About two years ago I was making lots of these pieces. I sold them on and off of Etsy. I visualized beautiful roomfuls of them. I liked them then, and you know what? I think I like them again. But for a long time I couldn't stand the sight of 'em.
For the benefit of the newcomers, these are 1"-2" circles of mulberry paper with watercolor, tea, and beeswax, delicately attached to each-other with tiny safety pins. I call them temporary bouquets.
There are a number of reasons why I put aside this body of work. One reason was that I had to explain a few too many times what they were. ("um, art.") Also, I was never happy with the way they looked online. The safety pins would reflect on my scanner and cause strange things to happen. Also they are not totally flat, so the scanner thing just wasn't working out.
The main reason why they were put aside was: I GOT SICK OF THEM. All those damn little circles with their bright colors...particularly in my former apartment, which was stiflingly small. And admittedly I got lazy. I have SO many of these little dots still, (tucked away, out of sight) because back then I wasn't thinking enough about what I was doing; it was just EASY to sit and sew these doo-dads for hours and hours.
Ugh. It makes me ill.
I started making these when I came out in California not sure if I'd be staying a month or a year or forever. I was living with boys, "temporarily" and it was not pretty, so making these colorful arrangements made things better. Everything was temporary and uncertain and awful, so I tried to make it pretty at the very least, without thinking too much.
So why are they back, you may be wondering? Well. Time has passed, and I think I like to look at them again. I'd still love to see an installation with 'roomfuls' of them, but I have yet to find rooms that want them.
Also, an Etsy user contacted me and asked about them, which was very nice to hear. The two newest ones hint at the directions these may take if I continue with this work. This first one is not a "bouquet" but an "arrangement." A more logical arrangement:
And this larger arrangement is closer to what I initially wanted these to be...larger, more layered, more complex, more connections:
Dorothy-in-Paris likes them:
Anyway, these are new in my shop. More may follow. We shall see. I'd love to hear what you think.
6 comments:
so glad to see these beauties are back! I think I'll always love them, if only because they remind me of a beautiful two weeks in the mountains completely submerged in the craft that I love so very much. I'm really hoping to go this summer. do you have pix of the pieces you made this past summer there?
I love them and I love that you're coming back to them. It's refreshing to hear about putting something away and then coming back to it. Something I do but don't always feel good about putting it away.
I'd love to read your thesis. It's not available now when I try to download it and I'm bummed. I'd love to get my MFA… to just go through that process and come out of it as well and teach and do art. That would be great. :)
Thanks, Leah!
Thanks also for alerting me to the fact that the link to my thesis is no longer working. I'll have to contact WVU and raise hell. hmm....
I think they are beautiful and getting to know the story behind them just makes me love them even more!
Thank you for sharing, your work is such an inspiration :)
Truly love these! Seeing a roomful of them would be fantastic. I for one am hoping you keep with this style. (At least long enough for me to save up for such a lively bouquet!)
i still have my many m.moode dots in my room.tucked in and around. they make me happy. i put them in special places..like..my earing and necklace boxes.and books.they pop out.i know they are there..but..i still giggle and see something new about them.then. i think of you. and i smile.
i hope your days are as pleasant as you.
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