fanciful devices: Blogged

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.

3/5/11

Blogged

Two lovely blog posts featuring my oeuvre:
Here is a lovely post in the blog Artisan Jewelry featuring an ooold piece of mine called "The one that got away". It reads in part:

hippocampus

...when I went back to the shop it had already gone. A little piece of me died that day, for I had truly madly deeply fallen in love with this incredible one of a kind treasure, and I missed my chance.! Every now and then, I return to the picture and gaze upon its beauty, smile wistfully in appreciation, before setting the image aside, squaring my shoulders and moving on.

Can you even stand it? I had never imagined such a sweet, kinda sad scene as someone looking wistfully at an old piece of mine. Especially cuz when I look at it all I feel is embarrassed about my liberal use of contrast increase. I dunno, I thought it looked cool...

The other post is by my etsy pal CorvidDelights. It's called Toys from the lost penny arcade and features these babies.

As for me, I've mostly been layin' low. If I get any lower, I'll have to start drilling... But yesterday I gave a test and today I had to go into work for an all day meeting and during this time I've started on these two sacred heart/milagro/ex voto. And that's all I got for now.

4 comments:

kirra springs said...: yes its the exposure that I loved so in this photo.... beautiful! xxk; 3/5/11, 10:31 PM
Flotsam Tide said...: Those ex votos are amazing, love the eyes....I feel that way about some of your pieces, like the earrings posted above....the ones that got away.; 3/6/11, 2:40 AM
Lorelei Eurto said...: HI M-
Love that red and white necklace! I love pieces with that graphic look- black and white- or red and white- my eye is drawn to it!!
Cool ribbon around the back!!!!
happy sunday!; 3/6/11, 6:22 AM
Jennifer Valentine Morford said...: ah.....yessssss........the ones that got away....my dear, I know all too well, that feeling.
visiting your "sold" section for those earrings that were surely mine, but then, quite soon, they were not.
What sweet sentiments about your work...
and my dear Fanci, you are so very deserving of every praise. As a person, and as an artist.
xoxox; 3/8/11, 1:47 AM