process

i am honored to have a piece included in this show at kean university in union, nj which runs through october 21st... the talent in the guild is jaw dropping (thea clark, ken mc bain and others)... i was drawn immediately to the concept - we were asked to bring in photos and tools/materials related to our work... 

'the transformative power of tears'

i am done with neither this subject nor the technique... there are sketches in my book to push further... 

thank you to the njmag for the opportunity... 

healing

'healing takes courage, and we all have courage,

 even if we have to dig a little to find it.'

~ tori amos

tears and water can wash away the rough edges of life... 

loosening thoughts and feelings long buried... 

process

i am so honored to have been notified of my acceptance into the new jersey metal arts guild juried member exhibition called 'process'... 


my pull to this exhibition began with the title and then the goal of the show - to share what goes into the making of a piece of work... i almost didn't do it... i was packing and to my rational brain this was not what i was supposed to be doing... but it kept calling to me urgently, to the point that i was distracted beyond reason and almost heartsick at the thought of not bringing forth what had been gestating in my mind... while my hands moved surely through the process there was a great deal of anticipation - i was trying something new... 

'the creative process is a process of surrender,

not control.'

~ julia cameron

'the transformative power of tears' 

surrender... 

changes

 'the ground submits to the sky and suffers whatever comes.

tell me, is the earth worse for giving in like that?'

~ rumi

as water causes reactions with the elements, creating a weathered beauty of patina and texture... so too do tears, adding depth and beauty to our souls...

~~~

tears that follow the contours of the face, 

as droplets on branches, leaves & rock faces...

leaving behind changes for better or for worse (or even just because)... 

adding the color of joy and grief to our souls... 

pressing us to gratitude for being able to feel these things at all... 

secret life of tears

'all that you think is rain is not.

behind the veil angels sometimes weep.'

~ rumi

like the rain that falls to a parched ground, nourishing the earth and bringing forth life, so too are tears... soaking into a heart that finds itself numb or disengaged, tears of joy and sorrow can bring one back to the fullness of their experience... 

synchronicity

near the end of class on sunday i started one last bezel for a cab of fossilized palm frond that i had to have when i darted into the vendor area... 

i used bronze sheet and stamped 'courage' into it... the cab had reminded me a bit of a spear head... and the bronze made me think of ancient times in history... 


but my chest started vibrating when i would touch it or start to work with it - it was feeling too masculine and intimidated me... so i left it alone... i happened to be 'talking' to a friend who mentioned that she had a landlady named elysium... which got me to thinking about the elysian fields in greek mythology (and for which the woman was named)... the fields are the final resting place for the souls of the heroic and the virtuous... 

And those that have three times kept to their oaths,

Keeping their souls clean and pure,

Never letting their hearts be defiled by the taint

Of evil and injustice,

And barbaric venality,

They are led by Zeus to the end:

To the palace of Kronos

courageous women, fighting often battles of the domestic sort, continuing to love & care for their children and friends and family under sometimes the most difficult of circumstances... i chose one paddle with 'fear' on it and one that was smaller and clear to represent tears... overcoming struggles, becoming a warrior in the spiritual way... the fibers are the colors of the sky, waters and things that grow... they are soft and beautiful... 


this talisman is attached to a copper bar with winding sterling wire which compositionally was necessary as a transition but symbolically represents growth... 


and i just don't know that i can part with it -