Black Heart

You know, things are not always what they appear to be. Take color for example, since I was a child black was my go to color, which was much to my father's dismay. I am a 1st generation American, born to 2 people that immigrated here separately with their families to escape the oppression of communism. They met here, fell in love and married. They were very strict and old fashioned about many things, I had boundaries and limitations that they set. Yet for as long as I could remember I was encouraged to be anything I wanted to be , didn't matter that I was a girl. In fact my dad wanted me to go to medical school but when I announced that I was going to art school they fully supported my decision! They also allowed me my weird in whatever way that expressed itself. I was allowed to be me always! So when at the ripe old age of 24 my dad asked asked to to join him for a 'discussion ' I knew something was up. He was an engineer and on the table was his design his plan. A piece of paper with 2 columns and subsets of columns the top was labeled pros and cons of city A and city B for ELaine to find a husband because at my age any 'norma'l 24 year old would be married. "There are 2 reasons you're not married yet , the 2nd is because of where you live, the 1st is because you always wear black only widows and nuns wear black" he said in his thick accent, after all that's how it was in the old country. Truth is I love all colors in all things! Nature is gorgeous in Her color diversity and combinations, but my clothes were and still are predominantly black, lol! I was not offended or angered by my father's declaration, I understood why he felt this way and why it was important to him, he wanted for me what he valued most.....family. So it was no surprise that 2 years later no-one was happier at my wedding than my dad! Now 32 years later, 3 sons raised and gone I celebrate the real gift that was given to me in my all to brief time with my dad and which I still have with the gift of enjoying with my mom.....complete and total acceptance of who I am, exactly the way I am. My husband is like that as well and we did the same for our kids. I see parts of my dad in each of our sons as well as their as their uniqueness, their own weird and though it's been many years I still miss my dad terribly, he lives on in them and in my heart. Things aren't always what they appear to be, random societal designations and meanings...wearing black is not always about sorrow or grief, sometimes it is a celebration of life and love.

HeartWings Mariposa

When Kamala is really excited about who what or where we are heading to, she'll lean forward and flutter her wings. Appropriately when she does this her wings look like a heart and in the parrot community it is called 'heartwings'.

Everything I make comes from my heart but when a lifelong friend commissioned me to make a something for one of her daughter's it became even more, it became the decades of time, the births, deaths, personal and professional trials and tribulations, it became the triumphs and celebrations shared, it became friends becoming family with all it's support, laughter and love! For me to make one of her daughter's a Mariposa cuff....I felt like Kamala heading off towards something with great excitement and love.

Sunset Mariposa

A few years ago I changed the way I planned my flower garden. The bees and butterflies are in a crisis and I wanted to help them. Now I plant milkweed, lavender, butterfly weed and zinnias....all the flowers they like. Though my flower beds might look haphazard I love standing there watching all the bees on the lavender and the array of butterflies floating around going from flower to flower! It is the butterfly effect, I shifted my attitude and desires about my garden and recently my studio time, one small change creates big changes. I am not one of those people that can produce a lot in a short time so I let that go and let inspiration rule my time there. It seems fitting that my biggest inspiration now comes from butterflies, after all the are the symbol of transformation! This bracelet Sunset Mariposa is the first in a series of cuffs I'll be doing. Most fun I've had in a log time.