TEXTILLIAN JOURNEYS
WINTER of 2019/2020
As this remarkable year draws to a close, I find that I am in the “Reflection Mode”….and looking back on all that transpired in the course of 2019….not only with my family and I, but with our country and our world…..Things feel as if they are speeding up, and we are moving ever faster….weather is shifting, creating change and chaos everywhere we look….it’s so easy to get “swept up” in the chaos of everything around us…
What is not so easy…. is to stay grounded and focused on the the things we hold dear, on the small things that bring us joy, and the courage we have to face each brand new day as a gift, and to be in GRATITUDE for the unknown, no matter what it brings….MOMENT BY MOMENT…… DAY BY DAY…..
I would like to take this time to say Thank You from my Heart to all of you who purchased Art Work from me, and took Workshops (at my home studio) this year….I am in Full Gratitude for all of your love, kindness, and support….. it has made a big impact on all of us…and I hope that each piece that went out brought you much joy as well…
The sending out of these works of Art has created some much needed space for the NEW BEGINNINGS that 2020 will surely bring…. 2019 was a Year of Experimentation and Re-Imagining what I have in New Ways…..I am very Inspired to continue my Creative Explorations into 2020 and beyond, using the materials at hand, which include 6 elements: Silk, Wool, Stone, Bone, Paper, and Metal.
New Beginnings
My “Themes” for the year 2020 (an idea I started in 2019) will be much the same, “Use what I have” and “Looking at old things in New Ways”….these are Big Challenges in my case because “What I have” is such a Diverse Cornucopia of “Blessings”….(better to call them blessings vs. “Stuff”)
My “Themes”
….I am a “Collector” of many things, not limited to: Shells, Rocks, Animal Bones,(including Fish and Turtle shell), Vintage Kimono, Old Jewelry, Old Beads, Wool Fleeces, Yarns, Fabrics of many kinds, (mostly silk), Found Rusted Objects, Plastic Thread Spools, Old Japanese/Chinese Calligraphy Paper (from inside old Japanese 6 panel folding screens),Copper and Silver wire, Indigo Cloth, Sewing Machine Parts (I used to repair old Sewing Machines)….(hence the Thread Spools)….ETC…you get the drift….I have been fascinated my entire life by the possibilities of all of it….Fortunately I have moved every 10 years or so my entire life, so my collections have been “narrowed” down and “culled” continuously over the last 40 years….which is a blessing….and now, I am “compelled” to use as much of it as I can in brand new innovative ways…..as such…..I have been exploring the process of collage on every level particularly with Paper, Silk, and Wool, and will eventually include Stone, Bone, and Metal…..
I am a “Collector” of many things
The other “Theme” I have been wanting to explore is the one of “Wabi- Sabi”
As described by Leonard Koren in his book “Wabi-Sabi Further Thoughts”
“A Comprehensive Aesthetic System providing a integrated approach to the ultimate Nature of Existence (Metaphysics) “things are either devolving toward or evolving from nothingness”….
“Sacred Knowledge (Spirituality)
- Truth comes from the observation of Nature,
- Greatness exists in the inconspicuous and overlooked details
- Beauty can be coaxed out of ugliness.”
As I have asked myself the inevitable questions of how to manifest these thoughts and ideas into my creative journeys,
I realize that the idea of Wabi-Sabi (simply put: “The beauty of things imperfect”) has always been a part of my personal aesthetic, and when you find the beauty in the imperfections of your everyday life, and know that truth comes from the observation of nature…then how blessed can you be?….one simple day at a time…..
Even Though 2019 was a Difficult Year on so many levels, It was also very Magical and My Heart is much the lighter for it. Thanks to all of you for your Love, Support, and Inspiration….
We have so much to Look Forward to in 2020…… not only is it a New Year, but it is a Brand New Decade in which we can choose how to move Forward with Grace…as Beautiful Individuals, and as a Gracious Nation, with a Creative Culture that embraces Kindness and Thoughtful Actions above all else…It’s a Grand Vision for our world as a whole….We are so Blessed….
May Your Hearts be filled with much Love, Gratitude, and Creativity in 2020
NAMASTE HUGS,
melissa
