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Life is Made
Life is made up of moments,
small pieces of glittering mica in
a long stretch of grey cement.
It would be wonderful if they
came to us unsummoned,
but particularly in lives as busy
as the ones most of us lead now,
that won’t happen.
We have to teach ourselves how to live,
really live . . . .
to love the journey,
not the destination.
Anna Quindlen
excerpted from
"
A Short Guide to a Happy Life"
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Invoice # SP01
Size 23x40
Framed only: $750.00
Shipping Info
I started with the strong watercolor wash and then added actual silver leaf to symbolize the “mica” that Anna refers to in her quote. It is seemingly fluttering across the page and behind the calligraphy as well. I did the calligraphy in a rather ornate style to symbolize our busy lives. The calligraphy itself has been dimensionally mounted, and I added a light
gilt edge around it to separate it
from the background wash. |
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Come to Me
Come to me...
Come sit beside me,”
She said,
Dangling her feet
Off the edge
of the world.
“I’m afraid” he said,
“It’s safer to stay
Where I am.”
“That’s the funny
Thing about fear,”
She said.
“It keeps you
From seeing
All the beauty
That
Exists beyond it.” |
Invoice # SP19
22x33
Framed only: $585.00
Shipping Info
Once again I created this
marbled affect in the paper as I made large sheets in a water vacuum box. I gently swirled the colored pulp and then dried the paper to achieve the background for this piece. Simple rubberstamped
dominos mounted on the paper add a touch of mystery to the quote. I chose a simple style of calligraphy in order not to compete with the artwork. |
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Special Furniture
Occasionally I am asked to decorate a
piece of unfinished furniture. It’s always
a challenge, as sometimes the piece
dictates the layout and the coloring.
For this trunk, the customer chose the
quote (the Ojibway Wisdom), and then
gave me the artistic freedom to complete
the rest. The quote follows the edge of the
lid top, and then I added stars on the
inside as well as the tree silhouettes all
around the outer sides.
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Pricing Avaiable Upon Request
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Spirit Houses
For years I have been working with the concept of creating an environment for some of my favorite quotes. The idea of designing a “Spirit House” came to mind as I love to be able to nest shapes inside of shapes. You will find within this category an unusual grouping of homes, all of which in some way include books which of course contain words that mean much to me.
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After Awhile
Goodbye
After a while you learn the subtle
difference between holding a hand
and chaining a soul, and you learn
that love doesn’t mean leaning and
doesn’t always mean security. And you
begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts
and presents aren’t promises and you
begin to accept your defeats with your
head up and your eyes ahead with the
grace of a woman with the grief of a
child and you learn to build all your
roads on today because tomorrow’s
ground is so uncertain, for plans and
futures have a way of falling down in
mid-flight. After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much, so
you plant your own garden and decorate
your own soul instead of waiting for
someone to bring you flowers. And
you learn that you really can endure, you
really are strong, you really do have worth
and you learn and you learn, and with every goodbye you learn. |
Invoice #: SH31
Size: 4x19x8
$600.00
Shipping Info
Behind the door of this Spirit House is a book that I created in the shape of a half moon. Inside are individually folded and colored pages that contain the words from a poignant poem about growing older and letting go.
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Salutation to the Dawn
Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
lie all the verities and realities of your
existence.. . . the bliss of
growth,
the glory of
action,
the splendor of achievement.
For yesterday is but a dream
and tomorrow is just a vision . . .
and today well lived makes every yesterday
a dream
of happiness,
and every
tomorrow a
vision of hope.
Look well, therefore to this day!
Such is the salutation to the dawn.
Kalidasa
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Invoice #: SH32
Size: 6x6x6
$675.00
Shipping Info
A friend of mine gave me an emu egg a number of years ago. It sat on my shelf for a while until I summoned the courage to cut it open, and yes, it had already been blown out! Now that I had opened it successfully, the whole creative process began. I no longer felt intimidated to move forward. I chose the wonderful Sanskrit verse about a new day coming forth. The little heart shaped book fits perfectly inside a porcelain heart that I built wings on to and decorated with feathers that my sister collects from the National Zoo in Washington, DC.
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Hope is...
Hope
is the thing
with
feathers
that perches in the soul . . .
and sings the tune
without the words
and never stops at all.
Emily Dickinson |
Invoice #: SH33
Size: 4x14x11
$675.00
Shipping Info
In this Spirit House I enclosed a pear that I carved from papier-mâché and then made the book pages from actual pear pieces that I dried and then applied artwork and words to. The “pages” actually fold back up like an accordion and fit inside the pear so the book can go on its own shelf of the house.
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Time it Was
Time it was
and what a time it was…
a time of innocence, a time of confidences.
Long ago…
I have a photograph.
Preserve your memories . . .
They’re all that’s left you.
Paul Simon |
Invoice #:SH34
Size: 4X13X7
$675.00
Shipping Info
One of my favorite songs, I have done it in a variety of ways, but this is one of my best. I was going through a bunch of old photos that I had stashed in my closet. I came across this one of me as a 10 year old; I remember how I felt with this first taste of independence, being allowed to row where I wanted all summer long. That was a summer full of fond memories. The small book contains a montage of the lake’s edge, and when it is folded up, it fits in the small birch bark holder in the house’s eaves.
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