This past week I've been getting e-mails from friends and co-workers (including Hazel and Addie!) about artists working in the steampunk genre. I think it's because they know that I'm a sucker for anything that has a quasi-scientific Victorian-era vibe about it. The visual richness that comes from combining futuristic themes with retro steam-age industrial gizmos is probably not for everyone, but apparently there are quite a few folks out there who share my enthusiasm for this aesthetic. From the sets in a Terry Gilliam film (Brazil), to the artwork of Keith LoBue, there's something off-jolly about this sensibility that draws me in. No wonder as kid I was entranced with reruns of the 1960's TV series, The Wild Wild West; that program is cited as one of the influences for steampunk! (Now I can't stop humming the theme song tune.)
How about you? What types of work influence you and make you smile?