fanciful devices: i like pretties

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.

10/26/10

i like pretties

Here's what's new:

No Happiness Like Mine.

So I've been making some simpler things. Cuz my things have been getting evermore complex and maybe evermore unwearable on a day-to-day basis for your average gal, as well as the complexity leading to ever higher prices.

The Sphere Of Human Thought. Soldered Quartz Neckpiece.

It was a suggestion made to me by Sparrow (had to mention her, right?) and I realized that she had a point. I don't know why I felt that every detail had to be so elaborate. These simple pieces are very satisfying. And pricing things under $70 has been such a pleasure.

The Sphere Of Human Thought.

(I should mention that this dark piece above, the tag-looking thing was blank. I wanted to make sure the cord would stay put so I riveted a cut piece of tin to the back. While I was at it, I flattened an oval crown-setting bezel to put under the front part of the rivet. Sparrow asked me if I'd made that eye, and that's when I noticed it looks like an eye!)

Protoplanetary.

Here's a pipe to which I attached a rifle bullet cartridge as a stem. I do so like it. Protoplanetary. Antique Clay Pipe with Rifle Cartridge Stem.

In fact I made a 5th one. Mostly completed during a very intense 2-day period... though parts were already made from other times.

I even forgot to photograph the 5th one.

Lemme put it on the ol' scanner...

(And yes, these are all Uruguayan coins. I made 2 holes in each, then put pinch bails in the holes, jump ringing the bails together. That was the whole of my inspiration. Though, to be fair to my inspiration, I haven't seen pinch bails in coins before, especially not in a chain-like length. Needless to say, I heavily oxidized all the coins and bails, then smeared them and the fabric with wax. Like I do to everything within my reach.)

5 comments:

stregata said...: Magical, just magical! Love the last piece - those are coins, I think?; 10/26/10, 1:58 AM
Spirited Earth said...: Hey...what's goin' on..there's color in that first necklace..
just kidding..i love all your work.
these simpler pieces are especially beautiful..; 10/26/10, 7:33 AM
Penelope said...: OMFG

That scanner fodder...I think I need it. Seriously. We'll talk- etsy won't let me log in!; 10/26/10, 11:59 AM
stregata said...: I haven't seen pinch bails in coins either. I still think it is magical.
BTW - whatcha jealous about?; 10/26/10, 2:24 PM
Anonymous said...: Thanks for good news!; 11/11/10, 5:41 PM