Saturday, December 14, 2013

Gaia's Daughter #3

I've been so inspired since creating Gaia's Daughter #2, I've made another one.... Now listed in my Etsy shop.  Here are her pictures, and Etsy write up:
GAIA'S DAUGHTER #3 was inspired by a very Spiritually Oriented woman who has dedicated her life to being of service to people in crisis. She is one who truly walks her talk. See if Gaia's Daughter speaks to you, or brings to mind someone who lives their life in Holy Service and Devotion....perhaps your Self?

The inner structure of Gaia's Daughter #3 is made with with the beautiful 'Lacy Moss' (lichen), collected in nearby Monterey, and is supported by several sticks, one collected from the riverbed in Yosemite Valley, the other from a Coastal Cypress, complete with it's seed pockets. Her 'hair' is moss collected locally in Ben Lomond.

Her inner garments, including her 'cloak of many colors', are a fiber collage of many 'rescued' silks, designer fabrics, and yarns, perhaps representing the countless lives You, or some you know, have touched. Her flowing skirts are beautiful repurposed designer sample fabrics. And her wraparound cloak is a vintage crochet doily, symbolizing the gift of caring that is woven together throughout all time. Her crochet cloak seems to cradle the assemblage of faces she holds dear.

Gaia's Daughter's face.... this particular cabochon kept speaking to me, that she wanted to grace this doll. I think, because she is sturdy, substantial, with an elegant spiritual gracefulness, all of which depict one who walks the Spiritual Path. I especially like her timeless gaze, as though she is watching over us all through eternity.



Her BREASTPLATE: I include a breastplate on all my spirit or wisdom dolls. Traditionally, a breastplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. A breastplate is sometimes worn by mythological beings as a distinctive item of clothing.

In this case, Gaia's Daughter's breastplate depicts the countless lives you, or someone special, have touched, represented by five faces, cradled in Nature's womb of ferns. Perhaps symbolic of our Sacred Grandmothers passing on Ancient Wisdom to our Sacred Granddaughters.

Nestled in a cocoon molded in a bed of ferns, the symbolic meaning of fern is magic, fascination, confidence, shelter, discretion, reverie and a secret bond of love. And the metaphysical meaning of the number Five draws our attention to the wonder of life, and beckons us to appreciate the perception of chaos all around us.


Just a bit more about my Spirit Wisdom Dolls... I've worked with polymer clay but find greater comfort creating with earth-friendly terracotta clay. Also, We have a nearby 'fabric rescue' center (Fabmo, located in Mountain View, CA). Fabmo saves the lives of so many amazing designer fabric samples, offering them to artists who will give life to these samples previously destined for the landfill. And so, while most of my Spirit Wisdom Dolls are organic, collected in nature, I feel that by using these 'rescued' materials, we are utilizing the gifts that the Bountiful Universe so abundantly gives.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Gaia's Daughter #2

Hello dear friends.... I just wanted to share this very special Wisdom Doll I made for a very dear person, Diane. Diane is a person has dedicated her life to be of service to people in crisis. I became inspired to create this 'Gaia's Daughter' after our conversation about her visit with the Dali Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh and I came to the realization that Diane really walks her talk, and is living a life of service and devotion.

The inner structure of Gaia's Daughter is made with the beautiful 'Lacy Moss' (lichen), collected in nearby Monterey, supported by several sticks, one collected from the riverbed in Yosemite Valley, the other from a Coastal Cypress, complete with it's seed pockets. Her 'hair' is moss collected locally in Ben Lomond.

Her inner garments, including her 'cloak of many colors', are a fiber collage of many 'rescued' silks, designer fabrics, and yarns, representing the countless lives Diane has touched. And her cloak is a vintage crochet doily, symbolizing the gift of caring that is woven together throughout all time.

And now Gaia's Daughter's face.... this particular cabochon kept speaking to me, that she wanted to grace Diane's doll. I think, because it is sturdy, substantial, with an elegant gracefulness, all of which depict Diane. I especially like the timeless gaze, as though she is watching over us all through eternity.
And... Her BREASTPLATE: A breastplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. A breastplate is sometimes worn by mythological beings as a distinctive item of clothing.

In this case, Gaia's Daughter's breastplate depicts the countless lives Diane has protected and touched, represented by five faces, cradled in Nature's womb of ferns. The symbolic meaning of fern is magic, fascination, confidence, shelter, discretion, reverie and a secret bond of love. And the spiritual meaning of Five draws our attention to the wonder of life, and beckons us to appreciate the perception of chaos all around us.

I just feel so honored that 'Gaia's Daughter #2' came to me to gift to Diane, to let her know she is seen, appreciated, and loved. She has really made a difference in the world.
Namaste. 






Thursday, November 28, 2013

Another venture....

Hello dear friends.... I've been lost in my studio at least 8 hours every day... and loving it!  I saw scarves similar to these at a local craft show... I've looked and looked on Youtube and the net, for scarves that are made using water soluble interfacing... couldn't find a thing. (these are not felted...nor do I want to open that creative door!)

So this is what I've come up with so far, my first two scarves. If you know of a tutorial on these, please let me know!
Sweet blessings, Chris







Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Well... I've been busy!

Yes, it's been a while. But I've been quite busy. Making Spirit Doll faces and adornments.... then I've switched to some more 'main stream' prayer dolls! Here's a peek at a few I've placed in my shop. Each one has a spiritual sentiment and each one is quite hugable!



Friday, October 25, 2013

Miniature Wisdom Books

I love making these tiny books! (all listed in my Etsy shop) The leather has been rescued from the landfill! Button closures formed with terracotta clay, some using hieroglyphic stamps. All are hand bound with artificial sinew. Pages are hand dyed and edges stressed to appear ancient. Most are under 2". Perfect for the most important wisdom words!


























Monday, October 21, 2013

As you like it....

A lovely customer asked if I could do some faces in white, or a creamy ivory.... here's what I came up with. too bad I'm not so good at photography! They are all an ivory color, after many, many glazes.










Monday, October 14, 2013

Looking for her name....

Here are the faces I created using the stamp I made from the lacy moss (Lichen). They have a mossy green tint to them that didn't show in the picture.


 And here 'She' is.... But I can't seem to grasp her name yet. She's made of what I think are Cypress branches with seed cones clusters. I used the gathered Lichen for her body and hair. The fabrics were created from recycled silks gathered at Fabmo last week. The body of her dress was a designer fabric in the style of window coverings from Hearst Castle. Looks burlap-ish to me, but hangs wonderfully!

Can you hear her name??