grounded

'grounded' amulet - mjd 2013

claw of a badger (ethically sourced)

raw rough amber

gorgeous stone from montana

handspun fibers

grounded

where your materials come from,

your attitude

and emotional state of being while working,

all affect the energy of your finished work.

i fully believe in the power that working on a piece

and working through emotional conflict

and confusion

holds.

knowing that each can mutually resolve

to the benefit of the other.

'grounded' amulet - mjd 2013

i don't often begin knowing where something like this piece

will lead. 

but upon completion, 

i get to see it with different eyes

hear the story it wants to tell.

and always

always

i get to give thanks 

for the use of my hands

to work with and through

that 

which i think,

feel 

and notice.

guest post - ersi marina

On 3 September I was asked by Mary Jane Dodd to write a guest entry to this blog.  I was excited and thankful for the opportunity, and I am happy to be here with you all. 

My name is Ersi Marina Samará.  I was born and grew up in Athens, Greece and I have been living in Spain for the last 31 years.  I studied drawing and painting in Athens, and photography in Barcelona.  I also love literature, so I attended creative writing courses for five years during the nineties.  I got some short stories published in literary magazines.  Through the years I have learned as much from my own experimentations and from the work of artists I admire as from my studies and books.  You could say I am 50% self-taught and I certainly keep learning new things about my art and myself every day.

between words and fortune

I am constantly attracted to new techniques and media, and sometimes I need to step back from my work so that I can take everything in.  I like working with watercolours, India ink and graphite, though I also use acrylic inks and gesso, and collaged elements. 

the seamstress

untitled II

Lately I have been incorporating new materials to my work, particularly fabrics.  I am still a beginner in textile art and I have a lot to learn, but fabrics, their colours and textures, their patterns and history, have always fascinated me, so I think they are in my work to stay.

contemporary embroidery

Many things inspire me, physical objects, images or even ideas. But everything goes through the filter of my feelings. I can be very cerebral analyzing a finished work, but I need to create with feeling, establishing a deeper communication with my work, listening to it and trying to satisfy its needs.

sometimes outside

I usually avoid strong visual statements that seem to cry out their message.  I prefer whispers to shouts, suggestions to commands, serenity to tumult.  But I admit I also like contrasts.  Life is full of contradictions, people too.  Sometimes trying to express these contrasts and contradictions in my work is all too tempting. 

Eleonora di Toledo

a free interpretation of an original painting by Agnolo Bronzino

In 2011 I became very interested in book art, especially artists' books.  That is an area yet to explore and I crave the time necessary to do it.  

a long path with pauses - cover

a long path with pauses - inside pages

(editor's note:

ersi also made a beautiful contribution to the flags for peace project this past week, you can see it here)

ersi can be found -

blog

flicker