fanciful devices

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.

12/30/10

Today I took some more pictures. It was, like, 2 in the afternoon and already the artificial light overhead was dominating the light coming from the window. See the yellowish reflections?
Innavigable Soul. Salvaged Antique Glass in Soldered Setting.

Innavigable Soul. Salvaged Antique Glass in Soldered Setting.

Innavigable Soul.
I also shmeared patina all over my life. It's not hard to rub off, to answer richelle's question. In fact, it has to be sealed to not rub off.

If the World Goes On. Sacred Heart Milagro.

If the World Goes On.
It keeps rubbing off the raised veins on this heart. I still have to work on this, some came off after this picture. Argh. Also, the metals you see are all different- solder, brass, copper, plated, raw, 'antique' finished, etc. It seems to act the same on everything. Well, that's cuz i was mostly using the 'Patina Stain.' But as far as I can tell, it's the same as the others just a bit thicker.
Nautilus. Salvage Wood Victorian Tribal Necklace.

Nautilus. Salvage Wood Victorian Tribal Necklace.

Nautilus.
The 'universal' and the 'dye oxide' seemed to just drip off everything. Plus they go on shiny and dry matte and that has been confusing. Novacan is on the one hand easier, on the other it eats away at my skin and doesn't get nearly as black as what you see here. Plus you have to put tons of it on anything that isn't solder and it's sucky on plated things. Though I'm still all about the Novacan, I do have a whoooole newfound respect for all of missficklemedia's things.
Darling Desperate Daughter. Soldered Patinated Crystal and Coin.

Darling Desperate Daughter. Soldered Patinated Crystal and Coin.

Darling Desperate Daughter.
Here's a picture with the caged chandelier everyone liked, as you can see, its not as dark as the one picture made it seem. I'm having a lot of struggles with that. When you're improving the photographs, at what point do you begin mis-representing the items?

The Abode of Ineffable Things. Salvaged Wood in Soldered Bezel with Various Vintage Elements.

The Abode of Ineffable Things.
I'm eye-ing these to mix w/my blacks, just cuz now I have so much damn black. I should give someone a bottle.

And I'll try not to keep showing the exact same pieces over and over. As I have in the last 3 posts.

2 comments:

stregata said...: Have you ever tried liver of sulphur (often written as LOS)?
I actually think it would look great if the raised veins on the heart were lighter than the rest... it could give the piece additional dimenstion.; 12/31/10, 12:13 AM
richelle said...: The dyes and paints are intriguing. But I'm not understanding how they differ from any other paint if they rub off and must be sealed. I wish they'd come out with a Sharpie for metal--I use that on everything else.; 12/31/10, 1:10 AM