intrinsic value

this is a small statue that i remember seeing always at my norwegian grandmother's home... she died last year and so i share it with my mom... but it has recently got me to thinking...
afterall, it is obviously a miniature of 'the little mermaid' who resides in copenhagen bay, denmark... 'the little mermaid' is a tale written by hans christian andersen in 1836... it is nothing like the disney film... the mermaid makes great sacrifices to herself in order to get a prince to love her...
so, did my nana have this merely as a souvenir? i think not... she was in a marriage where her heritage was smothered, where she was not fully herself... i remember her as a very self-sufficient woman... a reader of anything she could get her hands on; though she had a soft-spot for henrik ibsen, a norwegian writer considered to be very progressive in his thinking... i think the little statue was a reminder, of the sacrifices that are made that can end up destructive to oneself... she eventually left my grandfather...
so where is the line drawn between sacrifice and self-sacrifice?

'the sacrifice which causes sorrow to the doer of the sacrifice
is no sacrifice.
real sacrifice lightens the mind of the doer
and gives him a sense of peace and joy.
the buddha gave up the pleasures of life
because they had become painful to him.'
- mahatma gandhi

i don't think that anyone wants to be in this boat, no one goes looking for it... but it happens... how do women (and definitely some men) end up in such horrible positions? why is their self-esteem so low? beautiful stories like 'the secret life of bees', 'hannah's daughters', 'the good earth' and even shel silverstein's 'the giving tree' explore this topic... i used to love 'the giving tree' until i got older - and i realized the boy/man only took... and that even though the tree wanted to give him anything he needed, he let her become nothing but a stump... that story pains me now... because there are so many people doing that same thing... and they are hard to help... self-sacrifice leaves you less than you were, sacrifice can make you more than you are...

when i saw the green girl studios mermaid, i made a connection to the keepsake, to the statue, to the story... you have an intrinsic value that should be untouchable... it is yours to share but yours alone... this beautifully created mermaid knows that... she is part of a bracelet made with vintage brass chain, findings and sea star... there is glass by mika at pinocean and stones reminiscent of the one she sits upon in copenhagen... and there is a vintaj 'believe' tag that hangs as well, it is just not pictured...

to be worn to remind you of all that you are - and how beautiful that is...

on your sleeve

'you can't shake hands with a clenched fist.'
-indira gandhi

if one can wear their heart on their sleeve, then certainly you can wear your peaceful intentions on your wrist! mak of makustudios made some wonderful peace sign raku beads for me... and she is also the creator of the round raku bead as well... kristie at artisan clay made the smoke fired ceramic tube bead... i love the subtle changes of color and pattern in them... mary ann at linden avenue designs created the river rock lampwork glass beads... again, she has managed to create a glass bead that emulates stone, giving me another medium to mingle in with the others... faceted feldspath, mexican painting stone, a double drilled beach stone from stone me, and lots of bali, karen hill tribe and wax cast silver (from cathy dailey)... the beautiful raku buddha face comes from the buddha builder and i could not/would not/will not part with that!

sooooooooo - what do these components have in common? i hadn't really thought about it until i was ruminating over how much i love the smokey effect of mak and kristie's beads... smoke... fire! hmm... mary ann's glass beads were created with fire too... metals i purchase are worked with heat... how about the ceramicists who talk about glazes they use and how different levels of heat affect the outcome? enamel work on metal? polymer clay? pmc? and these are small scale pieces... torches, kilns... on a larger scale (i shall not use the word grander) i have been in the glass blowing studio my daughter works at... furnaces set to 1900 & 2300 degrees... it is beautiful, fascinating and daunting to watch the glowing masses of melted glass become bowls, vases, etc... it made me think of the blog posts i have read about how artists didn't know what the outcome of their work was going to look like, how it was surprising to them... i have read that numerous times from numerous artists working with different materials... it makes me wish i could be in a studio with them while they wait until the unveiling...

fire is so often associated with its destructive properties, but what of the transformative ones? the purifying ones? fire is know for its dichotomous nature... we are mesmerized by it... the power and destructiveness of a volcano is still entrancing... fire is one of the four elements - along with earth, water & air - & seems to be associated with energy and power... phrases using the words, 'fire', 'spark', flame' are abundant... they often refer to love, desire, freedom, life, creativity, spirituality... how fitting...

one of my favorite quotes has to do with this:

'in everyone's life, at some point,
our inner fire goes out.
it is then burst into flame
by an encounter with another human being.
we should all be thankful for those people
who rekindle the inner spirit.
- albert schweitzer

so wear it for all to see...

points of departure

'if there were only one truth,
you couldn't paint a hundred canvases on the same theme.'

- pablo picasso

one of the things i find so fascinating is how people can do so many different things with the same components... it is fun to watch from a distance, it can feel like pressure sometimes when it's your toes on the line... because you don't want to overstep... i feel like the abs monthly challenges really highlight this - with theme, not materials as the common denominator... i love to see how each person designs something that really is reflective of their style...

then styles evolve... luckily the glass makers, ceramicists, metal smiths, etc. are changing too - and i find that pushes me... sometimes i intentionally buy pieces that i have no idea what to do with but am drawn to... some of my favorite designs have come from components that made me take my time... sometimes 6 months worth of time, just hovering around in my consciousness, waiting...

over the winter, i purchased a wooden tool called a lucet (the word is latin for 'is shining')... it dates back to the vikings and was used by them to make cord that is four-sided and flat... the effect can be changed by the threads you choose, how many you use, etc... i had also purchased some lampwork beads that i just couldn't work into anything in a way that felt right to me... the lucet arrived, i bought yarn & made a length... but i still couldn't figure out what to do with it... so i put it all away...

recently the lucet started calling to me, reminding me that it was right there patiently awaiting my attention... and those beautiful beads... so yesterday morning i decided to try something... this is a first attempt... i love mixed media & how the threads look with the brown vintaj... things that are woven draw me because that process is eons old...

giveaway

'i am always doing that which i cannot do,
in order that i may learn how to do it.'
- pablo picasso

while i do not know that this is how nancy schindler feels, i always think of this quote when i see something new come up on the rabbit muse ... it inspires me and, to be honest, makes me wonder if she really has all of the necessary components in her inventory or if she is just so incredibly talented that she can make something out of almost nothing (which is what i am guessing to be the case)... truly an artist who is constantly pushing and experimenting...

but i digress!

the point of this post is to let you know that she is giving away the beautiful cuff shown above - so get over to her blog and check it out...

and good luck!

lascaux in july

'a painted prehistoric landscape is always more beautiful than a real one, because there's more there. everything is more sensual, and one takes refuge in its beauty. and man needs spiritual expression and nurturing. it's why, even in the prehistoric era, people would scrawl pictures of bison on the walls of caves. man needs music, literature, and painting - all those oases of perfection that make up art - to compensate for the rudeness and materialism of life.'
- fernando botero

the july art bead scene challenge is the lascaux cave paintings in france... what an awesome choice for so many reasons... the haunting beauty... the connection to people past who made their mark...

i love working with a natural palette and variety of textures... so this was a joy for me... but at the same time, i wanted to keep it simple, reducing my design to necessary elements and maintaining a primitive look... because i could see how it would be very easy for me to keep pulling from my inventory in this color scheme... i tried to distill the design to capture the ambiance of the setting...



the use of vintaj brass seemed like a no-brainer for its deep brown coloration... the chain was meant to evoke the linear nature of the paintings, especially the keyhole chain, which looks like the bisons' bodies to me... to emulate the rough cave surface, i chose a link i had just gotten from artisan clay... it seemed to fit in color and texture... the faceted feldspath, ocean jasper and zebra jasper were meant to play their respective parts in pulling from the overall scheme in color, pattern and texture... i have had these great mykonos greek ceramic spikes in a bronze color for months... loving them but using them sparingly... good thing, because the pair of them represent all of the animal horns that are present... a deep carnelian faceted bead and a red jasper bead pick up the ruddy areas of the painting...

photographing this was a bit awkward as the spikes would lay down on the hand and not look so disproportionate to the rest of the bracelet...

upcycling paradise

'the gross heathenism of civilization
has generally destroyed nature,
and poetry, and all that is spiritual.'
- john muir

this is tom szaky the founder of terracycle... for quite a while i have been wanting to blog about him and his business, just to spread the word... i found out about terracycle a few years ago on a pouch of honestkids juice (you know, the honest tea people?)... as i have a very hard time throwing things out, i was intrigued by their offer to accept juice pouches... land fills are a nightmare to me - NOT... even... kidding!

so, szaky uses waste as a resource... i am going to let you read about him (if you so choose), his company, the article on eco-capitalism, the materials they are accepting & the products they are making... it is very thorough and way too much for me to condense... but i know you will be happy if you do... i recently found some of their home cleaners at target in with the method products... they work well, are packaged in reused plastic bottles & leave a zero carbon footprint!

we have picked up pencils, pencil cases, etc... and they are now promoting a school fundraiser selling backpacks and the like...

szaky's wife is a concert pianist who wore a gown made of 6,000 pouches at carnegie hall!

i am just so impressed by this entrepreneur... i always think it is so incredible when someone is able to think outside of the box and find success...

being environmentally conscious doesn't have to be hard... i collected the juice pouches from two 4th grade classes this year... that is usually how drinks come in for the elementary school kids, right? we donated a couple of hundred pouches, it was nice to be able to keep them out of the trash...

'alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.'
- helen keller

surpassed expectations

'if you copy, it means you are working without any real feeling.
no two people on earth are alike,
and it's got to be that way in music or it isn't music.'

-billie holiday

my worries with hp films have been that they will stray from the story... i would notice the parts that weren't in the book or toyed with... i still prefer that characters are portrayed accurately... my favorite films were the first two...

here's my only spoiler: the film is not a page for page reproduction.... but you know what? i loved it/we loved it! the feeling, the message, the journey is true to the original... apparently they returned to the first screenwriter and the results are incredible!

i had a bit of a lightbulb moment as i was sitting, watching, engaged, but still noticing 'what was different' from the tome... my daughter and i have read the books, my boys have not yet... i realized how happy i am that they weren't the same... people cannot just watch the movies and feel that they have read the books... they haven't ... the books hold secret treasures that weren't shared, that you have to take the time to find and savor... and, in all fairness, a 652 page book was being put into a time frame of about 2 1/2 hours... it felt like i got to spend a little more time with old friends... and i appreciated the vision and artistry it took to make the darkest book in the series (to that point) enjoyable to watch...

a unanimous 2 thumbs up!

dun dun dun

'and now, harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.'
- albus dumbledore

*******5 hours, 23 minutes, 41 seconds*******

tomorrow back to the world of life and jewelry - if i can keep my eyes open, that is! this surely has been fun waiting for...

anticipation

'good things come to those who wait.'

******* 2 days 6 hours 45 minutes *******

that's how long until 'harry potter and the half blood prince' opens... and we are ready... our core family 5 plus 2 teenaged friends!

so what is it about these books/films that make you want to live in the world of waiting? is it knowing how incredibly wonderful the stories are and knowing that once they are completed, they are, well, completed? we survived this with the books - and i know i was not alone in feeling lost finding something else to read that i enjoyed as much... so it is still exciting to be able to anticipate the films because we have become so attached to the actors who play the characters...

how fortunate are we to be living in the time of the writing of classics? from now on, no one can read these books without the ending already being 'out there'... that was what i loved about the midnight book releases... the pages were savored...

everything comes to a halt when a trailer comes on tv... 'mom, come here, quick!' and i do, from wherever i am, not saying, 'hold on a minute.' i love what this series means to our family... there is a bond of literary glue...

and, can i confess? i am nervous this time... because i am afraid i am going to breakdown in the theater (in front of my daughter's friends! my kids expect me to cry...) do i know the ending? yup, but that doesn't prepare me... even the third reading of the book hasn't made it any easier... this time it will be large and in my face... do i want the ending changed? of course not... in fact, i will be furious if too many liberties are taken...

and i am thrilled that 'deathly hallows' will be in two parts... the end is not yet in sight...

******* 2 days 6 hours 29 minutes *******

different approaches

i was having a bit of a block creatively... then some components i had ordered from mellisa at chinook jewelry design arrived... the resulting pieces have different 'feels' which i like (love)...

'if you don't know where you are going,
any road will get you there.'
- lewis carroll

that really was how i was feeling when i started... it was ok to not know where i was headed and i felt freer...

i also have this chinese proverb kept around the house -

'if we don't change the direction we are headed,
we will end up where we are going.'

hmm... so that one is more about life direction, the path, the way, the tao... the first one by lewis carroll at first struck me funny, like 'not good'... but, during the course of my walk this a.m. i realized that his applies more to creativity and is very relevant... it relates more to my stream-of-consciousness free association way of thinking...

what do you think?

art2love.org

'every child is an artist. the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.'

- pablo picasso

our family has had reason over the past 10 years to spend a good deal of time at the children's hospital of philadelphia... and the end is not in sight... but that's ok and another story!

there is a huge list of things i love about chop - but i wanted to share these 'artlings' that were created from the drawings of kids being cared for in the oncology wing... they hang in the windows overlooking the atrium... and i love them... it must have been so wonderful for these kids to see their drawings become 3 dimensional... besides being cute, they reinforce to those who walk the halls that each bed, each appointment is filled by a living, breathing child... with a family... with joy and fear and sometimes pain... with an imagination, hopes and dreams... and who, illness aside, is just a kid...

'art does not reproduce what we see; rather, it makes us see.'
- paul klee

'free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world.'
- maria montessori

to watch the video of karen lefebvre-christou, the incredible woman making this happen, go to http://art2love.wordpress.com ...

nearing sunset

'if i have been of service,
if i have glimpsed more of the nature and essence of ultimate good,
if i am inspired to reach wider horizons of thought and action,
if i am at peace with myself, it has been a successful day.'
- alex noble

i keep a prism in my window so that each night as the sun begins its descent, a beautiful little spectrum travels across my kitchen... it ends up crossing my little jizo and kuan yin... this time of day holds its own magic...

'when i admire the wonders of a sunset or beauty of the moon,
my soul expands in the worship of the creator.'
- mohandas gandhi

i write this while my rambunctious neighbor of 7 yrs. old (this is said with love!) tears around the house with my 3 kids... attempting to write something short and testing my ability to be at peace in the middle of chaos... that is the goal, right?

the rainbow rising on 2 of my favorite material possessions is relaxing for me to watch... it means that the time is nearing for me to make my green tea, get the kids settled & get out my book (currently rereading 'the half-blood prince in anticipation of the movie's release)... jizo bodhisattva is the protector of travelers, women & children... i had always wanted one and recently found this little treasure at jizo's shop on etsy... i have had kuan yin for years & find peace and inspiration in her... she is the manifestation of Great Love & Great Compassion and can assume any form to free beings from suffering... i definitely subscribe to the dalai lama's belief that it is more important to be spiritual than religious... but while i may not worship these figures are they are revered elsewhere, it's nice to feel during challenging days and nights that they have my back...

what brings you peace?

your true nature

true to your nature

"if a Queen isn't meant to fly, why does she have wings?"
lessa, dragonflight

in anne mccaffrey's land of pern, certain humans are joined to dragons (this predates eragon by decades) communicating in unspoken form, sharing thoughts & emotions... lessa is new to this world and bonds with the golden dragon ramoth at the time of her hatching... lessa is told that Queens fly only to mate - and the strong lessa begins to change things which allow both she and her dragon to be true to their natures...

while we don't have wings, we each have other attributes that make us unique and special... that define us... people my lean on you for support, count upon you to help, look to you to lead...

i love hero's journey tales... the kind where some unassuming person - like frodo, harry potter, arthur, simba, dorothy - finds him/herself in a position where choices must be made and along the way they grow... i admire the hero... i love and find comfort in the wise one... but the hero couldn't achieve what he/she does without their most trusted allies, their best friends... one of my literary favorites is samwise gamgee from lotr... sam is a kind, unassuming hobbit who openly admits his fears... but he sticks with frodo to the bitter end, thru horror after horror, becoming a hero in his own right... sam would lay his life down for frodo, he is loyal and true... i think those are qualities we all strive to have and want from our friends... sam's nature is exponentially magnified and so his potential is reached...

'the only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.'
- the buddha

this bracelet has beads in it that are certainly a tribute to their creators... a raku bead by mak has white crackle and golden glazes in addition to fine silver pmc... a ceramic bead by barbara lewis is layered in color then carved away to create pattern, texture and reveal the colors (and here, next to the dragon, i think the carving looks like something the talons could have done)... a green girl studios pewter dragonegg bead... gorgeous lampwork by mary ann at linden avenue designs... these beads were custom made after i went back into her sold items... they are called 'granite' and i love the way you question whether they are stone or glass... lots of bali silver, mykonos greek ceramic beads, two great silvered ivory glass spacers from donna at purplepozies, faceted feldspath and a snakeskin jasper drop at the clasp... this bracelet is earthy with color used to highlight that which is found in the glass & ceramic components...

'and i'll see your true colors shining through,
i see your true colors and that's why i love you.
so don't be afraid to let them show.
your true colors,
true colors,
are beautiful like a rainbow.'
- cyndi lauper