Years of projects

Owls for Aunt Marilyn. Started in August 2008. Still unmailed though finished (photo to follow)

The Pegamel. Started Spring/Summer 2009. A practice of 2 new techniques- using a cookie cutter as a mold and wings. I did not like the cookie cutter at all- I would use it again if I was making something that I wanted to be flat but I prefer animals to be more articulated with legs. Also this looks like the cigarette camel which wasn't really the look I was hoping for. The wings were a good lesson- I think they will have to be wet felted to get the look I want. Or if I felted them on foam instead of in my hand- it is easier to make flatter pieces if I am not concerned about bleeding. I hope to someday finish this- it isn't as urgent right now. I have an attachment to it that is bittersweet- I see a beautiful sea creature Pegamal but also the beautiful person the project was intended for. Projects are complicated when they are made for people with whom the relationship becomes complicated. Make sense?

The heron for Liz's child named Heron. This is the one I have been working on the most (which means at all) lately. I have added wings to the side- folded closed because I haven't quite gotten to the open wings yet. The legs will be wire with embroidery floss wrapped around them. Or wire with telephone wire wrapped around them, like bracelets from summer camp. The wire will have to be fairly sturdy to hold up the big body. I started this... September of 2009? In Hawaii sometime so maybe July? I am not sure. Liz is a friend from college. We had Orissi dance together and would carpool and smoke A LOT (because that's how I did back then) and go into the sauna and then dance. For whatever reason I was terribly un-coordinated and had a difficult time keeping everything straight. But it was fun and I really liked Liz. She was a yoga instructor and taught me a lot of really helpful poses, like stretching for snowboarding. Actually, we didn't carpool. I drove in exchange for yoga instruction. I think she may have cleaned my kitchen once or twice. I met her boyfriend at the time- the father of her little Heron. I see him around sometimes but don't approach him. So, more pictures of this one as they become available. I have looked at a lot of pictures of herons trying to figure out how to make one that is somewhat realistic. They seem to have some sort of feathery feathers all over, draped and tendrilling down. I will have to figure that out. Yarn would be too... flimsy? I don't know how the feathers actually are, just how they look in pictures from the internet. I will let you know how it turns out.

the dark caress of sentamental objects of love

So it has been a while because I am too busy doing stupid things like work. And visititing with friends but that isn't stupid. First here are pictures of some things I have been into lately- victorian and georgian mourning jewelry:

                                     

Vintage lockets with new miniature paintings from this lady on ebay

a reliquary ring with a woven hair background.

 the braided hair is pretty serious- intricate and time consuming. Did they do this with men's hair? It seems like it would have to be pretty long- did men keep their hair long then? Or did whoever was braiding these hairs together have some way of stringing it together? Short man hairs wouldn't be good for making braided earrings out of.

then there are other materials. jet, vulcanite, glass. cameos, flowers- lilys, forget me nots, wilting- momento mori, skulls, lockets with photos, urns, religious motifs, tiny portraits- all common.

This seems like the kind of subject I could become totally involved in- researching and collecting and wearing all the time. Jewelry is pretty important to the women in my family. My aunt and grandmother have drawers full- more than I imagine them ever wearing.  I have 2 important necklaces from my nana- one is a gold crown shaped locket that opens up to reveal a silver torah. She bought it for her mother's charm bracelet. The other charm I know was on this bracelet is a tree of life in a circle with gems a the end of the branches. They are big charms for a bracelet but that must have been the style then. Also Rhoda has always been able to pull off elaborately accesorized outfits. Aunt Suzy too. The other necklace is made of 4 strands of white glass beads that are aurora borealis irridescent on one side. I was enchanted when she would visit and they would sparkle in the sunshine and refract (right usage?) all over the place- my strongest memory is from in the car, with those rainbowsy sparks all over the ceiling. I was likely in a car seat and totally excited to see her. But apparently I called them wedding beads and said I would wear them when I got married. The strands are pretty long and flashy for my tastes now, but if the day comes you know I will be flashier than usual.  More some other time about important jewelry in my life: diamonds from the worst boyfriend in the world, various charms- particularly Saint Dymphna and the Viking ship, opals, the dar diamond ring and others.