whispers

ever softly - mjd 2014

a whisper 

uttered

oh so softly,

an embrace 

that holds you 

oh so gently

assuring that 

you'll be alright. 

-------------------

a talisman to ward off thoughts that a gentle nature is a sign of weakness - i don't know of anything stronger than an open, kind heart. 

international peace day 2013

woven flags and brass chimes - mjd 2013

honor this day

with the commitment
to practice 
peaceful 
mindful
connective
living.

spread it where you can.

it won't always be easy

but,

it will always be worth it. 

work being finished for sept. 21

stamped discs - mjd 2013

the international day of peace approaches.

my plan was for a woven project,

but only metals could finish it off 

the way i saw it/heard it

in my head. 

the way prayer wheels are spun 

to carry the mantra out into the world,

i stamped each disc 

with something meaningful.

brass chimes - mjd 2013

i made small chimes

of shining brass 

and decided to give the elements 

a chance

of imparting their own patina.

woven peace flag - mjd 2013

a simple flag - 

with a bit of stitching

and an opening, 

that necessary opening,

to represent the wound

'where the light gets in'. 

thank you, rumi. 

the blog where projects will be shared

is as heartfelt and humble as they come. 

it isn't too late to join in

should you choose -

just send me an email 

and we'll get you set up.

or just stop in to see 

what talented souls

with peaceful hearts 

have made to honor the day.

transitions

transitions - mjd 2013

the hours

between tides

the day

between sunrises

and sets

transitions - mjd 2013

the years

between a broken branch

and a piece of driftwood

the eons

that form and shape

rock.

there is a rhythm 

to this change

that soothes the soul

and demonstrates

that every thing

every 

thing 

e

ver

y

thing

has an inherent nature

and path

that becomes apparent

when we grow quiet

and listen

to within.

a gift of growing old

is being witness

to what years 

of following your rhythm

reveals. 

invisible cords

a thousand invisible cords - mjd 2013

'when we try to pick out anything by itself we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe.'
- john muir

mjd 2013

just imagine what we would see
if we could make the invisible cords visible.

but
since we cannot, 
we have the heart to guide us
and remind us.

mjd 2013

the tugging we feel
in joy, 
sorrow, 
compassion, 
understanding

are all evidence
that we are connected not only to each other
but to all living things.

evening approaches

woven leaf - mjd 2013

the day draws to a close. 

a good day

fingers aching

from small needles

small pins

 & tweezers

used to coax fine threads 

in and out

in and out 

through

curving edges of warp.

i offer suggestions

as to how this form might take shape.

but in the end,

i am the one who accepts 

with appreciation

the beautiful curves 

that become

from the pact that is made

by the threads 

and my fingers.

an agreement that leaves

my will out of the process

altogether. 

it is good,

this learning of acceptance.

it can yield the most beautiful 

and unexpected of things.

going deeper

leaf - mjd 2013

one of the things i love best about maturing as a crafts person

is the understanding you gain about yourself

and how you relate to others.

leaf - mjd 2013

which is naturally also the insight you gain

as a maturing person,

with the application of different materials 

but not necessarily different methods.

of the essence

mjd 2013

fragile as a leaf
or a petal
decaying after its show
of lushness and vibrancy.

form and essence 
are left behind.

but which truly is more delicate -
the glossy leaf
or its skeletal remains?

mjd 2013

perhaps the tracery
of veins and stem
are not as fragile
as they appear.

for what remains
belies the inherent strength
of that which supported life,

yet goes unseen

until that which
distracts
has quietly eroded
away.

in stillness

woven leaf - mjd 2013

slow down,

stop what you are doing

and take a breath.

'sit down and be quiet.

you are drunk 

and this is the edge of the roof.'

 - rumi

the situation is dire

for those unwilling 

to do the work 

of practicing awareness.

distraction lurks 

in every corner

and sits in the middle 

of every room.

but is there really any other option?

leaves

patina leaf - mjd 2012

i have missed making leaves.

so i ventured upon 

an adaptation

using pin weaving
instead of metal heating
and beating.

pin weaving - mjd 2013

building a leaf

made of natural fibers

triggered meditation

upon impermanence.

woven fiber leaf - mjd 2013

the most important moment

is the one at hand.

the tender heart

mjd - 2013

in our (mistaken) attempt to guard the heart
against vulnerability 
and pain,

mjd - 2013

we can isolate it 

from tenderness

and connection.

loose ends

various fibers, hemp and linen paper

we are connected to others

through a tapestry of place and time.

before us are the ancestors - of all living things

and earth forms.

beside us are family, friends, the global community

and all that grows and exists.

after us is the future we help to (hope to) honor, create and preserve.

mjd - 2013

loose ends are not things left unaccounted for -

at least, they don't have to be.

give them purpose.

like hands reaching out

or a rope thrown to a drowning person,

they are available and willing

to any being who needs them.

creating ties where none existed before. 

120 in 7

my first kids - 


the only ones i got pictures of! 


i spent last thursday and friday at our county's teen arts festival - about 2000 kids come over the course of the two days to have their work critiqued... they are in competition to go to the state level in visual arts, theater, voice, film making, music, etc... i had been there before as a parent when my kids had pieces entered... 


but this time i was asked to teach a workshop and jumped at the opportunity... first i hemmed and hawed over what i could teach them in 45 minutes... what didn't involve metal or fire (don't laugh, that's hard for me!)


weaving - as a teen, i loved macrame, weaving, knotting... it was the first way i used beads... 


so, ok - let's do that! 


3 workshops per day... 


let's be sensible and limit the classes to 15 students each... 


sounds good... 


i even posted sign-up sheets so that everyone would know if there was availability or not... 

but then, what do you do when a kid comes in and says, 'your lists were full by 10:30 and i was with the judges'? well, you let them in, right? and they always travel with a friend... 


do the math above and you get 90 students in 6 workshops -


i had 120... 


120 kids in 7 hours... 


and i can honestly tell you that i looked into each child's eye, touched each piece they worked on, gave each one attention... 


because i didn't just want them to finish a bracelet... i wanted to teach them a technique... i wanted them to go into a store or look in a catalog and think 'i can do that.' and then do it... to make more, to teach friends, to give gifts, to (hopefully) keep experimenting... to not just think of it as a bracelet - but as an anklet, a belt, a necklace, etc... to see a button as a clasp or closure in a different way... 

can i tell you i was so worried no one would want to sign up for it that i brought a book just in case?

can i tell you it was one of the most rewarding things i have done since i started this path?


one aspect i appreciated so much was just being in a room with different kinds of creatives - there were the ones that were happy to make randomly colored bracelets, ones that had to have the pattern lined up ahead of time, one that had to center 2 beads in the middle (and i taught her how to do that)... 


that part made me think of my own kids... and em was there - but she was helping our photographer friend with his workshop... 


huge thanks to the monmouth county arts council for the opportunity and for hosting an incredible event year after year... 

bead soup -

today is the big reveal of the 5th bead soup blog party hosted by lori anderson - 200 participants from around the world will be sharing their work made with components sent to them from a partner... i was paired with stacey curry of star- hitched wagon and i would like to thank her for what she sent to me... 

a lisa peters focal and some really fun felted wool... an assortment of vintaj components and some autumn jasper pebbles... autumn colors - my favorite!


lisa's focal made me think of weaving... so i cut off the links and used it as a cabochon instead, setting it on a brass back plate that had been stamped and given a heavy patina... 

'lives are woven together'

i ran my wire pattern parallel to that on the ceramic piece... and used (naturally) some of lisa mozart's silk to weave with...  

looks like a woman, doesn't it? which is interesting (and not done intentionally) because i have been working with a pregnant form since december...  and here she is fully realized in a tribal kind of way with a head and breasts!

i loved working with the felt beads by smika (they are something i would love to learn how to make)... used some of the jasper pebbles, recycled african glass beads, paper beads, polymer by genevieve williamson of jibby and juna and ceramic by nan emmett of spirited earth... continuing the use of the trapeze structure in brass and sterling... 

thanks for stopping by... 

to see the whole list of participants you can visit pretty things here... and thank you lori for always organizing such a large event so well... 

simplicity

'knowledge is learning something new every day.

wisdom is letting go of something every day.'

- zen proverb

this basket, sitting on my unironed cotton cloth in the dining room, is an island of stillness... of simplicity... monochromatic... inviting... i hold this ugandan basket in two hands & think of the woman who wove it... it feels good... 

i am so grateful to the women who have opened a fair trade shop locally... who allow us to touch these things ourselves, be drawn to them... this little basket had been calling to me... who wouldn't have welcomed such a treasure into their home?

'eyes of the world' can be found at 658 cookman avenue, asbury park, nj...

please support fair trade wherever you can... 

connected through fiber (not the kind in my cereal)

'come out of the circle of time

and into the circle of love.'

-rumi

lately i have been feeling a need to integrate fibers and fabric in to my work... it just feels right... and i realized it creates a real connection to the past... no, i am not providing warmth for my family in clothing or blankets... but working with them makes me think of women who for centuries/millenia have been doing these things for their families and communities... from the ancient times in persia, china and egypt through today... and perhaps today, it is even appreciated more - precisely because of the mechanical alternatives that are available to hands... 
'timeless' was created with a marsha neal studio shard and lisa peters art button...there is also a wonderful polymer clay bead by genevieve at jibbyandjuna... 

'warm and fuzzy' use marsha neal studio shards as well... i love the contrast of the fibers with the ceramic... 

'if your knees aren't green by the end of the day,

you need to seriously re-examine your life.'

calvin (bill watterson)

'kickin' back' encourages you to relax, take in the colors and textures of the earth, water and sky... small copper bird charm is a reminder of why this necklace was created... 

'and forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet

and the winds long to play with your hair.'

- kahlil gibran 

'caught in the breeze' were created by etching copper and nickel sheet... then wirewrapping fibers and ribbon... 

'this very moment is a seed from which

the flowers of tomorrow's happiness grow.'

'margaret lindsey

'make your wish, plant the seed' created by etching copper sheet, wirewrapping faceted amethyst and tying on a bit of floss... amethyst is associated with quiet, calm & ultimately, peace... when one calms the mind, the door of opportunity opens wide... 

'all tangled up' is a well-mixed (thanks to robert frost for my most fav quote ever) design of enamel, glass, ceramic, pewter, crystal, turquoise, leather, metals and fibers... marsha neal studio, barbara lewis, linden avenue designs, zippy beads, green girl studios & purple pozies all represented here... 

the first 3 pieces are available in the my mom pattie shop ... 

as the holidays bear down - stay centered... i am feeling very 'off' due to the avalanche of materialism... it's been present since halloween, but when i get 50 mails for promos each time i sign on, it is just too much... stay connected to what is important to you... 

p.s. i am not a scrooge!

playing with copper sheet

'at the center of your being you have the answer,

you know who you are

and you know what you want.'

~ lao tzu

copper sheet has been randomly stamped with om & lotus punches... hole at bottom is deliberately off center signifying the journey of working towards our center... faceted amethyst used for healing properties... a stone associated with calm, healing and peace... 

'all who wander are not lost.'

~ j.r.r. tolkien

a very favorite quote of mine... drifting, letting go, relaxing, going with the flow... the word 'drifting' has been stamped randomly along with leaves on the copper sheet to evoke the feeling of, well, drifting... like leaves being carried by a stream... lapis was chosen because of the properties it contains - balancing of yin-yang, bringing mental clarity... all things that occur when we let go and set our minds free...

'we all have our own life to pursue,

our own kind of dream to be weaving...

and we all have the power to make wishes come true,

as long as we keep believing.'

~ louisa may alcott

sheet metal here has been textured and punched in many places allowing for the weaving of fibers within it... a contrast in textures tied (no pun intended) together by the flowing line of each medium.. 

did you experiment today?