let down if the trigger on the gun doesn’t move, and it make noise, or shoot a dart. But that’s me.





In 2008 I stumbled across the music of Abney Park. I was immediately enthralled by it and commenced to drag all my friends along with me. To my surprise I found out that they were a local Seattle Band, and, that they were even going to be having a show in town, a few months away. I found that it was customary for people to dress up to attend the shows. My friends and I, being costumers mostly, were readily able to put together Victorian (or pseudo-Victorian) garb. What we lacked, were goggles. It had been many years since I was even remotely able to be creative, and with joyous emails, I informed all my friends that were going to the show, that, I would provide them with goggles to wear, for the evening. And with that, began a journey that has taken me from Seattle to New Jersey, and many other places. A journey that I didn’t, couldn’t, foresee on that fateful night.





When I started making goggles and guns for the public, I figured I would sell one or two a month, on ETSY. I also decided that I would go to some of the, now forming, Steampunk conventions. With every convention I attended I realized I would have to increase my production….and then I went wholesale. To my (giggling) amazement, my goggles are now found on a number of different websites, not just my own. I have a number of vendors that carry them, and have even been able to add a few store-fronts, even one in San Francisco.





I still do Steampunk conventions now and then, with March and April of next year looking very busy with Wild Wild West Con in Tucson, Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition in Santa Clara and The Oklahoma Steampunk Exhibition in Oklahoma City, along with whatever orders will come in for the vendors and stores. It’s been an interesting ride, and I’ll hang on to it as long as I can. You can find me and my creations at http://www.phfactor.ws , yeah… I know…I tried for a .com or .net, but that was the only domain left with my name…

Find Hans on:
Facebook
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twitter

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Are you a Steampunk Artist? Writer? Designer? I want to feature you on SteamTuesday! Leave a comment for me to get back to you.
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What is This Thing Called Steampunk Anyway? is the question Matthew Delman asks in his blog: Free the Princess. It’s a question that is shared in this forum as well, as we explore the aesthetic in its myriad of faces.


Matthew answers his own question: “Steampunk, in its most simple definition, is a type of fiction that places contemporary technology in the Victorian Era with Coal (and thus Steam) as the primary power source instead of Gas or Electricity.” With this definition in mind, Matthew deepened the scope of his blog and shares with us the insights he has gained.


“Free the Princess was never meant to be a resource for Steampunk background. The first post — on July 17, 2009 — set out the mission statement of the first 9 months for the blog to be an avenue where I’d share my research and thoughts about writing. I’d seen a few writers use their blogs as vehicles to educate people on the subject matter they used to write their books — Gary Corby’s “A dead man fell from the sky …” is all about Classical Athens, for example — and I loved the idea of doing that so much that I decided to do the same with Steampunk technology.

I had to start with technology because, well, I’m a techno-nut for lack of a better descriptor. Of course, when you grow up as the youngest child of a Mechanical Engineer, you learn how to build things and all sorts of fun technological tricks fairly early. I blame my love of educating people on having a Teacher for a mother, by the way (my mother will tell you she had nothing to do with it, of course).

So there I am, writing more and more about Steampunk and the associated technology. I realized, after a comment from one of my blog readers, that writing the posts about writing were actually becoming harder to do on a regular basis. The tipping point came when one reader suggested I write a non-fiction primer on the background information needed to write a Steampunk story. I’d already done a bunch of research, and I could see how codifying everything would make writers’ and creators’ lives a whole lot easier.

Thus Free the Princess was reborn as a “practical literary guide to Steampunk.” My original focus on Steampunk tech has now expanded to include, well, pretty much every darn scrap of information I can find about the Victorian Age. The whole point of the blog now is to share as much of that with my readers as possible.

I call it a “practical literary guide” because I don’t discuss what does and does not constitute a Steampunk novel. My aim is merely to share what I think you might maybe, sort of, kind of possibly need to know in order to write a historically viable Steampunk story set between 1800 and 1920. If you’re writing a fantasy-world Steampunk tale, then by all means feel free to crib from my notes to flavor your world. That’s what the blog is there for after all.

As to other projects, well there’s also the speaking engagement I have at Upstate Steampunk in Greenville, South Carolina this fall, and Doctor Fantastique’s Show of Wonders, my brand-spanking-new Steampunk literary magazine. Oh yes, and don’t forget the half-dozen Steampunk novels I have kicking around in my skull.

But feel free to give me a shout if you want something covered on Free the Princess; I am always, and I do mean always, looking for ideas of areas to cover.
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Links:

http://www.matthewdelman.com

Free the Princess: http://freetheprincess.blogspot.com

Doctor Fantastique’s Show of Wonders: http://www.doctorfantastiques.com

Are you a Steampunk Artist? Writer? Designer? I want to feature you on SteamTuesday! Leave a comment for me to get back to you.
Did you like this feature? “Like” it on Facebook! Share it with your friends – support the creative community.
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This weeks blog tour:
OM Grey’s Caught in the Cogs feature:
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It’s still Canuk Steampunk month at the Steampunk Scholar’s blog. Read up on: Gaslight Dogs
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Mary Sew, from Germany, runs her own Steampunk Sunday blog feature, but we are pleased to include it on SteamTuesday: http://www.mistyillusions.org
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Myke Amend is an Illustrator, engraver, and painter of strange weird-fiction and pulp-inspired works, combining a strange brand of pop surrealism, fantastic realism combined with landscape styles drawn from the 1800′s era American Artists movement.





His illustrations have been published in, or as covers for Weird Tales Magazine, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Gatehouse Gazette, Kilter Magazine, the art collection “Gothic Art Now” (and two more upcoming collections yet to be disclosed).





Myke has commissioned artworks for many names in Steampunk Music, Entertainment, and Literature including Dexter Palmer, The Pickled Brothers Sideshow, Vernian Process, and Captain Robert of Abney Park.





Myke has also been featured in many popular online resources such as IO9, Elfwood, Dark Roasted Blend, WarrenEllis.com, Fantasy Art Magazine, Lines and Colors, and Brass Goggles.





About my work:

I seek to present a great amount of activity, drama, and even chaos, in the most tranquil and serene settings -and through hidden imagery both large and small, I aim for each piece to present something new to each viewer with each and every viewing.





My goal is not only to present a scene, but to place the viewer within the scene, and to provide them with many interesting new worlds within worlds to explore. Of late, my most common vehicle for this sort of exploration has been airships. I hope to round out this series this year, to complete a table-top book this year called “Airships and Tentacles”. My reasoning for this mix includes my love for the sea and ocean life, as well as for old maritime paintings; My surreal fantasy/horror blend is heavily inspired by old pulp fiction, weird tales, and tales of terror from a number of 1800s-era writers in the field, such as H.P. Lovecraft, Robert W. Chambers, H.G. Wells, and Mary Shelley. I am also inspired by classic tales of exploration, adventure, and human ingenuity from authors such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and of course Jules Verne.





My primary inspiration for the airships series however, is my dream of seeing the human race lean towards a more fuel-efficient and eco-friendly means of travel and shipping. It may be hard for most of the US to bring back the sort of relaxed travel that train-lines once offered, we were foolish to ever have sacrificed such a valuable network, and doubly so to not have an abundance of light rails in between, around, and within our larger cities. The difference in fuel needed per-pound to move people and freight by train, vs. that used for semis, is astounding.





Airships, not relying on the rebuilding of this infrastructure, are good solution for the mean time; This, especially now that we have reached the age where not only can their engines be fueled by algae, but the balloons themselves could possibly even be lifted by bio hydrogen.





I suppose I could try to do my part for the world, as an artist, by pointing fingers at the oil industry, and spotlighting the horror that humanity creates for itself; Okay, I actually have, many times… but such works, they do not look good in most people’s living rooms; Such works are also rarely featured on any site worth mention for fear of polarizing one’s reader base. I have found that it is better to try my best to leave others inspired by the idea and the notion, to put the possibility or at least the dream into visible, sharable form, and to hope my fascination infects others.

Links:

MykeAmend.com
Ettadiem.Etsy.com
TheMiskatonicArchive.com
Facebook.com/mykeamend
Twitter.com/Mykeamend
Flickr.com/Photos/MykeAmend
MykeAmend.DeviantArt.com
MykeAmend.Livejournal.com
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Are you a Steampunk artist or writer? Be featured on SteamTuesdays – Contact us with your info. Got a Steampunk Blog? Join the tour!
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This week’s Steampunk Blog tour:

O.M.Grey’s Caught in the Cogs Steampunk Spotlight
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Join Mike Perschon for his Steampunk discussions on The Steampunk Scholar
July is Canuk Steampunk month – Starclimber
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On Steamed: The Steampunk Novel Diary: Why Steampunk?? by Author Marie-Claude Bourque

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Matthew Delman at Free The Princess.com -Your resource on Steampunk background — history, science, culture, and more:
Messr Delman’s Aetheric Linkapalooza

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I specialize in Art – with an Obscure, Fantasy Alien Gothic & Victorian SteamPunk style – creating unique works of Esoteric visions: Paintings, Sculptures, Electronic Art, Mechanical Art, Electronic Music, etc. I have designed interiors for Miami Beach night clubs, created custom accessories for homes, illustrated within the underground comic and literature world – A fan of sci-fi, Victorian, Gothic, Eclectic and alternate thinking…

I developed my artistic interest at a very young age when I came into contact with the works of Bosch, M. C. Escher and Dali. Later, I was influenced by Giger and many of the Fantasy artists of the 1970’s and 80’s. I grew up and spent most of my life in Miami / Miami Beach – and have also lived in Copenhagen, Denmark; New Jersey and North Carolina.



I exhibited extensively in South Florida and have also had an exhibition in Copenhagen Denmark. I started my “Art Career” by illustrating in Small Press fantasy and Horror publications. I have illustrated a Lovecraft inspired novel by British Horror author, Brian Lumley.

For some time, I was creating functional Mad Max/Alien style pieces – such as Syfy Cannons that actually fired. Starting around the year 2000, I began to incorporate more Victorian and Steampunk ideas into my Dark Gothic Surrealism. By 2005 I was creating Steampunk inspired Clocks and other creations.





In the recent past, I have blended my favorite styles of Dark Syfy, Gothic and Steampunk into a style I call “Alien Gothic Steampunk”. This was a natural progression for someone who was into the Gothic & Science Fiction scene, as well as the Cyberpunk and tech scene. Recently, I have also started incorporating Meteorites in to my creations. Some of these meteorites may be older than the Earth itself. I find this extremely Cosmic.



Find mark Bell’s work at
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The Etsy store Vie Mecanique --
My Blog: Tribal Gothic
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Facebook
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Follow on Twitter : Tribal_Gothic

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Are you a Steampunk artist or writer? You can be featured on OverburyInk’s SteamTuesdays – Check the SteamTuesday page and contact us with your info. Got a Steampunk Blog? Join the tour!
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This week’s tour:
O.M.Grey’s Caught in the Cogs Steampunk Spotlight: Elizabeth Darvill
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Join Mike Perschon for his Steampunk discussions on The Steampunk Scholar

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For French Steampunk: Vapeur Brouillon

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New and Interesting posts from Matthew Delman at Free The Princess.com

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Steampunk Home Decoration ideas try: The Steampunk Home

I’m primarily a music photographer so I photograph live bands and promotional work. It’s a good thing I really enjoy doing it because there’s not much money in it, especially when shooting live shows. Between photographing concerts and promotional materials for artists I do some work with models on the side but not as much as I would like to.





I am somewhat picky about models and would rather work with a few really good models than a whole lot of bad ones. Living in Maine it’s difficult to find many actual models here that are more than just a Model Mayhem or Myspace account taking their clothes off for guys with cameras or ‘pretty girls’ thinking that just because their friends told them they should model. A former mentor of mine once told me “You are who you shoot.” so any time I start thinking I should shoot whoever I just remind myself of that.

Before this shoot, I had only caught a glimpse of a few examples of actual Steampunk themed work and found it interesting. I have shot Elena as a burlesque performer a few times and when she approached me to be involved in documenting her clothing line I was more than happy to participate. Elena had the location already scouted so all I needed to do was shoot it, easy right?! Well it was a little more challenging than I anticipated, especially not having an assistant with me.

Setting up lighting in the right places to give me options to shoot in was the most challenging part of the evening, aside from that the room was basically narrow grated walkways, step anywhere else and you would be submerged in liquid metal ooze that’s probably been stewing on the ground for 100+ years. I thought for certain one of my lights was going to take a plunge but fortunately none did.

I’m hoping to do more work in this genre, I really enjoyed shooting it and I’m psyched with the results. Of course I couldn’t have done this without the amazing talent of Elena! As well as the great models we had that waited around patiently for their turn inside a steamy hot boiler room. Much appreciation to all of them!

Promo/Contact info-
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http://www.tomcouture.com
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http://facebook.com/couturephotos
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http://twitter.com/tomcouturephoto
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Fashion for Tom’s Steamshoot was provided and designed by Elena Sanders:



This collection was inspired by the Steampunk genre. I call it “Steampunk Super Villains” and each outfit is for a specific character. I imagined a gang of people joining forces after a catastrophic time traveling adventure that landed them in a post apocalyptic world. A world that I imagined to look much like this boiler room that I accidentally discovered. When I extended the collection from 5 to 13 pieces i did variations of some of the characters because I thought they needed friends. There are a couple of mutants, a couple of aristocrats, a spy, a mad scientist, and a couple of assassins. and automatons built by the scientist and his friend.


Find Elena at her website: www.elenasanders.com

Are you a Steampunk artist or writer? You can be featured on OverburyInk’s SteamTuesdays – Check the SteamTuesday page and contact us with your info. Got a Steampunk Blog? Join the tour!
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This week’s tour:
O.M.Grey’s Caught in the Cogs Steampunk Spotlight:

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Join Mike Perschon for his Steampunk discussions on The Steampunk Scholar

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For French Steampunk

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New and Interesting posts from Matthew Delman at Free The Princess.com

I am known as Vespertine Nova Lark, and I am a Merchant as well as a novice geologist. I love rocks and love to spend my time searching the deep cavernous halls within the Earth. I rely on my steam powered jack-hammer to bust away the hard stone, yet I use a fine chisel and brush to excavate the shimmering gems that I stumble upon.

This is the character that I have created, and her story is still in progress. My real name is Sarah, I had the pleasure of being featured on Overbury Ink once before, and asked Nancy if I could have another round to promote the pieces that were once in progress.

I worked like mad to finish them for the World Steam Expo (Dearborn, MI 2010), which was a huge success. I had the best time, and I can not wait for next year!

I began making jewelry around 6 years ago and always liked to stick with wire. It’s stronger and has a classier look to it. When I would take my stuff to a gallery that showcased more contemporary items, I was always told that my stuff was way too traditional looking. Vexed and Annoyed, I set out to find my place in the world of art. The concept behind a lot of my work was using old things and found objects to create something unique and beautiful. This is when I stumbled upon Steampunk, around two and a half years ago on Etsy. I was looking for acceptance of my work and a way to sell it.

I was immediately hooked on Steampunk because I have always been partial to the Victorian aesthetic. At my Grandparents house, I spent many hours gazing in awe at their collections. They collected all things antique, mainly from the Victorian Era. From clocks, to dolls, furniture, clothes, jewelry, paintings, novelty items, and the like, it was there. My grandmother even had the old dolls in the rooms where we used to spend the night. My cousins and I of course thought it was creepy, but I used to suck it up and be brave, knowing that I took kind of a pleasure in being freaked out. We even spent a couple of years re-enacting in Civil War garb, I had my first corset when I was 16!

I spend countless hours searching through endless treasure troves and forgotten piles of untold treasures to bring you what I have made to this day. I hand pick items and search for tiny little bits and gears out of a huge bag I came upon in my travels. My work is very labor intensive, but I enjoy every second I am creating, and it shows. I pride myself on offering high quality One of a Kind Steampunk Jewelry that is extremely different than what I see on ETSY.

I must say that I may have stumbled upon Steampunk sooner had I a computer and wasn’t so busy creating that I could retreat to my other love (that I neglected for a while) which is reading and going to the library. I love to read science fiction literature and have since buried my nose into any Steampunk themed book I could get my hands on (between twisting wire and studying for a job in the healthcare field). I aspire to be a nurse as well as an artist. I have two amazing kids and the coolest, most interesting and charming man that any woman could hope for! We mostly just sit around on our off nights, he plays a little bass, I twist a little wire, and we listen to quite a bit of vinyl. Couldn’t ask for anything else.





Find Spectra Nova on:
TWITTER
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ETSY
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BLOG SPOT
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FLICKR
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email spectranova@gmail.com
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Are you a Steampunk artist or writer? You can be featured on OverburyInk’s SteamTuesdays – Check the SteamTuesday page and contact us with your info. Got a Steampunk Blog? Join the tour!
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This week’s tour:
O.M.Grey’s Caught in the Cogs Steampunk Spotlight: EJP Creations

Join Mike Perschon for his Steampunk discussions on The Steampunk Scholar

You MUST check out the incredible Masks made by Tom Banwell

For French Steampunk

Interzone Inc is an ongoing process whose aim is to explore different sonic and harmonic landscapes, their attributes and the energies within. Interzone has existed in different shapes and formations since 1980. Its output is a combination of experiences drawn from the past years of sonic experimentation and collaboration, and the ambition to explore completely new areas.


[click to listen]

Interzone Inc is the compositions of Göran Kinnander, a music creator from Sweden, who has been exploring “…sonic and harmonic landscapes…” since 1980. It is both experimentation and, sometimes, collaboration with other artists who understand the essential philosophy behind Interzone Inc.


[click to listen]



Göran was intrigued from a young age with music which defied conventional rules of melodies, rhythms, and structures. In fact, “sonic and harmonic landscapes” is an interesting description to use because, listening to the music, I do tend to go on a journey through imagined places; even through the vast land inside my own mind.


The output ranges from soft and minimal ambient, to noise and experimental. Sometimes dark, disturbing and devouring, sometimes soft, warm and soothing. Close your eyes, listen and experience the journey through different landscapes, atmospheres and moods.





Ambient music is just one of the fields Göran is exploring. It has been a part of the Interzone output from the very beginning. He has also done some exploring into the Steampunk genre:
“I believe my music relates to steampunk in two ways. Since most of the Steampunk material is visual or written/drawn, I asked myself the question – How does Steampunk really sound? In the Flesh from Desires is a good example of how I interpret Steampunk into sound/music.


[click to listen]

For me also, Steampunk is the fantastic result of the merger of two very different styles, almost opposing, and that merge can be found in many of my tracks. Sometimes in Rain from n3Xt is a good example.


[click to listen]

The combination of two or more things into something brand new is also a significant part of my creative process, and even though I do admit that some of my work is not so much related to Steampunk, the major part is.”


Other fields that Interzone is exploring is how noisy darkness sounds. Göran doesn’t typically say that “I make this-and-that style music”. Rather, he responds to whatever ignited the creative spark, the final output is – of course – related to that. For Göran “ it‟s just as natural for me to make warm and lush ambient soundscapes as it is to make brutal and disturbing noises or focusing on arrangements.”


[click to listen]

Göran developed a lust to explore and experiment with sound back when he was about the age of seven at the Stockholm library, flipping through their vinyl collection. (Yes, in those days – late 1960‟s – you could go and borrow a vinyl record.) He saw an album named “A Rainbow in Curved Air” and thought –”Wow, an album with such a cool name must sound just great!” He brought it home, listened to it a love affair with experimental music began. Since then that kind of music have always been a part of what he listened to. It was a natural evolution to eventually begin making his own versions of it.


Göran has provided us with a previously unreleased track called Divinity, a pleasure to be among the first to hear it: Divinity

Visit Interzone Inc’s website: www.interzones.se to learn more about this music and how it all got started; then fasten on your headphones and take a journey!



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French Steampunk with Vapeur Brouillon

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“The Sun, with all the planets revolving around it, and depending on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as though it had nothing else in the Universe to do.”
- Galileo Galilei


Niffer Desmond of 19 Moons





My name is Niffer and I stand on the earth through space and time. For me creation and life and learning go hand in hand (in hand); As Sun to Earth to Moon, may they ever spin and dance! A lifelong tinkerer in the arts and traveler of worlds, I have for the past several years been creating jewelry as 19 Moons. Evolving as the planet revolves and seasons turn, so does this craft spin its tale.





It all started at an early age with drawing creatures on napkins and picking up interesting things off the ground- telling their stories or making them into other things. I have always had an affinity for finding treasure and creating ritual objects. Having lived in and around nature I sought and retrieved her bounty of gifts. A shiny chip of obsidian, a beetle wing, an ocean tumbled glass or shell, a sun melted plastic toy- all were game for the treasure chest! Thirty some years late I am still seek out treasure in found objects- putting them together in ways that adorn as well as evoke tales in the imagination.


‘I am a Thing-Finder, and when you’re a Thing-Finder, you don’t have a minute to spare.”‘ -Pippi Longstocking


Another pillar in the foundation of a young creative psyche was a very early exposure to science fiction- most prominently Star Trek. The adventure as we all know, to seek out new worlds and new civilizations- to boldly go where no other show had gone before! Even now it persists in our culture as a compass of morality and adventure, airing on TV (again over 30 years later) as I write this. Along with Dr. Who and The Time Machine, this show kindled my first trust in the future and creative potential of Man- with all our glorious technology to take us to the limits of time and space.





My work reflects all these seemingly disparate influences- from the wild grandeur nature and the science driven future in manmade. Organic forms like birds or rocks are on equal footing with perfect circles and squares of type-keys and clocks. I like the fantasy that these juxtapositions make- and some even make real sense. A hummingbird does seem to be wound up like clockwork. With what mechanical precision and speed do they fly! Insects are another favorite theme; they too are so alien and mechanistic in their movement. Other pieces are evoke more conceptual or mythological themes. Dreamlike images imbued in the collective unconscious from which they sprang.





You see things; and you say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?’ -George Bernard Shaw


In both my material and method it is all about taking the old and reshaping it into a new form. Repurposing came into my jewelry initially with using little gears, bolts and telephone wire along with beads. Now I make an effort to use any and every part of my pieces as something vintage or re-used- giving the work not only a historical authenticity but an eco-friendly aspect as well. I like the idea of discarded technology appreciated for its beauty as much as its former function. The hardware behind clocks, phones typewriters and other old tech have much to offer. A treasure chest and a time machine both.





Revering this window into a past vision of the future is aesthetic banner of SteamPunk When I was first introduced to the idea it was defined as science fiction as seen through the lens of the 1800′s, with a specifically Victorian bent. Though it definitely started out that way, the time periods and styles have proliferated as Steampunk culture grows. I recently vended at first Steampunk World Fair- a very exciting event that attracted many hundreds of enthusiasts from all walks of life. The more costumes I saw , the more it confirmed what I’ve seen in my own work and others; Steampunk has embraced the ideas of many cultures and time periods, held together with a common thread of Time Travel and anachronism. Steampunk is the new frontier of the imagination, a trek through adventures of the mind. In this same spirit I have created the recent tagline~
19 Moons ~ Jewelry Design that’s out of its Time.


Find 19 Moons on the Web~
Etsy
Facebook Page
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Blog & News
Flickr photos



Join us on our SteamTuesday blog tour:

O.M. Grey’s blog and SteamTuesday spotlight: Caught in the Cogs

French Steampunk with Vapeur Brouillon



Like this? Leave a comment! Are you a Steampunk creative? Leave a message and we can set up a feature spotlight. Send in your recommendations. Steam on!