I believe art to be a collaboration of forces in the Universe so I try not to have a vision set in stone when I create a piece.  It's kind of like working with a team of artists of which I'm only one part of the whole; maybe an important part, but nonetheless just a part.  Yes, the vision must be strong enough to convey to my other (unseen) team members, but not so rigid that I reject or ignore their contributions.  When I hold my vision and remain open, they always come up with ideas that, many times, take the project in a direction I could not have even imagined.  This delights me as I'm always pleasantly surprised by the end result and left with the feeling that I'm not too sure who actually created it!    

Lesson:   The more I practice flexibility, the more room the forces of the universe have to shape the the spirit and outcome of my work.

Organic Bead Weaving

I rarely draw a design but rather let the beads dictate the end result.  Sometimes, however, they just don't know where to go and giving them a guideline to follow seems the sensible thing to do.  Other times, I see where I want them to go but the beads have other ideas!  Each piece is a collaboration of mind, body, and spirit; my own AND the glass beads and stones that go into each face pin!  

THE RELATIONSHIP WEAVER

relationship bonds

are emotional

moments

woven together

one experience at a time

Pin # 18

I've been working on a series of pins all representing the animals of the Chinese New Year.  Each face has the hoof, hand, paw or foot print of that particular animal.  This one happens to be the year of the OX. 

CHI...

Spiritual guardians hold on to the truth 

until we are ready to let go of the lie.

CHI...
Means "god, spiritual being" in Igbo,
referring to the personal spiritual guardian
that each person is believed to have. Christian
Igbo people use it as a name for the personal
Christian god. This can also be a short form
of the many Igbo names that begin with this element.

Annunziata...

An unnamed presence 

showed up at my door not long ago.  

She insisted on being formed 

with low-fire clay and casually ignored warnings 

of my limited experience in that medium. 

I frankly described my one (and only) previous attempt 

ending up as pieces in the bottom of a kiln.  

She was not deterred. 

This was the result.

Annunziata 

is an Italian name meaning 

The bearer of news.  

Her message;  

I'm to create others like her 

to be used as Prayer Bowls.  

A thought, wish, or prayer might be written 

and tossed inside to be carried out into the Universe.

Annunziata is made from low-fire white clay.

She has been painted with acrylic and sealed.

The holes are for possible bead work in the future.

She measures approximately 6"x 6"

MAYET...

BALANCE

 

The ability to suspend 

judgement

accurately assess 

reality

and keep the mind focused 

in the present moment

Mayet, was the ancient Egyptian concept of truth,
balance, order, law, morality and justice.  Also
spelled (Maat), was also personified as a goddess
regulating the starts, seasons, and the actions of
both mortals and the deities, who set the order of
the universe from chaos at the moment of creation.

IN THE PROCESS...

I've been asked to include the process of how the faces are created and embroidered.
On this particular piece I have used alchohol ink on the background..mixing two colors:
Terracotta and Butterscotch.  The face was glued onto Lacy Stiff Stuff with E6000 glue.
The face was then embroidered with Aiko Brick Red Lined Topaz, Brass Charlottes with Andalusite semi-precious stones on the side, along with vintage Japanese bugle beads accented on the sides.  I'm now starting to surround it with Czech cushioned fire polished stones. TBC...

DARA...

 Perhaps 
"wisdom"

is not how much information

one has obtained

but rather

how well that information

is reflected upon

Dara \d(a)-ra\ as a girl's name is 

pronounced DAR-ah. It is of Hebrew 

origin, and the meaning of Dara is 

"nugget of wisdom"

Avi-Ganesh

A successful journey may depend upon 

how well the obstacles are read along the way.

Study them carefully before asking they be removed.

Avi-Ganesh took aproximately two months to complete.

She is made of polymer clay and painted with Alcohol Inks.

Her name is derived from the Lord of Obstacles, Ganesha,

both of a material and spiritual order and is popularly 

worshiped as a remover of obstacles.