Continuing from my previous post ... and in tribute to Rita, I've migrated two posts from my Toumai Blog here:
Do you ever pause,
just for a moment simply
stop, be still, silent...
listening. There is a song inside...
a passionate lady that sings to
each and every one of us...
a lullaby voice that encourages
us to stretch... often in unimaginable ways.
So, here is a pic of my Toumai Blog Lady... near finished now...butt I still have to make a mold and cast her. By the way, the hand gesture/salute (the one you can see that is), I thought was sign for ... well, bullshit. But then I did a wiki search and loe and behold I find out that it has historic significance to many cultures and its supposed to ward off bad luck. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_of_the_horns
And here's a recent picture of my little lady Addy... just saw this pic for the first time today... hmm synchronicity!! Leave it to my grand daughter. She may be little, but she holds a mighty big space in my heart.
This is for you Addy, for your brilliant future.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Passionate Lady
Do you ever pause, just for a moment simply
stop, be still, silent...
listening. There is a song inside...
a passionate lady that sings to
each and every one of us...
a lullaby voice that encourages
us to stretch... often in unimaginable ways.
The first picture is a sculpture of my inner self... passionate
lady becoming. The second picture is Rita MacNeil, a very
real passionate Lady-- singer, songwriter living in Nova Scotia.
lady becoming. The second picture is Rita MacNeil, a very
real passionate Lady-- singer, songwriter living in Nova Scotia.
The little sculpture was made in 2007. She emerged from one of those moments when I would stop,
be still... listening. At the time, I was trying to design an angel. If there is anything I hate to design
more than anything, it's angels. I don't understand it really... I just dread the thought. But guess what
... angels are big in my line of business! Since I design and manufacture pewter giftware items, it's
stands to reason that one of my biggest markets are Christmas ornaments. So, the most asked question
at retail Craft Shows is "Do you have any angel Christmas ornaments?"
be still... listening. At the time, I was trying to design an angel. If there is anything I hate to design
more than anything, it's angels. I don't understand it really... I just dread the thought. But guess what
... angels are big in my line of business! Since I design and manufacture pewter giftware items, it's
stands to reason that one of my biggest markets are Christmas ornaments. So, the most asked question
at retail Craft Shows is "Do you have any angel Christmas ornaments?"
So, I have made a share of angels along with other designers working with me... but in the end,
none of them really 'speak to me'... and not surprisingly then, that none of them really speak to
the public either. So, here I was back at the drawing board... time and again I would start a design only
to scrap it... none felt right.
none of them really 'speak to me'... and not surprisingly then, that none of them really speak to
the public either. So, here I was back at the drawing board... time and again I would start a design only
to scrap it... none felt right.
Finally... mainly from sheer exhaustion, I stopped... paused, became still... listening... and then the inner
voice conversation.
voice conversation.
"What's the problem May?"
"I'm stuck... I need an angel"
"the Angel you're looking for comes from a reflection of you"
"But I'm not an angel"
"Yes you are... you are becoming, just like everyone else"
"Everyone?!"
"Yes, everyone, there are no good or bad, just children becoming".
"What's this have to do with sculpting an angel"
"You need to look within, not without... to be proud of who you are within and to reflect that out?"
So, I pick up my last attempt... mush up the clay and begin again and a song begins to play in my head--
"Flying on Your Own". The voice is Rita MacNeil... the singer who wrote the song... not the recorded
version that Ann Murray sings (the more popular version) in her glorious, boisterous and powerful voice
, but in Rita's higher pitched, more subtle tones. There is something about Rita's passion that speaks to me... she is not lithe and stunningly georgeous though she seems to float above the others.
"Flying on Your Own". The voice is Rita MacNeil... the singer who wrote the song... not the recorded
version that Ann Murray sings (the more popular version) in her glorious, boisterous and powerful voice
, but in Rita's higher pitched, more subtle tones. There is something about Rita's passion that speaks to me... she is not lithe and stunningly georgeous though she seems to float above the others.
And so I dig into myself and before you know it, the essence of Rita is coming forth... the emotion
passion... the spirit of her voice is becoming my angel... my inner passionate Lady.
passion... the spirit of her voice is becoming my angel... my inner passionate Lady.
This is not an angel that I will sell, she was just for the moment ... a glimpse of my angel becoming.
A little chorus from Rita's "Flying on Your Own":
...And when you know the wings you ride Can keep you in the skyThere isn't anyone holding back you. First you stumble, then you fall You reach out and you fly. There isn't anything that you can't do. You were never more wise girl. You were never more a fool. Once you break through, its all up to you Your flying on your own.
After that, I went on to design my most popular angel (Joy). She doesn't look anything at all like my angel
becoming, but I captured something of her spirit... and when she was finished, the design was right--
spoke to me (literally and figuratively) ... and judging by my sales, the angel speaks to my customers
as well.
becoming, but I captured something of her spirit... and when she was finished, the design was right--
spoke to me (literally and figuratively) ... and judging by my sales, the angel speaks to my customers
as well.
Monday, March 8, 2010
The DECORUUM Salute!! (updated)
So, here is a pic of my Toumai Blog Lady... near finished now...butt I still have to make a mold and cast her. By the way, the hand gesture/salute (the one you can see that is), I thought was sign for ... well, bullshit. But then I did a wiki search and loe and behold I find out that it has historic significance to many cultures and its supposed to ward off bad luck. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_of_the_horns
The gesture got a bumm rapp over time, becoming vulgar (hmm, just like the word fu...).
Butt, hey WOW... its not bull shit at al when you read about its originl!! It's called "corna" (horns) in the Mediterranean and is very similar to the Karana Mudra sign of Eastern Religions. Hmm, Corna and Karana sure sound alike to me. It all makes sense, horns are afterall are great for offense and defense-- protects many a creature and their young. So, it seems that the inner world are displaying ... horns!! And, in the Dominican Republic its referred to as Zafa, used as a protection against curses commonly known as Fukú. Uh-huh,, okay... fuku...here we go again!! See what I mean... okay, there wouldn't happen to be a dog lurking in this here the "sign of the horns" (hmm... shadowgraphy). So, Fuku is bad luck... sort of like "getting fuku'd". This is "fukuing hillarious"... sheesh!! And it sure is a heck of a way for the inner world to make a point (no pun intended).
And here's a recent picture of my little lady Addy... just saw this pic for the first time today... hmm synchronicity!! Leave it to my grand daughter. She may be little, but she holds a mighty big space in my heart.This is for you Addy, for your brilliant future.
And finally, you know what they say--"it's not over until the fat lady sings". 
Well, there's an issue here that really needs clarification. We as a society place far too much emphasis on the exterior without giving hardly an iota of attention to what lay within the heart and mind. Sometimes, just sometimes, we need to be very still in order to think... sometimes we need to give up precious preoccupation with the body in order to strengthen the more precious mind and soul... sometimes we have to do this simply because its necessary. So, with that said, let's do just a little modification to the old saying (sorry Dr. Brunet, you're just going to have to put aside your Psychiatry bible for this one).
"It's not over until the SAVVY lady turns the other cheek... and sings"!!
How's that for "decoruum"... or is that "decorbum". Yep, we Acadian Canadians may be many things, but anal we are not!! That would be "Toushe"... as in "AY"!!
Well, there's an issue here that really needs clarification. We as a society place far too much emphasis on the exterior without giving hardly an iota of attention to what lay within the heart and mind. Sometimes, just sometimes, we need to be very still in order to think... sometimes we need to give up precious preoccupation with the body in order to strengthen the more precious mind and soul... sometimes we have to do this simply because its necessary. So, with that said, let's do just a little modification to the old saying (sorry Dr. Brunet, you're just going to have to put aside your Psychiatry bible for this one)."It's not over until the SAVVY lady turns the other cheek... and sings"!!
How's that for "decoruum"... or is that "decorbum". Yep, we Acadian Canadians may be many things, but anal we are not!! That would be "Toushe"... as in "AY"!!
:-)(-:
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