the dance

'i get up.

i walk.

i fall down.

meanwhile, i keep dancing.'

- rabbi hillel 

danse - henri matisse

the photo of the metal was taken yesterday...


i have had hillel's words in my life for decades - in the form of a lovely little watercolor... and have embraced thinking of life as a dance...


then i read this post by seth godin,


thought about matisse, 


and rejoiced in the fact that while we often dance alone, when we invite others in the complex richness is enough to make your heart swell near to bursting... 

hidden messages

mary jane dodd - 'portals to awakening' triptych 2011

this post is a continuation of my last... 

i find it interesting when one is guided in a project by thoughts that have so permeated your being that you don't even realize it... until you are done... 

while connected to 'nascent',  i am ready to leave it behind... i thank it for the pregnant forms and the word 'emerge' in the first piece...  

i knew this series would go further - 

'evolve' comes rising up and out of the void... the backplate is opened up so that the light may come through... 

i felt the pull to use a butterfly wing gifted to me by a friend... the word 'fly' from an antique dictionary... and at the last minute the fibers were calling - i am so grateful i decided to get up from the bench and go for a walk on the morning they did... 

the resin is filled with air bubbles in the final piece - as if these thoughts, these desires come bubbling out as you open... 

but when i began to shoot the images, to take the close up pictures, i recognized that my new word was participating as well as someone else's -  

rumi... 

'we come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust.'
(the first closed form with the spiral)


'you were born with potential
you were born with goodness and trust
you were born with ideals and dreams
you were born with greatness
you were born with wings
you are not meant for crawling, so don't.
you have wings, 
learn to use them and fly.'

(the final form)

and my word?

transcend... (yes, it has been tweaked from 'daring'... thanks to conversations with a friend)

no matter what happens with the submission to the exhibition, i am well pleased with the lessons learned in regard to craft and self... 

does your work reflect back to you things you don't realize you hold?

wishing you all abundance of love, happiness and good health in the new year... and may you always find the balance in any situation you face... 

georgia

nov. 15 - the birthdate of georgia o'keeffe... 


honoring a woman who as a person and through her art has influenced me profoundly... 

'i've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life -

and i've never let it keep me from doing a single thing  i wanted to do.'

'to create one's own world in any of the arts takes courage.'

'whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing.

making your unknown known is the important thing.'

'the days you work are the best days.'

and here is my girl, 6 ft. above me - atop the suburban - capturing her world through a camera lens... may she always know that she is bigger than fear... 

thank you

'your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.
don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking.
don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice.
and most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.
they somehow already know what you truly want to become.
everything else is secondary.'
~ his own words

thank you, steve jobs, for the hard work, determination, 
vision & innovation that inspires us... 
1955-2011

inspired by

the woods that surround my house...
a treasured book on fold forming...
renate at put a little magic in your life
barry at rustnstuff
that special hammer i splurged on that has been awaiting a turn... 

there is space now in my head to experiment... a loosening of the shoulders that allows me to hunker down with metal, hammers and a torch... an exhale that allows me to inhale deeply and leap... 


the leaves are coming from this place... 

i am grateful, as always, for the inspiration... 

exhale...

'inspiration exists, 

but it has to find us working.'

~ pablo picasso

this picasso quote is often what gets me moving when i feel daunted by something... resin work is a labor of love for me... it takes lots of time and attention... 

getting all of those wire paddles shaped, antiqued, polished and straightened so that they lie just right...

going through books looking for words that i want to use... that i connect to... that are meaningful... 

tracing each paddle shape on the paper - cutting each one out so that it fits perfectly...

getting them all set up, done, under the heat lamp... 

keeping a precious furry challenge asleep on the chair because he is drawn to that heat lamp in winter... i cannot blame him, i just prefer my paddles to be fur free... 


i would like to apologize to anyone who has gone to my supply shop looking for them because of the bead trends feature... they will be showing up soon... 

giddy

'i am giddy. expectation whirls me round.

the imaginary relish is so sweet

that it enchants my sense.'

~ william shakespeare

if you read this blog AT ALL, you know that giddy is not a feeling i often experience... i am more low key than this... in fact, this feeling has me a bit nervous... my chest is pounding and my hands are shaky... i cannot remember which experiment it was, but i have felt this one other time (have to think on this)... 

erin at treasures found is having another challenge - a dr. seuss inspired challenge! there is no way i am missing it... all month i have been thinking on it... even ordered a book from ebay - because cutting into books borders on the sacrilegious for me and i wouldn't cut up any of my treasures anyway... i have been sketching and making notes... so then, i became so invested that i was afraid to start it... i have visions in my head of what i hope it will become... 

having realized that i was doing my usual avoidance in the face of fear thing, i decided yesterday to just start... (doesn't hurt that i also realized it was already the 26th!)... got the chain made... paddles... and then found pictures in the book... this project has the potential to be one of those where i lose track of time, offer the kids cereal for dinner & allow them to stay up too late... 

today i did resin and got the etched pieces ready... using a technique of deryn mentock's from step by step wire february/march, i felt a little more in control of the paper... of course, i won't know until it dries... but i am hopeful... am i really having this much fun? the keith o'connor beads i needed another set of are sold out, so that has me a little disappointed... but it will work out... it always does... 

'if you never did you should.

these things are fun and fun is good.'

~ dr. seuss (theodor seuss geisel)

thank you erin, for encouraging the fun... this is really, REALLY good for me - 

inspiration rediscovered

'i would especially like to recourt the muse of poetry,

who ran off with the mailman four years ago,

and drops me only a scribbled postcard

from time to time.'

~ john updike

degas, 'petite danseuse de quatorze ans' 
or 'the little 14-year-old dancer'

we kid about muses... their fickleness and their wonder... 

i was talking to a friend this past week about philly - and the museum of art there... during the conversation i recalled one of my favorite pieces - 'the little dancer'... i am guessing i saw her first about 25 years ago...

it was a powerful - 'is this where it's all coming from?' - moment... my love of mixed media? of fabric with metals - i remember distinctly being drawn to this sculpture - marveling at the use of tulle and silk ribbon with the bronze... soft and hard, matte and shiny, still and flowing... i know that we absorb things along the way... and i have happily spent a lot of time in museums throughout the years... but i had completely forgotten her!  she seemed to reflect what i felt inside... never fitting in, always a bit different, a person of right and left brain, dabbling in art and math, able to appreciate almost anything... and so very confused by that aspect of myself at the time... i didn't feel like i would ever accomplish anything because i was so 'all over the place'... i was a guidance counselor's nightmare because i just couldn't pick...i went into college an engineering major, then changed to economics, and fell head over heels in love with art history... now it feels like home... i know i don't have to pick some one thing, i can experiment and experience... 

i now can see the face of my muse - the girl who looked at another girl and made her feel like the way she experienced the world was alright... she has been there all along, just waiting for me to remember her... oh, so, patiently... 

thanks laura!

ice resin blog hop

in the depth of my soul there is a wordless song.'

~ kahlil gibran

but i often try to put words to it... 

'what lies behind us and what lies ahead of us

are tiny matters compared to 

what lives within us.'

~ henry david thoreau 

i loved how the bezel turned out when i made it in december - the fabric set into ice resin had a quality of looking deep into an opal... but i couldn't completely hear the song - until this week... having made some resin paper, i cut a piece out and riveted it to the bottom... then integrated some paddles i had made into the design... on them, i had adhered paper with the words 'truth' and 'to self'... the fabric intentionally breaks the surface of the resin which has been roughed up in places - reminding us that we often barely scratch the surface of what is within us... this necklace is meant to be worn almost as a talisman - to help protect and guide... 

'a grown up is a child with layers on.'

~ woody harrelson

'peeling away layers' were created with mica, ice resin paper, and nickel sheet... 

'on a search & rescue mission' - resin paper made to look worn... 

'for my lost self' ... these earrings are about the return to authenticity... how over time, we build up layers that can remove us from who we truly are... they are also an exercise in contradictions - refined vs. distressed, fragile vs. strong... each one of us is all of these things... underneath the layers we have built up and despite how fragile we may feel, we are strong... no matter how much we have been through, we are beautiful... we get tied up into a package of functioning that does not always reflect our Selves... ametrine is used for its healing properties - but specifically the fact that it is amethyst and citrine - a combination itself - that allows one to visualize and then to act... 

ice resin was created by susan lenart kazmer, a mixed media artist of international renown... she is an incredible inspiration and i have been known to fall asleep with my copy of 'making connections' on my stomach! i purchase this resin at objects & elements and frankly, it is the only kind i have tried or will use... it is just too wonderful... even my first experiment with resin turned out perfectly... so far i have used it in bezels, in wire framed paddles and on paper... what i love about this medium is the depth it adds to my work and the freedom it gives me... 

'in all things it is better to hope than to despair.'

~ johann wolfgang von goethe

'lespwa' necklace created for the haiti by hand shop... 

'everything you can imagine is real.'

~ pablo picasso

i am very honoured to be participating in a blog hop with these talented artists ~ please take a look at their creations made with ice resin...

Molly Alexander  http://beautifullybrokenme.blogspot.com/

Ro Bhrun http://robruhn.blogspot.com/

Karen Burns http://web.me.com/vintagefindings/Vintage_Findings/Blog/Blog.html

Keecia Frazee Deveney  http://www.lemoncholys.blogspot.com/

Melanie Earthenwood  http://earthenwood-beads.blogspot.com

Shea Fragoso http://www.whathappensnext.typepad.com/

Kerin Gale http://remnantsofolde.com/posts/

Vickie Hallmark http://fiberartglass.blogspot.com/

Jess Italia Lincoln http://www.vintaj.com/wpblog/

Jill Liles http://livngoodjewelry.blogspot.com/

Heather Powers  http://www.humblebeads.blogspot.com/ and http://www.artbeadscene.blogspot.com/

Amy Purdes http://www.spritecreations.blogspot.com/

Jenny Barnett  Rohrs  http://www.crafttestdummies.com/

Stephanie Rubiano  http://www.soigathered.typepad.com/

Lisa Sommerville http://www.lisasomerville.com

Kim Taylor http://sassycrafter.blogspot.com/

And then also the Objects and Elements Design Team and Susan Lenart Kazmer

Jen cushman  http://www.objectsandelements.typepad.com/jencushman/

Deryn Mentock http://somethingsublime.typepad.com/

Kristen Robinson http://kristenrobinson.typepad.com/

Barbe Saint John  http://barbesaintjohn.blogspot.com/

Susan Lenart Kazmer http://susan-lenart-kazmer.blogspot.com/

expostulation to self

'we gain strength, and courage, and confidence

by each experience in which we really stop

to look fear in the face...

we must do that which we think we cannot.'

~ eleanor roosevelt

as i read through the blogs i am blown away by all that is going on... those with books or contributing to them... those included in periodicals... great shows, awards won... congratulations to you all... 

making wishes is wonderful... but things only happen when a wish is accompanied by an action... are you pushing yourself? putting yourself out there? doing things you think you cannot? it is certainly necessary for personal growth, but also for the attainment of that which you desire...

eleanor roosevelt has always been a woman i admire... and i try to live by much that she has shared about life... this year i was privileged to have been invited into a jewelry exchange... and a book that was recommended to me was 'a charming exchange' by kelly snelling and ruth rae... 

thanks to kelly, i now have another mantra in my arsenal - and that is:

'... get out of (your) own way.'

p. 63

'fear will stop you in your tracks and kill your creative impulses.'

thank you, thank you, thank you! now, i do have to remind myself - OFTEN... it is a practice... at this moment, i am afraid of ice resin - yes, stop laughing... and i have all of the excuses... 'my house isn't 72*' ... 'if i mess up, it will waste it' ... blah, blah, blah, stupid, stupid, stupid... so after erin's challenge is complete, i am doing it - really... by monday i will have pictures - there, i have locked myself into it now! :0)

how are you holding yourself back?
-----
ok, how weird is this? i get daily messages from the universe www.tut.com
and here was today's:
Should you choose to go, do, and be, mary jane, at the end of your life, shocked and dismayed, you'll likely exclaim that because of all the uncanny events, wild timing, weird coincidences, and sheer chance encounters, all of your life's good fortune must have been your destiny. 

Or, should you choose to wait, wish, and hope, at the end of your life, shocked and dismayed, you'll likely exclaim that because of all the uncanny events, wild timing, weird coincidences, and sheer chance encounters, all of your life's bad luck must have been your destiny.

mary jane, do you see what the difference is?
It ain't me,
    The Universe

music is what feelings sound like ~

art is what feelings look like~

& when they 'come together'... (couldn't resist!)

i usually work in silence... i enjoy it, as it is a rare commodity in my home... but as you know from my blog, the beatles have been hangin' round here... and i like it! i really only take pics by natural light & today it was pouring... so the photos aren't the best...  but...

this necklace is called 'let it be'...

'whisper words of wisdom, let it be.'

 

a really fun necklace for me to make... sterling, copper & vintaj brass... rustic glass seed beads, a beautiful lampwork bead from bleu verre ... i stamped, hammered, wrapped, punched and antiqued the morning away... it is so rewarding to do a lot of this myself... the lotus flower, leaf & lapis are reminders and symbols of self-awareness, inner truth, the beauty of life and love... 

 

these earrings are called 'you say you want a revolution'...

'you tell me it's the institution,

well you know

you better free your mind instead.'

these are a sterling version of the ones in the last post... 

'while my guitar gently weeps'...

'with every mistake we must surely be learning.'

a copper drop with blue/green lampwork glass beads... they reminded me of drops of water or tears for all that is done in ignorance and hate... 

'the distressed feminine'... distressed - you get that part, hammered, antiqued... some bumps and bruises... aged to a fine patina... imperfectly perfect (aren't we?)... the pink beads do not match, are softly etched & are from mika at pinocean...and are a loose interpretation on the feminine symbol...

would love to work more but have misplaced my business cards for tomorrow and now i have to find them! yikes - oh yeah, and the kids are home from school! have to do the mom-thing!

enjoy your friday... 

grateful for a 64 color world...

life is like a box of crayons. most people are the 8-color boxes, but what you're really looking for are the 64-color boxes with the sharpeners on the back. i fancy myself to be a 64-color box, though i've got a few missing. it's ok though, because i've got some more vibrant colors like periwinkle at my disposal. i have a bit of a problem though in that i can only meet the 8-color boxes. does anyone else have that problem? i mean there are so many different colors of life, of feeling, of articulation.. so when I meet someone who's an 8-color type.. i'm like, hey girl, magenta! and she's like, oh, you mean purple! and she goes off on her purple thing, and i'm like, no - i want magenta!

- john mayer

this quote made me smile (it doesn't limit itself to partners in my mind) and  i just wanted to share it...

the blogging community that i have found myself now very attached to has really stretched me in so many ways... there are people doing awesome things creatively with their art, people thinking deeper and sharing insights, people allowing us to see the world through their eyes... it's awesome...

i find that my thinking is altering from 'can i?' to 'i can sure try'... and my kids do the same - one is involved in writer's realm & loves photoshop, another draws and does impressions (you should hear his mrs. doubtfire) and another is a creative thinker who is addicted to glass blowing... they inspire me... while the goal is always to be a great role model for my kids, i really do want to maximize whatever time it is i have here...

the final line of the song 'can't stop' by the red hot chili peppers (love their music - we were at the concert where they recorded their 'snow, hey oh' video) always leaves me mindful

'this life is more than just a read through.'

kids off to school this am, feeling a huge itch to get going doing something, but having too many ideas at once... inspired by what you all are doing and thinking... need to take a breath and center...

thanks for sharing your 64 color world!

this is what started it...

this unassuming intake valve that most people never see... it's all my brother's fault! he brought us pieces of his vw van's engine that he rebuilt/restored so that the kids could understand the engine hands on... yeah, he's pretty cool! i saw that original vw symbol and wanted to be able to make an imprint... it distracted me most of the day...
my stream of consciousness way of thinking led me to luthien and cindy pack... luthien has been posting about her work with polymer clay - i really love tutorials and appreciate the time it takes to put one up... she has even gotten to the point of opening another etsy shop for that work... good luck, luthien! cindy and i go back - thanks to blogger i now have the privilege of knowing her - i was a customer and really admired her work... the picture above is from my stash... don't you love that medusa head? i worked with the clay about 10 years ago or so, making stuff for my kids that they could play with, creating number pins for them to wear to school on their birthdays, teaching them how to use it for school projects...
but now... i admit, i am wanting to see what i can do for my designs... so, i went to a craft store last night 'just to see' ... and i found this awesome stamp that has so many different textures on it... i am envisioning making cubes with different patterns on each side - i don't know if this is going to work or not, but i will give it a try... of course, then there's the whole getting-the-right-color thing ... always the details! :o)

this is of course occurring during a visit from my brother who i haven't seen in a year... and also having to get ready for a show on the 12th (for which i want to do some work with silver like i have been with copper)... but, as leann's post was just about, perhaps the pressure will yield rich rewards...

thought this was a great quote regarding inspiration-

'the artist is a receptacle for emotions that come
from all over the place; from the sky,
from the earth, from a scrap of paper,
from a passing shape, from a spider's web.'
- pablo picasso