collection series #3 peruvian pots

after this week's article in national geographic on the nazca culture and geoglyphs or "nazca lines"  i thought it a great time to feature my collection of ancient peruvian pots. when i think of the hands that once made them and held them -- it sends shivers down my spine.  these pots are very much alive today with an amazing energy contained within their walls. the  very bottom set of photos are most definitely a nazca piece. ( south east coast of peru)-- and very possibly made during the early  "proto nazca" period of pottery making. (1,100 B.C. - A.D. 1)  the double spouted blackware terracotta vessel  and owl canteen vessel were thought to be chimu--this culture located on the northern coast of peru 1100- 1400 A.D. if anyone out there can give more certain identification --i'd love to hear from you! the  figural vessel with the  ear lozenges and jaguar head and human face drawn in slips still remains a mystery...

pajaros y cazador--painting by peter fowler - who also happens to be my husband... :)

tactile bedouin beauty from LaTouchables

 something most wonderful arrived in the mail...
the package came all the way from germany and sat for some days in the bookstore below us and then on the table-- waiting for me to open it. i was dying to but wanted to wait until i had a free moment to document the ceremonial opening.




























knowing dawn from LaTouchables on etsy,  i knew i would enjoy opening this box. i love her work. i love it's earthiness, its energy, the color and the detail that dawn works into her pieces. i know that she often buys handmade buttons from other etsy shops and i know she sources special textiles ( often vintage or antique) in order to give her pieces depth and character.  along with her wonderful bags of all shapes and sizes, dawn has been adding inspired neck pieces and cuffs with titles like "queen sinai" and "wild bedouin lily" that transport the mind instantly to distant parts of the globe-- a wonderful fantasy of time and travel...
the beautiful cuff i ordered and that i'm wearing right now ( soooo comfy) is made from vintage bedouin fabric of gorgeous cross stitch patterning on a satin black background, and softest wide whale corduroy in striking but fitting contrast. the stitch work, mix of materials, the exposed edges, the choice of the large earthy button and red yarn "x"-- and single dash of brilliant turquoise leather  for the closure-- all come together as if they were destined to.  i feel like a desert princess!
 opening the box was a gift in and of itself--everything was wrapped and packaged with an artist's eye for color and texture.-- the experience was that of opening something much anticipated and finding it even more wonderful and exciting than imagined.  i'm one happy girl... and i thank you dawn for all of your sweet and thoughtful extras --- i will cherish and enjoy everything-- and i slept in my cuff -- it's so comfortable i forgot to take it off!!

henry's tv photos

in honor of the 2010 winter olympics my son henry has decided that some photo documentation was in order. here are a few of his photos via the tube.

sea lotus necklace

the lotus is symbolic of so many beautiful thoughts-- of eternity, of enlightenment, of the growth of love... here is another of my sea lotus necklaces. just finished on friday.  and now listed in my etsyshop in honor of the coming spring and of all its new life. made with various patinas-- fused gold leaf,  enamel and an oxidixed patina... with hand made chain and clasp.

nose to the grindstone

o.k. it's time to take some time out from production work and "made to orders" in my etsy shop. while i appreciate the lovely customers it has brought me and i do enjoy making pieces for people, i've definitely been feeling hemmed in. time to move on to some fresh ideas-- break out and have some fun. so the next month or two will be devoted to testing out some new techniques and ideas and pulling together some of my loves and inspiration and put it into the work.  i've pulled most of my work from the shop with the exception of a few one of a kinds.

i hope customers will bear with me while i wander off for a bit. i'm hoping the results will prove worthy! so now it's literally time for putting my nose to the grindstone... grrrrr.  i'm ready!

in the meantime... here's keith jarrett's rendition of my funny valentine for you and i hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

... a nest...and a log...

i've been smitten for quite some time by my love for  golly bard's sweet whimsical watercolors of all things natural and beautiful.  you  can find paired cardinals, germinating seeds, the rings of logs,  and her sweet nests among many other dear and meaningful images in holly's etsy shop... i was so excited to purchase and receive one of her images of nests titled nest # 2.  it made my heart melt... i love birds, their nests and holly's rendering of them.  and now  i'm also  the proud owner of a log as well! ( thanks so much holly). pictured below are a few images of her pieces-- i hope i've done them some kind of justice. i have a sweet antique frame that i plan on taking to the framers along with holly's nest and log-- to have  them framed together.

collection series #2

in order to keep up with this collection series-- i will be posting smaller collections as well as larger. some things warrant a viewing. some things are just strange, or lovely or odd enough... this is a collection of two. a pair of victorian painted glasses. i can only surmise that this is a wedding couple-- as each of the painted white figures  is facing one another extending an offering of a leafy sprig of sorts. the female figure is wearing a rather sporty short length dress. seems a bit odd-- unless it's meant to be a young girl/child...  in which case i would think she should wait a few years before committing!!

oh...and a hex on monsanto--

i've had it up to my everything with ugly humans controlling the world-- overstuffed ceo's and over stepping greedy corporations, corrupt bankers, arms dealers, drug overlords, porn industry execs,  politicians, con men, fake evangelists, lobbyists, people on capitol hill who are closet gays voting against gay rights-- hypocrits and fools running the world--   living off the fat of the land.

speaking of one such example-- monsanto is a horrible company-- and offers nothing for our future except serious trouble-- all for the benefit of short sighted profits at great risk to the world's food supply. nutrition ( what little there is left of it) will soon be a thing of the past -- unless you're willing to grow your own, you will be eating your way to oblivion.... seriously-- time for everyone to do some reading up on this company .

thank you soul-less ceo's of crappy corporations that have no vision except short term ( or long term) profits for the future at the expense of all else-- i now get to put a hex on you!! may you go out of business! people-- all we have to do is stop putting up with it. work together. make choices.

guston/soutine

o.k-- i realize this might be a messy stretch for some--but i've always thought that one of my favorite artists, philip guston must have loved another of my favorite artists chaim soutine. both loved their brush work, shared cartoon-like mannerisms, and despite their differences in palettes --both shared a passion for paint ( and probably for angst). there --nuff said --even if guston didn't love soutine--he has a similar expression.  i'm sure most of you who've studied art history know about gustons's love for de chirico --but what about his secret loves?...every artist has them-- the ones that they secretly cherish, covet and feel akin to-- and that they won't name! i can't help but feel that these two are like the starn twins-- like some kind of singular twin vision spanning decades--

p.s. warning! these are not pretty paintings-- they contain a soulful action and perspective... not for the  weak of stomach! and hey-- can anyone spot tricky dick nixon?-- one of the usa's most interestingly weird/dastardly presidents?!

costume change

miniature oil portraits from the 2nd  half of the 17th century, with costume overlays-- paintings of costumes on transparent mica which could be placed over the portraits --a great way to try on a new identity-- i think they were on to something! courtesy of the V&A Museum

shoe fetish???

well yes shoe fetish-- of course! but these are no ordinary shoes. wish they were though--wish i could go to my local shoe boutique and pick up a pair of each. anthropologie comes close with some of the fine details and newfangled throwbacks of former styles that have been appearing in their collections. still-- no one really has set my heart a pounding as much as these early designers -- names unknown--most of these shoes date back to the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s-- with a few 1900s thrown in, and one pair from egypt!-- all from the victoria albert museum collection-- drool drool. ( oh and a few examples of amazing architecture a la wearables )