fanciful devices: Chunky WIPs.

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.

1/24/13

Chunky WIPs.

So I got a smary-pants comment---

<<beadybaby said... What's a "cunk"?>> I know you expect me to claim it was a misspelling of "chunk," as if I go around making mistakes! For your information, "cunk" is a merging of "chunk" and "crunk," (see gif). It's when I dance around the studio while joining together large sized elements. eeehhh? eeeehhhh?

Speaking of which, I got a shit-ton of random amethyst rock chooonks for next to nothing on a whim. I've been having a ball with them and some plumbers epoxy putty.

Here's a ring with a boar's tooth Flotsam gave me.

I tried to take a picture of the side view but it turned out like this:

And here's this one. So there's no focus going on today. Handle it!

These are fun to make but if you choose to go with the plumber's putty, be careful when you shape it or it will look like you stuck the thing together with bubble gum.

Kind of the way some polymer clay stuff looks, you know, rounded? Cartoony? Here's a little geode I got and decided to make a ring of.

Again with the awesome focusizing.

And I used 2 little druzys (druzies?) to make sorta bell type things with the putty and some screw eyes. By now the top thirds are gold leafed. They might become earrings....

Here's a bracelet I'm working on... I think a lack of the secondary meds I lowered after lowering my primary meds is making me sluggish. I haven't had a good 8-10 hour making session since before I left for my auntie weekend... I dunno... *wanders off mumbling to self*

10 comments:

Flotsam Tide said...: Ah Sparrow is going to love the visual of that tooth, looks lovely nestled next to that amethyst shard. That gif cracks me up, GH says "Wow.. that's one way to do it...." Hmm don't worry about the low energy, it is winter, and things are suppose to move at a slower pace. You still make in circles around most...; 1/25/13, 12:16 AM
StaroftheEast said...: May you cunk happily ever after :); 1/25/13, 4:12 AM
alteredarcheology said...: Wowza! Those bell druzy thingies are cool. They look so ancient. All this stuff looks ancient and wonderful. Plumbers epoxy ehhh?? Friggin' amazing.; 1/25/13, 7:23 AM
PipnMolly said...: Druzy bells way cool. Bubble...er putty nice old crusty grown on look.
You're such a slacker... give yourself a break.; 1/25/13, 8:57 AM
Anvil Artifacts said...: Flotsam has that right! Awesome haul of amethyst. Love the rings!; 1/25/13, 9:41 AM
Beatnheart said...: Agree...your "low" would be supersonic for me .; 1/25/13, 10:22 AM
Jiorji said...: you know, as a photographer, you're killing me with the blur. It hurts. Deep. sigh :(

heheee; 1/25/13, 2:21 PM
Juliette said...: fantastic haul! Wow, thanks for the link, too. I will use her store. I adore the druzy possible earrings.

xoxo; 1/25/13, 7:11 PM
Unknown said...: Dang - I can't dance like that...well, maybe a dirth dance when I was younger. Plumbers putty looks so fantastic with your pieces. I'm with Beatnheart, your low is me being the Flash.; 1/25/13, 7:28 PM
beadybaby said...: LOL I've had bronchitis and insomnia for so long now I couldn't even figure that out? *crawling under my desk in shame now* :-) I think my new name for you is gonna be Cunky McCunkerton.; 1/26/13, 1:31 PM