Some Things Change

 

2013: Here comes another year, and we’ve never been here before. Are you ready for the next journey? 

Sometimes I am and sometimes I’m not because change, for me, is really hard. Once I dig in and attach, it’s so difficult for me to release from these attachments. I want things to stay the same. For me, 2012 was a lesson in letting go of so many things: People, places and things that are, ultimately, impermanent. Permanence is an illusion, I know, but this rocks my core and it challenges my ability to stabilize in the instability of life.

Losing a loved one is destabilizing. Devastating. You can touch them one minute and the next minute all you have are the memories. I’ve always been fascinated with mourning art and jewelry. Pieces of a loved one’s hair that are encapsulated under glass or inside a devotional locket. I see these creations as human attempts to rationalize and maintain contact in a spiritual dimension. When Buddy died it was too soon. This wall and desk locket was an act of my love representing her love, because she loved Buddy so deeply. He found her and protected her on her journey of loss and transformation. Buddy was always there, shielding and looking inside with those piercing brown eyes. Like hers. He was there for her daily walks around the lake, bouncing and running with joy. I grew to love Buddy too. And then all too quickly he was gone.

 In August of 2012 I was at a street fair in Delhi, NY and came upon a young woman whose specialty is pet portraiture. Her little portraits were painted on wooden plaques no bigger than two inches in diameter. When I saw the beautiful detail of her work, I knew what I had to do, so I commissioned Lilybeth Cressman to create a small portrait of Buddy as a puppy. I wanted to make a locket as a memorial to this superb creature. I cut an oval of copper and gave it to Beth for the painting, along with a photo of Buddy as a Puppy. From there, the locket took on a life of its own as I bought several hundred vintage watch crystals. At the same time, I found about 50 vintage chasing tools that had been created individually by a master craftsman. These were all truly one-of-a-kind. Note the little flower and leaf stamps around the perimeter of the portrait and the small wing on the back of the frame. When Buddy was buried, I delicately cut a bit of hair off the end of his tail. Under the crystal part of the locket, remains Buddy’s tail with a silver cap. It can be removed and worn, if desired. Buddy loved bones. Now he’s in Doggy Heaven, eating all the bones he could possible want.

As we head into 2013, I wish you all a protected journey and the courage to transform!