Continuing work on Memory

Memorial Gestation . . .Woven to an adjustable frame, copper coils snake around my wrist like a vine of warm memories. Tiny hematite tubes and copper seed beads flow together into embellished spaces for memories to nest and be nurtured. The open spaces of this cuff are the passages where memories can be birthed. Two multifaceted crystals are conductors of light that radiates my energy to and from the cuff. Smokey Quartz provides spiritual clarity to identify memories and resist the lies of history. Tiny Hematite tubes and beads give substance to the gestation of memories of the past, the present and the future. With this cuff I wear my memories here at the pulse point of my wrist or at the top of my arm close to my heart. With this cuff I am reminded that memories must be allowed to gestate.

I have once again joined the Year of Jewelry . It is a ongoing weekly 'personal challenge' web project for jewelry makers, presented by Creative Jewelry Forums. When I joined it last year, family issues demanded all of my time. Despite the demand or because of it, I didn't stop wrapping jewels and metal, in fact I introduced others to the creative practice. Most importantly I found how deeply satisfying the process is for finding peace during chaos and excitement and stimulation in quiet and calm.

I've continued to work on representing the idea of the power memories. My last blog entry Friday, March 16, 2007, featured a copper cuff that began my consideration on how to represent the theme of memories. Perhaps more accurately, as the cuff evolved and provoked my thoughts on the theme. As you can see in the images from that entry, the copper frame of the last cuff is full of stones, crystals, copper beads and wire embellishments. In some ways the cuff represents the memories of a mature person, crowded, diverse and sometimes requiring a lot of work to gain access to what was. With the current cuff I had -2- goals. 1-to make an adornment that anyone, everyone could fit. The first cuff can only fit a person of size with large bone hands--in short a woman like me. The the new cuff is adjustable.

My second goals was to not fill every space possible with metal, glass and stones, but to leave negative space where possibility for new memories exist. Looking from the other side of my experiences from the last year I have to believe, show myself, that there is always time and space for the gestation of memories.