fanciful devices: Snitches Get Stitches

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.

6/27/11

Snitches Get Stitches

--removed! Tomorrow!

Above- a jar lid. Below- a lamp fixture of some sort. I think no more hammering these curved. I think they look better with their original shape of little plates and such. The ear wire is actually stainless steel memory wire sent in my latest surprise mail haul. It's so damn hard beyond hard that I didn't have to hammer it. Thank god! I just shaped it a bit with fingers and my artistic talent.

I was planning on having all kinds of photos and listing these 2 above and 1 below today until the fucking locket ate my life. I make and ripped out maybe 3 different collages, I messed with those little heart frames so much that when I closed the damn thing, the top of the locket was scratched to hell. I tried to fix it by oxidizing but the layer of gold is so thick it wont oxidize. I tried sanding it and now it just looks like some nutty brushed texture... oh well.

Here's a bezel in the works with a little trading card that says, "S.23 Teresa No.69/ Empress of Brazil / 1889." I'm digging the ringlets.

And this will be a cuff. Two more classes til I'm free!!!

2 comments:

Flotsam Tide said...: Snitches get stitches... a great spin on a classic phrase. Those first two sets of earrings are so badass. Love them! Teresa looks so pensive with her curls. What a great focal.; 6/27/11, 8:08 PM
stregata said...: Try using steel wool on the locket - that might restore some of the shine (I realize you are not a shiny kind of girl, but you can't oxidize gold...) - or you could try some faux patina - use umber paint and seal with a varnish or glaze...; 6/27/11, 11:20 PM