the next time

the next time you walk by a petal on the ground,


remember... 


it's only there because the flower opened.


exposing itself not only to weather and wind,


but also to the warm light of the sun.


becoming fragile in its singularity as the bud loosened.


bearing itself not only to the animals who might make a meal of it, 


but also to those who might become awakened to its impermanent beauty.


and all because the flower opened... 

on light and love ~

'only from the heart can you touch the sky.'

~ rumi

these earrings are meant to reflect the vastness and transcendence of an open heart... antiqued sterling edged in enamel... beautifully faceted labradorite which is believed to purge negativity... softly colored fibers by myfanwy... at once ephemeral and timeless - 

'beauty is not in the face;

beauty is a light in the heart.'

~ kahlil gibran

beauty emerges - bronze and layered enamel... as we move through and past the societal demand of physical beauty, we unearth what we had all along... and when we connect with it, it shines like a beacon to others... rubellite used for its ability to allow one to open up... fibers again from sassalynne at etsy... 

'all material in nature,

the mountains and the streams and the air and we,

are made up of Light which has been spent,

and this crumpled mass called material casts a shadow,

and the shadow belongs to Light.'

~ louis kahn

head over heels, topsy turvsy, dizzily

in love!

'untitled' 1980 - 1998

lee bontecou

there is an exhibition at moma called 'all freedom in every sense'... i have to get back to this and spend a lot more time here... her work is fascinating in its physical sense, but the meaning behind it moves me... i was completely unaware of it having gone with the intention of catching the burton exhibit before it closed this weekend... no pics allowed inside of burton, understandably... filled with sketches and ideas... the thought process behind his creations were present everywhere... you felt like you were riding around in his shirt pocket observing... 

but i did get this -

for me, being in a museum is like breathing the freshest air... i get heady (i was a passionate art history major in college)... it had been 12 years since i had been in an art museum - and i missed it... terribly... 

in addition to visiting old friends like picasso, van gogh, frida, and on and on and on... i loved how my kids i had their eyes open - seeing the world differently... 

noticing light -

a sign that was upside down -

the sun - 

reflections from up high - 

a water wall -

here's wishing you a weekend filled with beauty - in whatever way it comes to you... and may it leave you feeling like you have become 'more' for it... 

like a balm ~

'for what is it to die,

but to stand in the sun

and melt into the wind.'

~ khalil gibran

death is a universal truth... yet we don't talk about it... because it involves emotional pain and fear... death can come at times expected or unexpected... but it does come... and at the same time, we live... for that is what we do... 

these words have to be some of the most beautiful i have ever read and i knew they had to be shared... because i want you to have these words in your memory bank too... as my grandmother reaches the end of her days, i hope that this is what leaving the physical realm will feel like for her (and does for all)... a final exhale becoming one with the wind... and moving on to becoming a part of everything... 

on being born

the word i chose for myself this year was 'nascent' - defined as coming or having recently come into existence...


for sure i have been here more than 4 decades - and they have all provided experiences and challenges that brought me to this moment... BUT, i feel as though i am just getting my feet... learning things in the personal and artistic realm that are culminating in a 'me'...

'you never find yourself unless 

you face the truth.'

~ pearl bailey

in infancy truth to self occurs by indicating when one is hungry, tired, uncomfortable, happy... and those needs are usually met fairly quickly... as we grow older, we are taught different rules... our culture teaches us to listen to reason instead of our gut, to wait, to monitor ourselves... and while these lessons can serve us well at times, they can also fail us miserably... so truth to self is critical for healthy development throughout our entire life... and we will get caught up and forget, but we must come back to it...

'to the artist there is never anything 

ugly in nature.'

~ august rodin

another early life lesson comes in learning about things... how often does one say to a child - 'look at this!' ... listen, touch, taste, smell, experience... finding beauty in all things... finding an appreciation... being aware... do you notice how the air smells different before it rains or snows? did you see the lady bug that landed on your sleeve? did you hear the cardinal (do you know its call?)? 

by tea staining and tearing the wet paper, shaping the paddles just so with my thumb, selecting the appropriate lengths of hand-dyed yarn, i feel very much a part of the pieces... learning by doing, not just in craft but in living... tangible affirmations for myself and for you... as i mentioned to a friend last night, i seem to be turning into my own art therapist... 

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...