fanciful devices: Cuffs and Stuffs

A Stone Is Nobody's

A man ambushed a stone. Caught it.
Made it a prisoner.
Put it in a dark room and stood guard over it for the rest of his life.

His mother asked why.

He said, because it's held captive, because it is captured.

Look, the stone is asleep, she said, it does not know whether it's in a garden or not. Eternity and the stone
are mother and daughter; it is you who are getting old. The stone is only sleeping.

But I caught it, mother, it is mine by conquest, he said.

A stone is nobody's, not even its own. It is you who are conquered; you are minding the prisoner, which is yourself,
because you are afraid to go out, she said.

Yes yes, I am afraid, because you have never loved me, he said.

Which is true, because you have always been to me as the stone is to you, she said.

Russell Edson

FAQs

1. Are you a Southeast Asian dancing girl from the 1800s?

No, sorry to disappoint. My avatar and banner images are from an ancient book I found in the depths of my grandmother's cabinets. More on that here.

2. How do you make everything look so old?

First, you need a good oxidizer to brush on every bit of metal you can reach. I'll tell you all about it here.

Then there's this wax. I first mentioned it here. You'll have to scroll down a lot.

3. How can you be so productive?

I'm insanely obsessed and I have no offspring. I do nothing else- I don't have a day job, I don't clean my house or cook, I spend all day in pjs, often completely abandoning personal hygiene... I only interact with other humans when I walk my dog. And I like people! But I prefer dogs.

And I'm sloppy- but I make that sloppiness work for me.

4. Any tips you'd like to share?

No! Except for these 16 posts about techniques and this one about how to find your aesthetic.

5. Would you be offended if I took some inspiration from your designs?

Well, I'd be happier if you outright copied them.

No really, imitation is how we learn. I have enough ideas to go around. And even if I don't- please. No one's going to do this obsessively enough to threaten my business. (Probably.) I learned by copying others and I've seen others copy me as a step toward developing their own voice. So feel free. (I'd love if you tossed me a link in my comments, so I can feel like a proud momma.)

6. What do you look like?

Why, what have you heard? Really? Wow.

6/21/10

Cuffs and Stuffs

I may have inadvertently picked up Sparrow's cuff-making mantle. See, she says she wants to give up jewelry for a while. And I happen to have made these two cuffs this weekend using almost all things given to me by her, giving them a very Sparrow feel.

The dark one doesn't look so great laid flat. But I'll shut up about the scanner sucking. I seem to have hit a... wet spell? I mean, I've been selling a bunch this weekend. A buyer told me she listed me on her facebook and that now I've been discovered by the "tribal fusion belly dancing community"! Perfect for the headdresses I've been wanting to make for a while now. Problem is that I'm drowning in supplies again and it's making me frantic. Am I the only one that is made frantic by her stash? Like, panicky? Each bit screams out- make me into something! But not just that, they tell me exactly what they want to be made into, more or less, or they start chattering about different possibilities, and oh, the voices! The voices! OK, not really. More like, oh the ideas! The plans! It crowds my head until finishing things is just a relief for a second before I have to rush off to the next one. Meanwhile, eating and basic hygiene get neglected...

6 comments:

Jo Archer said...: Hi Marina, I meant to tell you, I met Penny and her mum yesterday in London! It was so great to finally meet up and we had a great day.

The new cuffs are gorgeous.; 6/21/10, 1:20 AM
fanciful devices said...: REALLY??? oh my gosh- 2 internet planets colliding!!! how bizarre! that's awesome and now i'm so jealous of you....; 6/21/10, 12:59 PM
stregata said...: The cuffs are beautiful! Thank you for "showcasing" me. Would you send me an email at rgstarke (at) web.de please?; 6/21/10, 1:01 PM
Desirée said...: It's about time that the Tribal Fusion bellydance community got wind of your work. I would love to see some headdresses or even just fascinators from you.; 6/21/10, 5:45 PM
botox injection said...: I just love all of your wonderful art. I will have to come back here again and see more of your work.

Have a great day!; 6/21/10, 6:29 PM
fanciful devices said...: Aw, thanks, everyone! Y'all make me so happy! Comments make me so happy!; 6/22/10, 2:31 PM