An Uncommon Life

Who says you have to be a great artist to draw? Although I make my living as a jewelry artist, drawing and painting have never been my forte. But then I discovered Comic Life software, and that changed everything! I revel in my new found ability to create silly comics, and  send them both to my jewelry customers and to entertain my oldest granddaughter!

I think this is a wonderful way to communicate visually, and recommend it to everyone. And if I can figure out how to use it, anyone can!

So get yourself some comic life software and do your thing!

This is one marvelous poem from my talented  friend Leslie Silton.

All Crows Are Not The Same

Why did I ever think that?
All crows are not the same.
Lined up on the outside railing,
it’s easy to see who’s who.

There’s a clever one
who knows how
to pick open the sugar packet with his beak –
and like that ambitious thief, leaves nothing behind.

Or the bird who inches toward a table
(attended still by unhurried diners)
and stares fixedly
at the almost detritus of bread and salad.

One would-be pilferer
feigns disinterest
but remains on station waiting …

Abruptly they disband into flight –
all except two:
the one who pretended he didn’t care
(and is about to reap the benefit
of human departure, a waiter straggling)
and the smallest of the errant flock
because this may be the only chance he gets
to eat
(at all).

Communication itself can be a creation dissolving in tears, broadening into  smiles or causing that best of sensations, belly-grabbing and painfully uncontrolled laughter.

I’ve found a new  friend through the magic of email. We have never met in person, but are strangely, and beautifully becoming best friends. Since both of us are creative, funny people-our communications are delightful and often strange. Leslie is a poet, an artist of great sensitivity and talent. I will have to ask her if I can stick some of her poetry up here; I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.

This is just a little acknowledgment of how life can present you with the darned best things, even when you had no idea they (or she) was out there.

My customer Cheryl C. makes teddy bears for family and friends. She tells me it is “just a craft” but I think she is being overly modest.  If you have sewn something with your very own hands, you can’t help but imbue your personality into that gift. She says:

“The only creativity is picking out the fabric, placement of eyes and ears and in some cases crocheting an outfit.  My mother taught my sister and me to sew and my aunt taught us to crochet.  As a wedding present I made my son and his wife bride and groom bears.  I spent more time, effort and worry on the bride bear’s dress and the groom bear’s tuxedo than I ever did on an outfit for myself.  My daughter-in-law’s mother displayed the bears at the wedding reception.  I was touched.”

Cheryl C.'s Jester Teddy

My daughter-in-law is a master (mistress?) of creating hand-made gifts. Most birthdays and holidays her mom and I are presented with a wonderful Diana-made creation that is not only beautiful, but one I LOVE. Last year it was handcrafted vanilla, peppermint and lemon extracts in funny little glass bottles. And for my last birthday she gave me reusable cloth bags with her own colorful designs stenciled on. (No pressure, Diana. But the holidays are approaching.)

Have fun with your own creative talent this Holiday Season. To me, there’s nothing like a hand-crafted gift.

My daughter was born on October 4, 1981 and passed away 20 years later on October 30th, 2001. Yet I am still drawn to Autumn in my heart. 

I recently returned from a work trip to Georgia, where deciduous trees were wearing a promise, really just a blush of Autumn. This is the first year in many that I will have missed a full-blown autumn; most years we’ve had an art show further North, and I’ve been able to drink in the colors and scents of this month for a few days.

Long about February, our Virginia creeper vines here in Florida will turn red, but by then it’s too late for me.

I dream about a mountain home someday,  living beneath and surrounded by a riot of autumn, the crowning glory of planetary beauty on Earth. In my opinion, anyway.

I haven’t attempted any haiku writing for many a moon. But I thought I would try my hand. This one was written with a grieving pet owner  in mind. But I reckon it would apply to missing anyone who has passed away:

Our lives together

Like a rainbow’s sudden joy

Always remembered

Come on, who else has a haiku to share? I know you do, Laura!

Animals and creativity. They have been been intertwined in my life for such a long time now.

This past spring I designed about 70 new jewelry pieces, frustratingly not yet on my website! (That is a story in itself; but the very thought of putting it down to share is too exhausting.)

Endowing a lump of grey clay with the personality and form of a hippopotamus, a Chinese Crested dog or a cat has a special satisfaction for me. And viewing the sterling silver cast pieces for the first time is magical. Never fails. It’ s Christmas morning feeling I get to enjoy several times a year.

To me, being an artist is like wearing a  sparkly, every-changing but gossamer coat. I get to write, make animal jewelry and create fairy stories for my granddaughters. So far, only one of those activities makes me any money, but strangely enough, they all seem of equal importance. – Merry

This is the best part about grandmothering a 6 year old. We  co-create stories.

Actually, Ada is constantly making up stories. And I do not exaggerate. I tune in when I can, but if she is spending half a day with me, her talking often proceeds without an audience. I feel a little guilty about that, but she doesn’t seem to mind. I can jump into her free-form story-telling and add a detail here or an opinion there pretty seamlessly.

Ada and Annabelle

Lately we have been discussing the habits of her new fairy friend, Oakley. Oakley is absolutely a co-creation. When I made Ada’s fairy doll a few weeks ago (see my earlier post) I wanted to create a little myth around her. So we have been discussing the fairy that travels from oak tree to oak tree and wears a sparkly sleeveless dress (my sewing abilities are rather primitive, and I am trying to avoid an “incident” when I present Oakley on Ada’s birthday. “Grammy,she doesn’t have any sleeves!”).

Ada tells me Oakley has many different items of clothing, only one of which is sleeveless and sparkly. She also told me about another species of fairy that shares the oak tree life. I think they are called “pea-nuckles,” but I can’t be certain.

Ada will one day be 12 or 13. I doubt our story telling will continue that long. But luckily there is Annabelle, and I am quite sure more of her kind will follow.

Do you have children or grandchildren in your life? What are some of your stories?

Creating something out of nothing – isn’t that the best thing about being an artist? Popping out of bed with a new project in mind, something that will take up half a day and involve nothing but creation. Just like magic, out of whole cloth. It might be a new jewelry design, a blog post or a comic book. (Yes, I do write comics. They are occasional and involve the more absurd and laughable of my life experiences.)

Or a fairy doll. That was a fun one. Or this little cat family that I made for a customer.

I’m not that crazy about cooking, but once in a while I  invent a new recipe that is truly delicious. Or I “improve” on an old favorite.

I am also an unreformed doodler. Especially during boring phone conversations. Heaven help the man or woman on the cover of a Creative Loafing newspaper. Yesterday a local politician became a transvestite devil, with horns, a 1950s hairdo and several warts above his painted lips.

So many ways to create. Some of it is just spent in reflection, where it usually begins.

Fess up and tell me about your creations!  – Merry

Two weeks ago my (almost) six year old granddaughter said “Grammy, will you make me a stuffed fairy doll for my birthday?” She gave me the specifications, which I wrote down.

I was hesitant. “I would love to, Sweetie, but I am pretty busy.”

“Allright.” She took it in good grace.

Ada, I should mention, is an artist. That means she is very capable of turning illusions into reality. Thus, despite my initial hesitation, I found myself mulling over the task. Magically, during our recent  jewelry show in Atlanta, our hotel was two blocks from both a fabric store and a Michael’s. All the stars were aligning for the fairy’s emergence, and I spent an hour sorting through fabrics and making  purchases.

Last weekend I drew a pattern and cut out the body, arms and legs. I drew on a face and  traced it with my embroidery thread and needle. This weekend I planned only to sew and stuff the body parts, but got carried away and made the entire thing. Oakley the Fairy charmed her way into existence. Ada’s illusion became mine, and similar to Pinocchio’s transformation into a real boy, muslin, gold cloth embroidery thread and yarn became a real….Fairy.