fanciful devices: finally up

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.

My these-guys are finally up in the shiz-op.

They Thought They Could Touch the Sky. Doorknob Rosette and Found Poetry.

My sister was just over amazed that anyone would spend, say, $100 on a necklace. I asked her how much she got for a relative amount of work. Turns out she's never calculated her hourly wage. So she did and, guess what? $100/hr plus bonuses! I'm like, I can't believe anyone would pay that much for an hour's worth of writing code (or whatever it is she does). And she goes "I know!!! Especially since I suck at it!" Which cracked me up so much.

Needless to say I spend considerably more than an hour on these. FuckDamnit.

It has no end and no beginning. Jar Lid and Found Poetry.

Made me laugh, though, as she was checking out this one w/the jar lid, and I told her it was a jar lid, she kept asking, "Did you find it this way?" Um, a jar lid that says 'it has no end and no beginning'? With a rose? "No it's just that it looks like it's bee there forever!" Uh, yeah. That's what I dooz.

Notice the bits of lace, too. "Was that there when you found it?" Bits of lace? Strategically encased around a rusty old jar lid? "No, I know! It's just that it looks so old!"

Huh. Deja vu....

5 comments:

Spirited Earth said...: i'm laughing so much over this post..it just goes to show that people( even near and dear) can be soo unaware about what it takes to make art stuff.; 10/21/10, 5:17 PM
fanciful devices said...: And she's the family member that MOST gets what I do!
then again, you can see how much I know about what she does....; 10/21/10, 7:34 PM
~Debi said...: ROFL! That was hilarious! I thought both of your sisters made jewelry.; 10/21/10, 7:56 PM
stregata said...: LOL! While my sister is into jewelry, so that she gets that part of what I do - the rest of it is an unknown language to her. When I showed her a piece of textile art I received from a friend, she asked: and what do you do with it?; 10/21/10, 11:44 PM
Pretty Things said...: You're hilarious! And I am in awe of your creativity and artistry -- you see the beauty in everything.; 10/22/10, 2:58 PM