Bone to Stone

I've been among the missing for months and months. Sorry. I was in a funk and had to work it through before I could take myself seriously again. Thankfully, the Universe has seen fit to get me involved with a new group of women artists which has stimulated my creativity in other ways than my normal, tried and true methods. For that I am deeply grateful. Today's post is one of the projects prompted by this group. It promises to be a very challenging and interesting year. Follow, if you wish.

Peace, Barb

Dem Bones, ©2014

instantiate • impermanence to permanence • transitory to lasting • flesh to stone

subject to origination, subject to cessation • gratitude to Buddha

singular state of everlasting • transitory state of not enduring

circular return • only state of permanence is state of impermanence 

BLD

It has been months since I've posted and as a result I am sure I have lost any followers I might have had until now. Discipline in regular postings is not my gift, I'm afraid. Having said that, I give you my activity of the past month. The actual assemblage took a bit over a week of morning to nighttime work. The fabric, all silks, gave me fits. It was the hardest set I've ever put together. I'm not complaining, just stating the truth. It kind of surprised me since the last 4 weren't that challenging, or perhaps memory is failing me…a distinct possibility!

The imagery was created from an iPad drawing and a photograph. The final image was finished in Photoshop and the wonderful folks at Spoonflower.com printed it on silk for me.

To the left is a closeup of the deacon's stole and below is the priest's stole.
You can see it in action on my husband below in the shot of him preaching on Easter morning.

Here he is modeling the chasuble. And finally, the lectern hanging.

That's it for now, folks. I will be posting from time to time, as the Spirit moves. For now I am returning to the studio and painting.

Peace,
Barbarb

After much adventure, a machine breaking and needing replacement, and a good bit of sweat, the blue set made its debut today. I am taking a break now for the holidays. 

Peace, Barb

I've been spending a bit of time in the studio trying to let myself be less 'tight' in my work. I have a tendency to get into detail, all-consuming, uptight detail. I've found that a tacky shellac burn can help me break away from that along with further work with layers.

Sacred Geometry Dance, 2013

The jury is out on this process so far.

I love the process, not completely sure I'm ready to jump whole hog into this technique yet with my larger pieces.

Message from the Future, 2013

Fear is the only thing we have to fear.

Apparently my struggle is learning to let go of fear.

Peace, BLD

(These are iPhone photos, therefore not high quality - again with the letting go of tightness)

Yes, it's been months. I'm not too good at this blog thing, am I? Oh well, it is what it is and I am what I am.

I promised photos for those of you interested in my last large sewing project and here they are. I've been working on vestments for my husband's church. The all season green set is the first in line and was used today for the first time.

The image was created on the iPad, finalized in Photoshop, and printed on silk by Spoonflower.com. (a site I highly recommend to my creative sewing friends)

I found the background green on an English site, the quality is amazing. The rest of the fabrics are dupoini silks and they just about glow.

My next challenge is an Advent set, by Advent. Okay, less than 4 weeks away. I'm not sure I can pull this one off, but I will give it my best try. I'm waiting for a fabric sample in the mail before I commit to design and am hoping to get that far by the end of this coming week.

There has been less studio time due to this project and also due to a short trip to Tennessee for our daughter's Halloween party. (Yes, there was a good bit of sewing involved there also!)

I close here and will continue this as the sets come through.

Peace,

BLD

(I took this from the wrong side of the altar and didn't think about it being backwards until I got home and processed it. Oops)

Weeee!

staircase goddess perch

sunset window crossbar realm 

weeeee! winged nike

BLD

August 25, 2013

Sometimes I despair...

When I was a young child, perhaps 4 years of age, I purposely killed an ant just to do it. To this day, almost 60 years later, I carry guilt over that senseless act.

Sometimes I despair for humanity and the earth.

I believe in corporate responsibility and as a member of society at large I have to take responsibility for my part in all wrongs; slavery, greed, theft, genocide, discrimination, pollution, over consumption, etc.  No, I didn't own slaves, nor have I ever approved of such practices, but as a descendant of the human race, I can't claim total innocence either. That goes for every other inhumane act perpetuated on another member of our species or on those animal and insect members of the universe that we share.

I would also apply this to any religious affiliation which I have held or continue to hold in my lifetime. Those of us who believe that our particular flavor of religion, or system of belief, is all right and all perfect are all wrong. The one thing I have learned as I age, is that the more I learn, the less I know.  I know that I cannot explain the universe, I cannot explain why the sky is blue, and I cannot explain why children continue to starve in a world capable of feeding them. I cannot explain a world where profit and greed seem to outweigh the rights of the poor and the hungry.

At these times I have to look to the little things for reassurance that all is well with life. Bees. We seem, in this country, to have declared war upon these tiny workers for the plant world while ignoring the fact that without them our entire food chain will collapse.

When I returned from a long, unplanned time away from home my backyard garden was very overgrown. The broccoli and the bok choi had gone to seed. My husband, much to his credit, had refused to pull the plants since they were covered in thousands of tiny yellow flowers and had twice daily visitors of hundreds of honey bees. Now, we haven't seen honey bees in any numbers for years in our yard and I had grieved for our world at their loss. The sight of hundreds of happy, busy bees swarming our organic blossoms was indeed a sublime joy. It wasn't until the flowering was spent and the bees had moved on that we finally pulled the plants to make room for the next crop.

Such a brief, but blessed visit has renewed my faith in the survival of healthy life -- in spite of our corporate, self-righteous humanity.

BLD