fanciful devices: 3 more cuz I'm a spaz

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.

The Unknown Valentine. Found Poetry, Dried Roses and Antique Buttons.

I made this one so fast and furiously I forgot to Novacan it! But since it's supposed to be all romantic for Valentine's, I guess it's ok. Though maybe I'm just being lazy about having to re-take the pictures. The Unknown Valentine. Found Poetry, Dried Roses and Antique Buttons.

The Unknown Valentine.
Oh, and did you know - no one knows who St. Valentine's is! Might not even be one person, since valentine comes from Latin for valiant, so anyone killed by the Romans for being Christians were considered valiant martyrs, and thus were called valiant saints, ie, St Valentine. Also, did you know St Valentine's Day wasn't a romantic holiday until Chaucer? He invented the holiday, like Dickens invented the modern Christmas. Oh, Wikipedia, you so enrich my life. Sorry to disappoint all y'all who think I just know all this stuff.

They Know Why the Wind Blows. Pocket Knife and Dumortierite.

Also, Malin, you're right. I totally agree one color should be dominant. (That's what they always say in home decorating shows, too.) Ugh! You are so right! What was I thinking? Colors throw me off so much. But it's too late! It's waaaaay too complicated to re-make. But I'll have remember for next time colors come up. Ugh, ugh, ugh.
The First Asylum. Brooch.

The First Asylum.

5 comments:

Spirited Earth said...: your makin' some dangerous jewelry there..switch blade necklace ;-)
gorgeous as always; 1/17/11, 4:44 PM
richelle said...: so--Novacan works for brass and metals aside from solder? I had no idea...; 1/17/11, 6:41 PM
stregata said...: I just so love your off-white pieces - they are all magical.; 1/18/11, 12:31 AM
~Debi said...: Love the knife and the valentine pieces! Even though you didn't novacan the first one, it still says "Fanci" all over it.; 1/18/11, 2:06 AM
romantic decay said...: Great pieces, the first asylum . . . very cool.; 1/18/11, 8:26 AM