bliss

Good Tuesday to you all!

It’s a beautiful morning here.

I had a bit of a sleep in because I wound up on the phone with my smokejumper around 2AM this morning. The conversation started like this:

RING RING

J: ROBBIE?!!!

R: Hey babe! I love you. I’m just leaving the Albertson’s in Fairbanks and my hands are full of chicken but I wanted to catch you just in case I’m out again tomorrow. Can I call you again in a few minutes.

J: YESssssSSSSsSSSSSssssSSSSSS!!!!!

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I haven’t talked to RW for a really long time. My heart about jumped out of my chest when I heard his smiling voice. And if you know RW, you know his voice DOES smile.

So then he called again and we talked for an hour or so and I was exhausted and I had to whisper because my house guests were slumbering in a nearby room but it was so lovely to finally talk to him. He made me laugh. He made me feel lucky to live in Idaho.

He made me feel proud of him, of me, of us.

And I knew, and I do still, that we’ll make it.

And then, when we finally hit the off buttons on our phones, I tossed and turned and thought about jewelry for a while. I always know I’m coming into some really good work when I can’t sleep at night for the flood of design ideas that are flying through my mind. It’s a double edged sword. I’m always so afraid that if I don’t turn on the light and sketch and write about my dreamy-in-the-middle-of-the-bewitching-hours-ideas that I’ll lose them forever. Last night I was so tired I had to lay there in the dark and trace the details of the ideas with my mind, hoping they would imprint and stay with me until the morning. Sometimes I DO find that the ideas are lost when morning comes but I reckon, as long as I don’t lose my head, they’ll surface again sometime, since they belong to my mind and soul.

Since they belong to MY MIND AND SOUL.

Talking to RW really energized me. I’ve been missing him like something else. I can’t help but feel like that missingness is permeating everything I say and do. Sometimes it makes me get in my truck in the middle of the afternoon so I can get on the highway and drive with the windows down and the breeze in my hair with the music on loud. Just to fly. For a second. To let the missingness zoom out behind me like a cape while I chase that yellow line towards the horizon.

No one makes me laugh until I cry quite like him.

In other news, I’ve embarked on a bit of a project here.

One of my dearest friends asked me if I had made something for myself lately. I realized I hadn’t. I have kept things for myself lately but I haven’t taken a moment to design and create something especially for ME. It’s so good for an artist to do this from time to time. It’s so good for the soul to intentionally design, create and keep a piece of work.

So I started this project.

It’s The Bliss Project.

It looks like this:

I made this piece for myself.

It wears most phantasmagorically

I encased a couple of poppy seed tops in green resin. From the base of this focal pendant drops a bezel set and pinned section of aspen branch that I harvested HERE. I encased it in resin as well and attached a sterling branch that swings down from the bezel cup to a pendulous sterling leaf. I know what the entirety of the design means to me. What do you think of when you see it? How do you define bliss? Pure joy. Pure delight. A cat laying in the sun. Standing hip deep in wildflowers. However you define it, I always reckon bliss is addicting. Bliss is a natural high. Rapture. The calm awareness of The Divine in a sweet and perfectly beautiful moment…like Annie Dillard’s tree of lights.

Working with resin has been a delight. I’m always looking for ways to completely and entirely create a piece of jewelry from literal scratch. In point of fact, I love that enamel has allowed me to say, “This piece is 100% handcrafted. Zero prefabricated components build it. I dreamed it and I built it from the ground up with raw materials…” How awesome is that? Anyway, resin is one more way for me create jewelry that is entirely made by me. The very thought makes my mind fly. There’s so much exploring to do with this medium. I’m beside myself with dreams. My mind has wings. My heart drums. Just because of the possibility of it all.

I’m off to get a coffee and perhaps I’ll blaze a little trail on the highway before coming home to settle into work today. I’ve a pile of beautiful things here that I’m waiting to list later on this week. I’m so focused on studio work right now that I can’t make myself set aside a day to photograph and list these pieces until I have a few designs out of my system. Mark my words, beauty abounds here and I’ll make it available soon.

I hope you’ve all had a lovely lovely week so far! I’ve been so busy with company, I’ve hardly had time for life! I’ve really missed you all. I was telling RW last night that I’m so glad I’ve always viewed this blog space as a community instead of a marketing tool (while it does market my work, that’s not the main reason why I’m so dedicated to the upkeep of this space).
I want you to visit this space and feel joy, see beauty and feel amazed by life!

You really do continue to lift me up this summer.
And I appreciate you ALL so much.

Thank you so much for being part of my world.

Your souls really do ring with beauty.

Always.

The Plume