Featured Etsy Artist: wannabes

Prepare to take a journey to a secret, ethereal world. I'm talking about the breathtaking photography of Deborah Brackenbury, "wannabes" as she's known on Etsy.

Deborah's photography, inspired by the natural world around her, captures images of delicate beauty.

When I first saw one of Deborah's photos, I couldn't believe my eyes. Her camera captures images that seem unattainable. Her eyes seize on objects that are otherwordly.

"Many of my images on the Wannabes Etsy site come from a series which was spawned by my love of gardening and hiking," Deborah says.

"Looking macroscopically at flowers and their seeds constantly reminds me of the beauty and efficiency of the architecture of various flora. My intent in these images is to bring to the viewer the same sense of awakening to the cyclical nature of plants, soil, insects, and animals. When I walk on this earth and study its inhabitants I cannot help but be reminded of the biblical verse 'Our Flesh is Grass'."

Deborah received her MFA from the University of Florida in 1994 and a BFA from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan in 1987. In 2001, she left her position as Professor of Art at the University of Oklahoma, in Norman, OK. Now she teaches periodically at Penland School for the Arts in North Carolina.

"My photographs and installations have been widely exhibited, both in Florida, where I lived for nine years, and elsewhere in the United States. The exhibited works have included both documentary studies and images that have been posed, designed and manipulated in various ways."

Here is one of Deborah's favorite photographs: "Plastic Flowers, Plastic Bag."

"Forgive me for patting myself on the back, but I love this image," she says. "Taken at a small pond near a cemetery, strange algae grows amid plastic and fabric flowers blown from nearby graves."

When I look at Deborah's photographs, I think of faerie worlds and the hidden mysteries of nature. For some reason, Deborah has a special gift for peering into that world and capturing its secrets in her photography.

Before we leave this post, I have to tell you about Deborah's other etsy site: impurevessels. As if this woman wasn't already talented enough, she also creates concrete vessels that will defy your expectations. "Yes, it's true," she says, "concrete bowls, plates, and trays are unusual, but that's the beauty of them. Enjoy them as serving vessels, birdbaths, or decorative additions to your home or garden."

"Impure Vessels are multi-colored concrete vessels made through a unique process of layering hand-rolled and hand-cut colors of concrete in molds and wet-carving the green concrete. All the color in the pieces is integrated into the concrete through a concrete colorant, no paint is used. Each piece is finished with a food-safe waterproof sealant and all pieces are water tight."

You can visit her companion website, where her concrete vessels are showcased.