inspired by warriors of peace

small metal pieces - 2014 mjd

we live in a troubled world

we live in a beautiful world

we live in a world where each one of us makes a difference. 

some people do it quietly

some people forcefully

but all do it courageously. 

find your way.

we notice the light most 

when it's dark.

we notice peace most

when there is chaos and unrest.

but each should be constant

however else the conditions might be. 

simple things can carry great impact. 

i try to hone my pieces so that messages 

are clearly stated

and the wearer will feel 'more' for having them.

i have this hope that my physical act of making marks in metal

sends the message out into the ether

like a chant in hammer strikes.

the new addition of scallops 

represents the way things can radiate - 

all those good things we can choose to put

out into the world. 

the shining sterling orbs

are physical representations 

of light and self realization.

peace, love, kindness, compassion, grace

coupled with accountability

abstract in nature,

but ever so real 

and ever so needed now. 

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

the recipients of the 2014 nobel peace prize were announced yesterday - 

one is the youngest ever. you can read about them and be inspired here. 

and might i share these words with you

that come from young holocaust victim  etty hillesm

ultimately we have just one moral duty:

to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves,

more and more peace,

and to reflect it towards others,

and the more peace there is in us,

the more peace there will be in our troubled world.

carving, etching & prayer/peace flags

i started carving in rubber block - and love it... 


om, lotus, feathers and a bear totem... i thought i would be using them on fabric for the peace flags project... 

but it seems i cannot escape the jeweler/metal worker mindset... and i'm ok with that... the whole idea for the project was to be interpretive - to send wishes for peace free in your own way... 

my first set of flags are on the small side, copper om and lotus buds alternating... connected in such a way that movement in possible... highlighted with floss in the correct color arrangement... one wrapped lapis drop at the bottom... 

you can read more about the project (and join in if you like) here... 

btw

'when we discover the truth is already in us,

we are all at once our original selves."

~ dogen

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... 

could this be...

the heart pumping, chest pounding feeling of giddiness?! 

while i know that i 'should be' packing, and doing lots of other things, there is a juried show that i want to submit to (naturally the deadline is friday)... i kept putting myself off, saying that i couldn't, shouldn't, first things first and this wasn't one of them, that there will be other shows... but i need to submit to this, to try - it is for the new jersey metals arts guild... and the piece i had planned is perfect for the theme - 'process'... 


yesterday, i decided to give myself permission to take some time to work - something i have not done in over a month... and it has taken a toll on my mental well being... (to say nothing of the fact that i feel like a complete stranger on blogger/flickr/etc...)


that feeling of excitement was so forgotten - i will not do this to myself again... nor should you... if something feeds you, don't deprive yourself... even if you allot yourself 30 minutes a day... my work space is in a couple of places right now, and i had to move things back and forth for this - but i am glad i did...  and it may just help me to get through some of the things i am feeling so tentative about ... 

'living is a form of not being sure,

not knowing what next or how...

we guess. we may be wrong,

but we take leap after leap in the dark.'

~ agnes de mille

all in a(n x # of) days' work...

stop, start, stop, start... 


make components, set them aside... 


and then you have a day where some of them grow up... 

'moonlight is sculpture.'

~ nathaniel hawthorne

gratitude opens

embrace uncertainty

the nature of a woman

strong and beautiful... worn by time but gleaming with a patina that comes from experience and living... intuitive, soft, wise... moonstone and labradorite used for their metaphysical properties...

too many

too many words, too many feelings....


decided to go with what moved me in the natural world - the reminders of how you are a small part of a very large whole... 

last night a fast moving and  powerful storm rolled in - the clouds were actually purple...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

the foliage is beginning to change - one of my very favorite things in the whole wide world... 

&

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

a sky so blue and dappled with wispy clouds it took my breath away...

inhale...
exhale...
repeat -