Artist Statement

The world of fantasy has captured my imagination since I was old enough to pick up a crayon. There is something inherently wonderful about impossible creatures springing to life in one's imagination -- it is like standing alongside God during the creation of the world and saying, "Let's make this! Oh, and let's give it wings!"

As I approached adulthood, I learned that society believes such things to be impractical, that I should spend my energy on more pragmatic pursuits. But so much is lost when we let go of childhood, of myths, of fairy tales, of the impossible and the improbable. Through my fantasy art I fight against the squelching of creative imagination, and rebel against society's doctrine that everything important must be pragmatic.

I strive for whimsical realism in each piece I create, toeing the line between imagination and reality, stretching the boundaries of pragmatism and possibility. My works invite the viewer to rediscover lost pieces of their childhood flights of fantasy.

About the Artist

The short version:

My name is Erin "Eirewolf" Metcalf, and I'm an artist living in Silicon Valley, California. I dabble in several different mediums, but my specialty is polymer clay sculpture. I love to create animals, faeries, and fantasy creatures of all kinds. All sculptures are OOAK (one of a kind) unless otherwise explicitly stated; there will never be another piece exactly like it. I recently started leather maskmaking as well, and I'm having a lot of fun designing new masks. The leather masks are one of a kind in that they are each designed, sculpted, and painted by me, but I may make many masks of the same design.

Most of my pieces emerge from my imagination. However, if you have a specific creature in mind that you'd like me to sculpt for you, I may take commissions if my Muse is sufficiently titillated by your request! (Please see my F.A.Q. for more info on that.) As for my other creations, I offer many of them in my ArtFire shop.

The Long and Winding Bio :-)

The world of fantasy has captured my imagination since childhood. I spent countless hours voraciously reading about Narnia (C.S. Lewis), wrinkles in time (Madeleine L'Engle), pit dragons (Jane Yolen), and moondancers (Meredith Ann Pierce). I loved the Serendipity books (Stephen Cosgrove and Robin James), with their wonderful illustrations. I still love all these books from my childhood, as well as more recent discoveries by such authors as Peter Beagle, David Eddings, Stephen Lawhead, Terry Brooks, Tad Williams, and of course, J.R.R. Tolkien.

I believe these books helped instill in me a desire to create fantastical creatures. Like many young girls, I was horse-crazy. I drew horses and unicorns constantly, as well as semi-equine creatures with multiple horns and wild markings. I think some of them were meant to be dragons, but back then everything ended up looking like horses. Thankfully I've improved since then, and branched out into things non-equine as well.

I've always wanted to be an artist, but until several years ago I didn't seriously consider doing it for a living. Several things changed that. First, I married a wonderfully supportive and encouraging man. Second, I became a professional framer for a large corporation that sells art supplies and custom framing. To make a long story bearable, I liked the work of framing well enough. However, I learned that I do not love working for other people, especially large faceless corporations whose profit margin is the only thing that matters. I went to work instead for a small framing company, and was given the opportunity to buy the business. I almost did -- until my husband asked, "What would you like to be doing in 10 years?" I thought for a moment and replied, "My own art, instead of framing other people's." He said, "Well... Why don't you?" And the rest is history. Eirewolf Creations came into being within a couple of years.

As I considered buying the framing business, I realized I'd have to work really hard to run a business by myself. I wanted to be my own boss, so I knew it would be worthwhile to work so hard. But I figured, "If I'm going to put my blood, sweat, and tears into something, why not do what I really want to do?" I knew I had artistic talent, but I didn't feel I had enough skills and knowledge yet, so I went back to school. I already had a Bachelor's Degree (in Theology), but I took art classes at the local community college to learn various art techniques and mediums.

I didn't really know what kind of mediums I wanted to work with. All I knew was that I had some ideas, a strong desire to express myself artistically, and latent talent lurking in me somewhere. I decided to take a smattering of art classes and discover what suited me best. My first class happened to be sculpture -- and I was immediately hooked.

I took many other art classes, including drawing, figure drawing, design, 3-dimensional design, and even furniture design. I enjoyed most of them, but sculpture is my first and best love. It seems to come to me naturally. I find I am happiest when I am sculpting.

I love working in polymer clay. I've tried many other mediums as well, and still experiment with them occasionally, but I have the most fun (and success) with polymer clay. More recently I began working in leather, mostly creating masks, and I am loving that as well!

My favorite subject matter is animals, both fantasy and reality-based. I also like creating faeries, both humanoid and animal. I incorporate as much reality as I can into my fantasy creatures, and I incorporate a bit of whimsy in my "real" animals.

I find inspiration in books, in people, and in other art. But my main source of inspiration is nature, and its awesome and loving Creator. God is the ultimate artist, and gave me this talent and desire to create.

If you're still reading this, I admire your tenacity! If there's anything else you'd like to know that I haven't talked about here, it may be in the F.A.Q. If you don't find your question or a sufficient matching answer, please feel free to ! Whether you are a collector, a fellow artist, or just curious, I'd be happy to answer (most) questions. :-)