the pregnant pause

light of knowing - mjd 2013

a season that blazes 

to catch our attention

encouraging -
no, demanding -
mindfulness 

a pregnant pause

between death

and the secret life that dwells

in an acorn.

we bear witness 

to balance

and impermanence.

does the chill air that physically wakes us
after the warm breezes of summer

force us to 

rediscover

remember

or just deeply know?

it is
with a sigh
that moves through the upturned
corners of your mouth,

the knowing 
that is 
coupled
with quivering joy

that the path is lit. 

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. 

changeling

'things do not change, we change.'

~ henry david thoreau

we bend but do not break... becoming all the more strong and beautiful for it... our lives intertwining with those of others and the fate of the earth by the choices we make... 

new additions

to the my mom pattie etsy shop... marsha neal has a special etsy shop set up in honor of her mother pattie... the funds generated from the sales at this shop are used for non-profit donations... 


i gave you a progress report at the love my art jewelry blog yesterday... i have a love of marsha's shards and try to think of special ways to set them off... recently i purchased the book 'wrap, stitch, fold & rivet' by mary hettmansperger and in it i found inspiration galore... 

these earrings have a lot of movement... the shards are the wonderful color that some of the leaves are now turning - a beautiful pink-orange... the torched copper reminds me of old new england barns... they have been sealed properly in two ways to preserve the finish on the copper... 

'when you take a flower into your hands and really look at it,

it's your world for the moment.'

~ georgia o'keeffe

etched copper discs cup beautifully delicate cut out porcelain flowers by marsha... hand dyed silk fibers from lisa jurist...

'if we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly,

our whole life would change.'

~ the buddha

layered pendant - patinated large copper disc... marsha neal porcelain charm with a floral pattern... and a clear resin drop to magnify the wonder... hangs from leather cord wrapped in hand dyed silk and fine copper wire... 

'the winds of change are always blowing

and every time i try to stay

the winds of change continue blowing

and they just carry me away.'

~ willie nelson

the winds of change are filled with surprise and beauty... they may not always be desired, but they are a part of life's inevitability... the pendant made me think of a wind chime of sorts (look for this to be revisited)... so i filled it with different and wonderful things... no matter how much things may shift, we are still rooted... we remain ourselves... with family and friends who love us... the double strand of tied small earthy beads and copper chain represent how we still are grounded even while we evolve... 

my favorite

i try to be open, to appreciate something about wherever, whenever i am... 


but autumn is my favorite - today is rainy and blustery, leaves are changing color... the rain and wind look like i feel... but sitting down to work soothes me... fall is a reminder that time is fleeting... i almost feel as if autumn reminds me of just how fast time does pass... trees filled with colorful leaves soon empty... leaving bare branches behind... and as i savor every moment, still it races by... life's like that... so if time is going to go ticking along anyway - at least find yourself at attention ~

'every leaf speaks bliss to me,

fluttering from the autumn tree.'

~ emily bronte

thank you lisa - for the beautiful fibers that are just perfect here and will be reached for over and over again - 

happy earth day!

'i only went out for a walk 

and finally concluded to stay out till sundown,

for going out, i found,

was really going in.'

~ john muir

earth day earrings are created of sterling hoops, resin paddles and soft blue/green fibers... the sterling has been fused to represent the bond that exists between all living things... the paddles have paper from an old shakespeare text - the words 'flowers', 'tree' and 'earth' can be seen on them... 

check out google's picture for today on their web search page... for the second year in a row, disney is releasing a special film in honor of earth day... 'oceans' looks breathtaking... and 'avatar' is being released on dvd... not that commercialism has anything to do with earth day, i'm just saying ... 

'if we don't change, we don't grow.

if we don't grow we are not really living.'

~ gail sheehy

'living life to the fullest' were created in mixed metals - annealed steel wire shaped into paddles for resin paper depicting sections of butterfly wings from a vintage dictionary... encouraging you to take flight... etched nickel with the words 'to live is to grow', subtly highlighted with color and sealed... sterling silver ear wires and wire wrapped blue quartz stones... to release fear and increase courage... soft grey green fibers... 

'we have to do the best we can.

it is our sacred human responsibility.'

~ albert einstein

'on being human' - the words 'being' and 'human' are again chosen from an antique dictionary and intended to be read as such - not as 'human being'... for in being human we try at the risk of making mistakes, but with the guarantee of becoming more... ametrine chosen for its dual properties - it is a combination of citrine and amethyst  and as such is believed to dispel negativity and open one up to fill the void with light... 


thank you for all of the very kind comments you left on my last post... it was so nice to be able to share and celebrate with you!

make your own ripple

'it is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief

that human history is shaped.

each time a man stands up for an ideal, 

or acts to improve the lot of others,

or strikes out against injustice,

he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.'

~ robert francis kennedy

this small stream running down my street is what is left over from the accumulations of a  blizzard and the storm of this past weekend... the ripples, though small, move significant amounts of water... their effort is steady... they move over and around obstacles... 

in any size, great or small, create a ripple today ~

transformations

'when we quit thinking primarily about ourselves

and our own self-preservation,

we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness.'

~ joseph campbell 

change is in the air, confidence is growing and excitement is overwhelming at times... i decided it was time to stop wanting to try etching metal & to just do it after reading a blog the other day... these are small 18 ga. copper blanks... i used the book 'semi-precious salvage: creating found art jewelry' by stephanie lee as a guide... here i have used a rubber stamp & permanent ink to mark the blanks... they were allowed to completely dry... 

the book recommended leaving the metal in the etchant for a couple of hours... so i left them in for 2.5... i had a vintaj blank - that got eaten up, disintegrated... & a larger blank that didn't etch as much... but i didn't put it back in because i wasn't sure what it was supposed to look like... then i took the little guys out...  i really love the molten look they took on... very cool... but also very sharp in areas...

these are post oxidizing... i only had steel wool to work with and some small files... but i love the contrast... i do believe that i will need to get a dremel tool for brightening the raised areas and some sandpaper to help out with the smoothing...

when you want to grow, when you want to become 'more', it's a feeling that pulls at you... it can come into conflict with what you 'have' to do... but somehow it works out... and anytime you grow in one way, it seems to spill over into other ways... i thank lisa at lucid moon studio for so openly sharing her information and experimentation with this... it's always funny to me how the universe works... this was my next step, and as i was looking through the new posts this weekend, there it was! 

ooh - just remembered i have a buffing and sanding sponge... going to try that...

how and what are you transforming?

on becoming

this quote came to my attention as i was reading an article about social change and global warming:

'we must all learn to live together as brothers or we will all perish together as fools. we are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. for some strange reason i can never be what i ought to be until you are what you ought to be. and you can never be what you ought to be until i am what i ought to be.'

-martin luther king, jr.

i completely understand the ideas of relatedness and interconnectedness that exists between all living things... and i find this quote to be profound for it reaches further than the personal journey we are on to attain the highest level of consciousness we can... from our practice of working upon ourselves, and then reaching out with ever more to give, the great challenges of our time can be met...

but to be honest, 'i can never be what i ought to be until you are what you ought to be.' made me stop... what do you think? on the most deeply personal level, aren't we supposed to be able to gain great insights through our own diligence? do we need others to attain our own enlightenment? does it help to be surrounded by those that are like minded? of course... but is it necessary? i don't know, i am still thinking about it - and i still have a lot of work to do... i suppose that is why dr. king wrote, 'for some strange reason'... as applied to the species, this statement rings loud and true... we need to be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem... we can achieve more together if we are on the same page, working toward a common goal...

these earrings are about becoming what you ought to be... the lotus flower is one of the eight auspicious symbols in buddhism... the roots of the lotus are set down in the mud, the stem growing and rising up through the murky water until it reaches the surface, where the flower turns its face to the sun... the white flower is a symbol of enlightenment, of the purity of body, mind and speech... these earrings are made in 3 layers... the bottom is a paddled copper drop representing the roots... the center is a spiral headpin with moonstone representing growth and the flashes of insight gleaned with emotional understanding... and the dome shaped disc is stamped with the lotus flower itself... hammered and antiqued... i made all but 2 of the pieces - the split ring and the spiral headpin which was made by rocki at rockis supplies... in truth, i didn't realize how i was building these, how the 3 parts were symbolic, it only came later when i was finished...

imagine whole water gardens of lotus where each blossom represents an enlightened human
& what could be accomplished if those were to be...

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...