and a few more reliquaries

spinal notes (2008), 7½” x 7½”, cast paper, silver wire

spinal notes (detail)

waiting... (2009), 4½” x 4½”, cast paper, beeswax, glass

waiting... (detail)

resolve (2009), 4½” x 4½”, cast paper, ptarmigan feathers, shale fragment

resolve (detail)

backtracking 7/8: mint museum of craft + design

We also squeezed in a visit to the Mint Museum of Craft + Design which I thoroughly enjoyed. Here are some of my favourite pieces. I seemed to be in a glass and metal mood. Must have been the influence of the city. The last two photos are jewellery pieces and the very last one is made entirely of hypodermic needles.

gratitude 1

I have been waiting awhile to do this post. Life has been hectic and now that I've tied up loose ends, I can do what I've wanted to do for several weeks and that is to publicly say THANKS! Two weeks ago I dedicated my friday haiku to lynne and kathy and now I will tell you why!

Here is what happened: Exactly a month ago, I admired some beach glass and other treasures on kathy's blog ...I believe I said that I coveted it :)...and soon after this, I received an email. It cryptically stated that kathy and lynne felt I was in need of a goodie package and ended with a request for my address. I was stunned, excited, and curious! I awaited my goodie package, my heart brimming with affection for these two kooky and generous individuals who only recently got to know me through my blog. About a week later, I received several emails telling me that a parcel was on its way. The excitement mounted! The gratitude swelled! About a week after that, a package arrived. From california! It was from lynne. The next day another package arrived. From washington! It was from kathy. I was excited to be receiving one goodie parcel and now, it seemed, I had two. My cup runneth over!

I received lynne's parcel first, but I will relate that story in tomorrow's post for reasons that will become evident then. Today I will "open" the parcel from kathy and share its delightful contents and sentiments with you.

Her objects came in a beautifully covered tin box. It is covered with collaged copper slug tape. Meant to be applied to plant pot rims to repel slugs and snails! I must get some of this stuff. I love the textures and the colours. I could swear that I see some verdigris forming! The box is a precious gift in itself, and I appreciate the effort that kathy took in art-i-fying it!

Inside the box was a list of contents and some amazing treasures. I will highlight each group of treasures in the order that they appear on the list. Be prepared for some very cool stuff.

These are the corals. So tiny and delicate. They look bigger in this close-up but the longest is only 2.5 cm. long. I don't know much about corals but these are fascinating. Like tiny spines or bone articulations. Despite kathy's best attempts to protect them with packing during transport, they broke apart a bit, but I love them just the way they are!

And the objects that started it all! The beach glass! Aren't these pieces lovely. So many colours and shapes. Smooth with rounded edges. Each one with a warm (or cool) glow and a story. You just want to put them into your pocket and handle them.

Smooth beach pebbles with subtle texture and lines. I adore them!

These are agates. I love their transluscency. When you hold them up to the light you can see the most beautiful lines and shapes and tones within the stones.

And what a treat! One of kathy's PMC pieces! I think I recognize this particular one from this post! Second row from the bottom, third to the left! On her contents list, kathy said it was white glass fired with PMC. I guess the firing changes the white glass to this lovely honey colour. I love the contrast of the smooth glass with the textured metal. Lovely.

I hope I am right on this, but by process of elimination, these are porcelain shards. Correct me if I am wrong kathy! I loved kathy's story about hurling broken ceramics into bellingham bay years ago and wondering if some of the fragments she finds on beaches are the very ones she gifted to the sea earlier. For her poetic version of this story go to the comments in this post. I choose to believe that these shards are parts of the very pieces she threw into the sea years ago!

And here is the collection gathered together. I love these treasures and I love them even more through sharing them with you. Photographing them to share has allowed me to get to know them much better. Interacting with them, touching them, observing them, sorting them. All this has bonded me to them so I thank you, dear readers, for that. And kathy, for your huge warm generous heart, I thank you! I never imagined that blogging would connect me to so many special spirits, and ones who would reach out beyond this virtual world we inhabit, and touch my heart with a gesture like this.

Since it is friday, I will end with a haiku.

gratitude expressed
opening the dormant heart
yet another gift

fig family

A few from among the hundreds of fig leaves of the 20 fig plants that Jerzy has nurtured for 15 years and counting...all from the same seedling. The family hangs out in our driveway in the summer months and in our basement over the winter. We even get a few edible figs!

nests

I am compelled to make nests. Many things I make end up being nests, even if I don't start out with that intention. This morning I gathered up all the nests I have laying around my home. If I looked harder, I'd probably find more.

black and white photograph of a found grass nest

formed copper nest

constructed glass nest

silver nest ring

twig nest found on the ground

nest and egg made from scrap wood and shavings

copper wire nest

polaroid transfer from slide of found nest on a fence post

simple things...

My partner, Jerzy (he's the gardener in the family), brought in a beautiful rose this morning. So fragile and delicately fragrant. He put it in one of our favourite glass vases. I made this vase many years ago at a glass-blowing workshop and it is very clunky and not at all a finely-crafted object, but I love the blobs of glass stuck to the sides. Somehow, it's me! I decided to photograph it for the blog so I took it out onto the porch where I discovered the wonderful way the light passed through these blobs. Below are the photographs, capturing the sensuous glass and its interplay with the light. Simple things are so inspiring!