[sterling silver, 23 karat gold, lapis lazuli, quartz and vintage angel skin coral branch]

This one really fizzes.  It is:

celebration

exploration

deep delving return to self

buoyancy

wild and leaping

serene cascades of light

moonlight through trees

illumination

imagination

the spirit of wild animals

the innocence of wild animals

the savage nature of wild animals

joy

folk art

folklore

a story

my story

scraping free of  a hundred razor sharp heart moraines — piled high with the tailings of the violent shifts of dirty ices

gravity

momentum

sweetness

kindness

VOX

truth

the suddenness of knowing just what I am and where I am going

understanding who I have been

forgiveness (of self and others)

transformation

hope

belief

faith

grace

and always redemption

——————————————–

It’s a lot of other things too, but you’re a smart bunch and I don’t think I always need to spell everything out for you, plain as day.  Part of the way you receive and comprehend the beauty of this world is rooted in creativity and imagination!  That’s what makes pairing art with a human so special.  Your bold interpretation welded to my personal experience and voice…your YOU melded with my ME…well…that’s magic and that’s what it is all about.

I had a good and thoughtful time making this piece.  It’s been a while since I’ve created one of my large, narrative neckpieces.  To return to an avenue of design that has always been a part of my work with metal felt like a little miracle these past few days.  I can remember why I stepped away from it.  I had my wings torn from my back, again and again.  I’ll never forget why I have returned to it now.  Never.

It’s all so true.  Really.

 Each day of my life is laced up tight with tiny failures and small victories.  At the end of everything, when it all draws to a close, I hope the scale tips in the direction of victory and grace, for always.

I realize everything I have typed out here is wandering and perhaps even slightly cryptic.  It’s not my goal to sound pretentiously mysterious in any way.  Some things are so sensitive and delicate that they need sheltering and tenderness or they won’t make it through to the strength and power of full fruition.

  Here’s the thing:  In this work, there’s always time to start again.  And again.  I come around in wide arcs, I orbit that steady center, hear the still small voice and kneel down by the burning bush.  I lose my way, ask for directions, struggle up hill, coast into valleys…and all the while I get a firmer grip on the very definition of humility.

I know you probably know just what I mean.

Thanks for being here today.

X