Sacred Days Lived

20"x20" Rives BFK, handmade rubber stamp, assorted rubber washers, acrylic ink, stencil, collage, acrylic paint.

On my birthday this October, I have calculated I will have lived 24,455days give or take a few considering leap years. I know I've slept through a few of those days and also know I was numb for many more then I care to count. All in all they have been beyond wonderful...a gift...each day a blessing adding up to such an amazing abundance. So many were allotted so few days and here I sit with this sacred number. I have placed them in vessels of varied sizes and shapes. The two larger ones I was seeking a glass jar appearance with the sun stamps reflecting like fireflies captured in my heart and memory.

If interested my sidebar has a slideshow of my 2005 Sacred Vessels...they began as gelatin prints, measure about 18"x18" framed. Each one changed with addition of mixed media, such as pastel, collage and graphite.. Most have sold but it is nice to revisit them and I really enjoyed the gelatin print process.

Now I'm onto 24, 455 sacred nights!

Mirroring Images

19"x20" Rives BFK, print from a collagraph plate which includes screen, netting and cut matt board, acrylic ink, old cloth with crochet (my mother's handwork) my bird stencil, graphite and acrylic glazing

Placing the two prints side by side began a dialogue in my journal.of all the images and all the judgements  good and bad while looking into the mirror. The vessel shape resembles a bottle of perfume my grandmother kept on her mirrored vanity...cut amber glass with little legs. This is my second in the Sacred Vessel Series and becomes a container for all the needless appraisals of mirror images and a reminder not to get caught up in the song of appearances but rather in the acceptance of a sturdy body available for life to be lived.

Unearthing the Sacred

This is my first piece in my return to the series "Sacred Vessels" that I explored around 2005. I've been writing in my journal and coming to terms with memories, events and circumstances in my past...one of the perks of being older is that I have plenty of history to draw upon!

This particular piece began by building with my favorite netting and then I tried some silver leaf? Things took a turn and I cut out the vessel from its background. Still not okay and feeling it was one of those failed pieces...I began ripping parts so as to save for future collage. Somewhere in this process, I liked the shapes and stopped to stitch the vessel back together again with a few pieces lost (brown paper backing). I rather like it now and realize it speaks to the memories I've been holding/letting go. In a true sense it was like unearthing sacred parts of my life...go figure?

It now measures 15"x 17", Rives BFK, collage, netting, silver leaf, molding paste, stencil, acrylic and wax thread.