Shrines and Spirit Houses

these little houses are for peices of the dead, usually ashes, and have windows so the spirit can come and go.

i love the texture in this photo. it's of a Shinto shrine to the spirit of the mountain.



this is a shrine to Inari, the fox spirit and god of rice.

Mangrove Trees

looking around the web for Mangrove Branches.

this site has some nice pictures-of everything but the branches. it specializes in seeds.
http://www.seabean.com/guide/Rhizophora_mangle/index.htm

source: http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/mangroves.htm

this is a picture of the branches of the Red Mangrove, the most common. Their seeds look funny :P they actually look like magnolia trees. i wonder if they are related?

source: http://www.backyardnature.net/yucatan/mangrove.htm

yep, those twigs are distinctive. and the silly looking beans too.

Strongarm: Artist Statement

Cast silicon bronze, Cubic Zicronias.

"I lost you
Like I lost my arm
but in my loss
I've found a home
I reclaim these things
that caused me harm
on this plastic arm
I call my own."

In the face of loss and suffering, there are some that, instead of breaking down and giving in to violence, instead pick up the pieces and keep on walking. I have tried to capture their strength in this modern talisman of the Strongarm. It depicts an artificial arm, refrencing the horrific injuries of those who suffered for conflict diamonds, bearing a "diamond" bracelet. It bears a verse, stating the spirit of acceptance and strength.

Paper Casting

having worked with paper before, i was interested in this process. the real challenge is making the cast object not look like a child's paper mache project.

Process:
I've found a few sites, and on all of them the process is the same: create paper pulp and put it in a mold. It's pretty intuitive, and most of the creative part is with the materials you use.

Examples:

source: http://www.castpaper.com/
one of the most eye-catching and creative parts of cast paper appears to be the coloring of the paper itself. Working with paper before, i can attest to the amount of different colors and finishes you can get with this medium. The craftsperson that made this particular piece used acrylics to paint the piece, which give a good opaque finish and have strong pigments.
here is Kevin Dyer's process: http://www.castpaper.com/castpaper.html
He carves a model out of wax, then makes a mold of that, much like with metal casting processes. However, most of his work is shallow relief work. This is common in cast paper.
source: http://artveinvessel.blogspot.com/

Deep releif is also possible. Kate Strickland cast deep recesses in paper and then fills them with natural objects, creating "Reliquaries". Her work is more honest about it's materials-she doesn't paint over the paper.
Kate's blog: http://artveinvessel.blogspot.com/search/label/cast%20paper

source: http://bloggy.com/2008/04/libby_hartle_at.html

Libby Hartle, on the other hand, works in full 3-d. She also used relclaimed materials for this peice. She was sweet enough to document her whole process, from smashing up the paper to casting the twigs (made from molds of real twigs, which is something i want to look into) , right here: http://bloggy.com/2008/04/libby_hartle_at.html

Reserch-alternate casting materials: Resin

Resin-Process

Slush Casting

found this step by step site for a process called "slush casting": http://www.alumilite.com/HowTos/SlushCasting.cfm NOTE: this site has a TON of great tutorials, using the products they sell of course. But they are still straight-forward and nicely done.

picture from the site:
i anticipate making molds of all my little plastic animals out of all sorts of shiny plastics. just for fun, of course.

helpful things learned:
-silicone will only bond to silicone, so if you use a silicon mold you might not have to use a release.
-Slush casting involves putting a thin coat of resin on the surface of the mold, so there is an outer shell of resin that picks up the details but the shape is hollow (in the example, the rest is filled with foam to re-enforce the fragile shell. This saves money and weight.
-though the mold has to cure overnight, casting the peice only takes about 10 minutes, including resin and foam. Yay!

Epoxy Resin
this site may be for model makers rather than artists, but the advise is sound: http://www.torreypinesgulls.org/epoxy.htm

important points:
-mesure both parts on a scale so that you mix it just right.
-paper cups, popsicle sticks, and crappy brushes are all you need, besides the molds.
-you can strengthen the epoxy by adding in fibers (like fiberglass)
-if you type in a conversational tone, your readers will imagine you as a cute old man puttering about in a hobby shop.
-epoxy can also be used as a glue, and it's not always clear weather or not your talking about using it as a glue or a mold material, so after you type an entire list thingy and you realize that the person was talking about using it as a glue you feel like a total moron.

epoxy seems to be used as a surface treatment rather than a model-making material, so i'll move on. For now.

Final note: DO NOT EAT CASTING RESIN.

"Embodied Sympathy": i like the idea, bet there's something tripping me up...

and that is, the author seems to be stating that art is incapable of displaying sympathy (or, as the author puts it, to exhibit a feeling while anticipating the feeling of the viewer or purchaser.) As someone who has lived in the "Art World" for many years, i have to differ with this opinion. Art that is made to be SOLD is flat and feelingless. GOOD ART has a feeling, it is not simply an intellectual exercise made for those that are "in the know". Art is a part of the artist, as the author himself quotes, "When he speaks of embodied meaning, Danto suggests an idea made vividly present, practically given flesh and blood. Alternatively, he connects embodiment to a manifestation of the artist's mind: "It is as if a work of art were like an externalization of the artist's consciousness, as if we could see his way of seeing and not merely what he saw". I found this article very nice, touching on things I've found in other sources- like the Japanese ascetic "Wabi Sabi", characterized by modest objects that get more beautiful as they age. I think that it is important for artists too to think of how the veiwer will recieve it- something comforting to you might be kind of freaky to the veiwer, and vice versa, so it's good to take this into account so you can communicate your message more effectiveley.
However, the ugly "art vs. craft war" completely ruined it for me. Good art doesn't need to prove itself. Craft and Art are one, there is no one or the other, they merely are. The author's idea that Art is distant from the veiwer is fundamentally wrong, and it is cultivated by ignorance. Artists (at least the ones i admire and claim as peers) are trying to tell the audience something. Unfortunateley, it seems that we are like Mimes in front of people on cell phones, it's not that we are aloof and far away from the populus, but that people don't take the time to look at art with anything other than "Modernist"-colored glasses. So much GOOD ART is out there, and it doesn't matter weather it could be called craft or art or entertainment or music, it all shares the same thing: Embodied Sympathy.

special art picks that show emotion and embodied sympathy:

http://www.alexgrey.com/
Alex Grey's Phsycadelic paintings show that the human body is just another manifestation of the divine, and draws the user into the artist's wonder and enlightened feeling through their complexity and glowing colors.

Laurie Anderson (Smoke Rings on YouTube)
Anderson is a performance artist and musician. She likes to talk about how lost and confused people can become in modern society (specifically American society), though her pieces vary, and often speaking about longing, confusion, and displacement. This particular piece haunted me for years, (not the first 60 seconds, i'm not sure what that's about.) People naturally connect with music, and Anderson's work is both enjoyable and approachable (if a little kooky.)

err...that's all i can think of right now. There are a lot of good ones out there, you just have to look, and they are hidden pretty well, because most artists that make art this good aren't looking to be famous. They just want to make art.

Symbols for the Cycle Pendant: Mistletoe

source: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/winter_solstice.shtml

most people only think of mistletoe at Christmas, but in anchient times it was considered a plant that was very sacred. It bears fruit on the winter solstice, and it grows without touching the ground-between earth and sky. The most famous legend of mistletoe is the tale of the death of Baldur, the god of light and truth:

"Balder was a popular and righteous God, but in a dream he foresaw his own death. After discussing this with the other Gods in Valhalla, the Goddess Frigga offered to make all things living on the earth, or growing in the earth, promise not to harm him.

This was done, and resulted in a new sport for the Gods - 'slaying' Balder with whatever weapons they could find. They knew he would always survive.

During one of these sessions the evil God Loki offered to help Hodur, a blind God, who was Balder's brother, join in.

Knowing that mistletoe, which did not grow 'in' the earth, was not covered by the promise Loki gave Hodur an arrow of mistletoe wood and directed his throw.

Balder was killed by the blow, thus fulfilling his dream. A period of significant mourning followed, during which Hel was visited in an effort to resurrect Balder, and mistletoe was designated a plant of peace."

source: http://www.mistletoe.org.uk/home/mtoetraditions4.htm

as an epilouge, it was Frigga who designated the mistletoe as a plant of peace, to remind people of Baldur's goodness. Baldur will only return at Ragnarok, the end of the world, and he will be the only god to survive, leading the people of earth into a new age.

Mistletoe's role as a plant of hope is a good match for the "Winter" panel for my cycle pendant because that part is about rebirth. It is also about the state between life and death, and because it grows between the earth (land of mortals) and "heaven".

Mask Project: Polynesia

source: http://www.besttattoogallery.com/samoan-tattoos-the-mystery-ancient-tattooing-art
the design of the Polynesian islands, which encompass a large area in the pacific ocean but nonetheless share a culture. This is because the peoples of the islands were travellers that settled on the various islands. It's impossible to talk about Polynesian culture without going into their rich tattooing tradition.


source: http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/April-2007/Hawai-8216i-by-Design/

Polynesian tattoos did differ between islands and cultures, there are many similarities between the traditions, mostly focusing on repeated geometric design elements.

Mask Project: South America

whenever i think of central and south america, i think of the amazing civilizations of the Aztec and the Inca.

pre-inca textile, http://beforecolumbus.net/brooklynmuseum.html

there aren't many examples of Inca art left in Peru because most of their decorative art was made of gold. Melted down by the Conquistadors, it's all gone now.  So is their written record, obliterated by the Missionaries that came after the gold was all gone.  However, this little pattern really caught my eye-the alpaca is very important in Andean cultures all up and down the west coast of South America.

Mask Project: North America

it was hard to pick a decorative tradition for North America, because of all the rich cultural traditions of both the natives of the land and the settlers that colonized it.

in the end, i chose the carvings of the Northwest tribes, because they reside both in America and Canada, and the designs would be easier to cut out of cardstock.

"Moon Mask" from http://www.artnatam.com/first-nations/troy-roberts/gallery/moon-mask.html

native northwest carving is characterized by abstracted, highly decorative geometric forms.

Strongarm Project: Maquettes

overview of the final drawing, plasticine and wax maquettes.

plasticine maquette. i love plasticine- except for the smell, and that nasty feeling it leaves on your hands.wax maquette. i still need to get a hold of some CZs that don't shatter when i make it with metal. i am still worried about the text showing up in the final model, or looking weird. guess i can't know until I try!

Blood Diamonds: The Strongarm Progect final Sketches

the final plans for my Blood Diamonds response, now named "Strongarm". Originally conceived as a piece about the reconciliation of the folk of west Africa and the diamonds they mined, it evolved for me into a piece about strength and moving on. As an amulet, it invokes the spiritual strength of those who were hurt and who carry on, rebuilding their lives with only one arm.

Reserch for Blood Diamond project: Prosthetic arms

Jan, here's another one for your collection! Stumbling around i found Giho Lee's super-cool Prosthetic Arm Projects, which is a series of little wire thingys that help people that only have hooks for hands with everyday tasks, like using an I-Phone or a keyboard mouse.
the annoying thing is, most of the pictures i could find of prosthetics were of more modern, which have actual hands. these seem more common now in developed countries (showing how behind some of these countries are).

i looked around and found all sorts of cool stuff though...here are some highlights!

source:http://www.switched.com/tag/prosthetic (all sorts of stories about futuristic prosthetics)
look at the design of that arm! it looks like something from sci'fi. future, here we come!
a "sustainable" prostetic arm, as shown at "Compost-modern" and fetured on the blog "Core77"
(Jan, tottally blogroll these people. even if their presentation video put me to sleep, I know they will make you happy.)

finally! it's not a good picture (and it's probably on this blog illegally) but that's the model i'm looking for. i'll edit the design of my pendant to reflect it a bit more.

here's a simple illustration of the arm and how it works- from a site about child amputees.

Mask Project: Russia and East Asia

Russia
source:http://www.lanasgallery.com/decorative.html
traditional enameling, called Khokhloma, from Northern Russia. This is done by a modern artist, but is a traditional pattern and materials.

China (and Japan, kinda)

source: http://www.chinancient.com/chinese-paper-cutting/
traditional Chinese Paper cutting. I'm already making most of these texture plates out of cut paper, and this image is similar to some in Japanese traditions, so that saves me a mask.

Creative Caffine: Kitty Rings

Assignment: Emulate Droog (boy am i sick of hearing about them!) by making jewelry or products out of things that are plentiful in your environment.

Response: Rings felted out of kitty fur =^_^=
i simply brushed my cats and felted the undercoat fur that came out. It's very easy to felt, you just roll it in your hands to make a little rope, then roll together the two ends.

Design Reserch- Masks pt.1: South and West Africa

first idea: masks for each continent/region. Images for each area as follows:

Africa: South

source:http://www.endegigallery.com/africanartandpatterns.html
woven baskets, made by folk of the Zulu nation.


source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/un_photo/3311565423/
woven beadwork by the Ndeble tribe.


Africa: West

source: http://www.travel-images.com/photo-liberia7.html
a house made of mud, decorated by handprints.

source: http://www.travel-images.com/view.shtml?mali2.jpg
thatched mud huts in Mali.

Droog pt. 2

okay, i still don't trust Droog. But i figure i got to find some common ground, so i'll adopt some of their quotes.

"Droog stands for a luxury of content rather than luxurious materials."

this is almost a personal motto for me ^_^. I make jewelry out of anything- i've got plans for anything from a prayer locket made from plumbing parts to construction paper origami.

designs that: "change perspective on daily life, informed by the local context, yet in relation to urgencies on a global scale."

this makes so much more sense than what they said in the little brochure. i'm still not so good at the whole "look at the new world in a new way" thing, but i'll give it a try.

i like the hidden meaning show they put on in New York. i love puzzles, i even have a puzzle box in my purse (to be feature in a future "cool things" post) and i love finding the hidden meanings behind works of art. i did, however, find the Da Vinchi Code improbable, along with all of Dan Brown's very silly books.

some other things i like:
Trim your own glowing bonsai! :D
Cute little critters! (note on this: i appreciate the artist's effort and creativity. however, i do have a real problem with this: making things out of trash has become a big fad in the "craft" community now, and as such things like this have started to underwhelm me. they do show some specialness in that they actually have electronic and animated components.)
they look so squishy :P

Droog Rant

According to Droog's statement, that i was required to read, they want to make solutions. How am i supposed to make solutions to global problems with jewelry? I'll happily make peices that react to global problems, but i just don't see how i can possibly help people with jewelry-at least the jewelry i like to make. I think what i'm trying to say is perfectly summed up by Maya Angelou's famous poem:

The caged bird sings not because it has an answer,
But because it has a song.

I can sing a song about the boy that comes to the lighthouse to escape from his life of poverty, but i can't imagine a way out for him. I can sing a song about a box of abandoned kittens, but i can't convince their former owners to take them back. I can sing a song about a bruised child hiding from his daddy (who always comes home smelling of booze) but i can't get him and his mom out of there. Not with Jewelry, at least.

How do you make a pendant that saves the world?