The Infinitesimal & Me

Sometimes I forget, you know? 

That I love the small things,

that the small things are what speak to me loudly.

I return to my blog to carve out space for me,

sculpt my reality,

offer to myself what no other place provides for me. 

I come here to remind myself of truths that I need to remember

and to highlight to myself who I am.

 

 

Does it make sense, to find a piece of the infinitesimal

glinting on the floor while vacuuming at day's end? 

And then to spend five to ten minutes photographing it to get it just right,

so it can be seen,

not overcome by its smallness

or washed out by bright light?

To take the tiny seriously; what does it take, really?

Oh, the reminder of my heart cry -

how I needed it so.

 

 

I need my art and I need this space for words and photography.  Last night I sat on the couch stitching my thread painting, and it is going to take many, many hours more until I can call it complete.  And then, and then - there are variations to do of "A Gift For You".  There will be one that looks more like a Claddagh symbol, with the heart shining in the middle.  There will be another that will have the hands placed beneath the heart, palms up.

(as I look at this picture, I realize how much more clearly photography allows me to see)

I love the worlds created in tiny spaces, such as Elisa Kleven does in her wonderful children's books, and the stories I read to my son - The Borrowers and The Littles.  I am enthralled by tapestries, and I love the unicorn series.  Stitches speak to me, and fiber art entices me.  I dream of creating tiny scenes with the little things I collect, placing them in mini frames or shadow boxes, and showcasing them on display.  I desire to blow up the macro photographs I take of teeny entities, making them huge and forcing them to be noticed.  I envision worlds in tiny spaces, such as this necklace charm I created out of wire and beads.  My three little birds.

“Do the little things.”

— St. David of Wales

This is my life work and this is a large part of who I am.  An embracer of the infinitesimal, a lover of the tiny.  Does what I am going to look like it matters?  No?  Then I am going to do it.  Yes?  Can I promise myself this?  It goes against the grain of the world, with its big ways.  To stay here at home with my children, while the NYC and Dubai size bigness loom on the horizon.  The dreams placed within me matter and have purpose in the world.  Will the world overlook them and me?  Probably.  Am I okay with that?  Yes, I think so.

My kids and I have been collecting postcards from the 50 states.  One we received from Oklahoma had information written on it stating that the state experiences thousands of small earth shakes each year.  My son and I were surprised to read this!  Most of these quakes are not strong enough to be felt, but they still occur there.  They don't usually lead to a larger earthquake, but the vibrations still must do something to affect the inner worlds of the people whose feet touch the ground above them.  Wouldn't you think?  How do I know the earth is not shifting beneath me?  After all, it is mustard seeds that move mountains, not huge machinery.  Big change comes from underground movements.  Big change stems from the tiny. 

Thread Painting

My attraction to the infinitesimal began after watching an Antique Roadshow episode that featured an 1819 Philadelphia School Girl Silk Embroidered Picture.  Since then, the infinitesimal has become one of my secret obsessions, with messages about its meaning scattered around the world for me to find and seek. 

That is why, when I found out that a Thread Painting course was being offered at Peters Valley, led by artist Missy Stevens, I had to go.

Thread painting is all about using tiny stitches to bring your image to life.  Using a punch thread needle, and the colors of your choice, you punch tiny holes into your fabric to create the image of your desire.  You can shade with your thread, create shadows, add brightness.  You can use metallic thread to cause sparkle and shine.  You can add beads to your piece.  There is such depth of creativity and freedom allowed through this medium, and *there are no rules*.

 

This piece is the lovely Gina's, an amazing artist who is currently working on her MFA.

This is Judy's, whose husband volunteers at Peter's Valley,

and whose son is an amazing woodworking artist. 

It turns out that Judy was secretly inspired by

his cityscapes in the creation of her piece.

Here is the wonderful Missy, working ingeniously on a piece she has been creating.

By the end of the workshop, I was able to complete as much as you see

on the piece on the left, which is mine. 

(The one on the right is Gina's.)

I love this form of art.  It speaks to me with depth on many levels.  The piece I am creating is called
"A gift for you" and is with the pink hands holding out a blue heart.  The background is a circular rainbow.  All this week, I've been stitching for an hour here, an hour there, or a few rows when I am able.  More has been added, but I will take time to write about it again more next week.  For now, this is an introduction and a record of memory of my beginnings with this unique technique.

Here is just a quick photo

of where I am at with my piece so far:

 



Fiber Art

There is something about fabric and textiles; a depth that speaks to me in stitches and textures.  Mixed media art has always drawn me to it, as there is freedom and possibility in the ability to add elements that are usually not paired together.  Fiber art has become more and more interesting to me, and filled me with the desire to get my hands on fabrics and create pieces that are filled with tactile surfaces.  Later this week I will share about my introduction to Thread Painting, from a workshop I took over the weekend.


When I see and read about fiber arts, I am filled with awe and a desire for more.  There is an artist who creates archaeological treasures out of fiber: Diane Savona.  Her artist statement is: "Like an archaeologist digging out the remains of ancient cultures, I search out estate sales, looking for the recent artifacts of past generations.  Crocheted doilies and embroidered tablecloths - common in our grandmother's lives - are becoming extinct. By presenting them as unearthed specimens, I hope to change viewer perception of our textile heritage."  The art shown to the right and below are examples of her work.  The one below is from her Domestic Archaeology series, and is called Chest.  The pieces titled Ancient Text (1, 2, and 3) also open in the same style, and her Clothespin Shrine is something else to see.

 

What messages are conveyed through these art-full artifacts. 

Recently I came upon an article in the Smithsonian magazine, while waiting in the reception area of my childrens' doctor office for their well visits.  I captured as much as I could onto a tiny piece of paper to record the importance of this article's subject matter.  It resonated strongly with the significance of the small, and my desire to create art pieces surrounding the ideas presented in the article. 

The piece talked about a chemist who takes silk artifacts and tests them to discover their age.  Just a miniscule amount of the collected material is needed for testing; 5mg. has lots of compound, or even only a 1/100 speck is needed to analyze the fabric, which is made up of D to L amino acids. Chemist Mehdi Molini and his team dissolve the fabric in chemicals and test it to discover the date of creation. 



I could imagine pairing the fabric pieces together with  close-up microscopic photos of their molecular makeup, including a diagram of the process by which the fabric is made, and faces of those people who make it.  All of it = works of art.   Each stitch made complete. 

This is just the beginning, but through fiber arts and all of its possibilities, I am finding a voice through which I may speak.

The Wood Duck

It was at Women's Wellness Weekend that symbols from

the in-between fell into my path. 

And I received.

 

 

 

 Kim held a workshop, a wellness circle, with the topic "no coincidences".  All of us who participated had stories to share of times in which we followed the leading of Something Greater without fully understanding it; but fully trusting that it was the right thing to do.  Meredith shared how she met her husband by traveling to a tiny town in Ecuador which someone shared the name of - she went to the smaller town of the same name, but there was obviously a reason.  Emily shared how she stepped out into the unknown by participating in a group gathering for women in business and met someone who became a great encourager to her.  Muni shared how she met her husband, who had come to Brazil to minister to the Baha'i faith community, and how she had dreamed of him.

 

I shared about the items I found over the last day, small things that were in my path and I collected, wondering of their deeper meaning and messages.  One was a wooden bead found under my bunk as I placed my suitcase and shoes underneath it.  Another was a safety pin, found outside on the dirt path leading to the hall where we ate our meals, attended workshops, and danced for Zumba.  The last was a little yellow wooden duck, obviously used for kids' crafts at the camp, which I found on the path leading down to the lake on my way to check out the archery and BB gun range. 

 

 

"I believe that animals can be spirit guides," Kim explained, after suggesting that the bead could serve as a reminder that I am part of things (which means a lot to me.)  I took this piece of information in my pocket as I left from the weekend, planning to research it more.  The bead also reminds me of the infinitesimal, which holds great meaning for me.

 

I believe that God, by His Spirit, sends us messages through the in-between, and that we can read the messages if we care to.  Think about dreams, the symbols, numbers, the word or bird that we keep seeing, that seems to be looking at us right in our face.  Think about why we are attracted to certain animals, like my grandmother who loved giraffes, or my grandmother who loved owls.  Why do we connect with them so, what does this tell us about ourselves, what we are striving for, seeking, and the characteristics that we connect with?

This yellow duck looked like a rubber ducky.  What could it possibly mean?  When I made the connection - it is a wooden duck... A WOOD DUCK!!  And it's YELLOW - colors have meaning!  I was then able to extract much more from the messages I was reading on the websites I searched and gleaned from.  The wood duck WAS featured as a character all its own on websites that gave insight into the meaning of dream symbols and of Native American spirit guides, totems.  There is much connection to a world beyond here.   A world in which the Spirit, very much alive and speaking, has not left us to navigate this world alone but has left us with "The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft."

I know I am being spoken to, taught by, and guided by the One with whom I have entrusted my life.  And my desire is to keep my eyes and ears open to the message being sent through the in-between, the world beyond, and I will hold on to the meaning of the symbols that are sent to me.  I will listen to the messages being whispered in the silence.

I will notice that it is more than just coincidence when I log in to Facebook and see this posted, after I began to write this post early this morning...

These immature Wood Duck are a secretive bird commonly found in hidden ponds http://ow.ly/i/NRbS

Do you have stories of symbols that speak to you?

P.S.  I must share a little about what I discovered of the safety pin, too.  I read that it is a symbol of unity, and that it was used as a way for the Dutch to identify themselves when Nazi Germany was taking over their country.  The safety pin was worn by everyone who struggled for their freedom.  It was, as I read, "worn not just as an act of defiance but a symbol of hope and freedom."

 

Chronicle Project

There is an art project that I participated in through the Art House Co-op recently.  It was the Chronicle Project, and it was about documenting a 24 hour period of time in one piece of work that could fold up to a 4x6 dimension.  I took a ton of photos all day and then collaged them, along with words I'd written throughout the day, onto a map that could fold up into a 4x6 rectangle once I was done.  As is representative of me, you have to get close to really see.  A lot of messages of the infinitesimal were spoken throughout the day and the creation of this project.

My project, along with the other participants pieces, are on permanent display now at the Brooklyn Art Library.  I do plan to go there one day, and will update this post (or create a new one) once I am able to have that experience.

Here are close up pictures of the sections that comprise this piece.

The Stitches Speak

I wrote a series here on my blog about the ten short films my sister and I viewed at this year's Black Maria Film Festival.  Many more films where chosen to be featured in the festival during the various showings around the world, and they were described in the program.  One that stuck out to me as a film I would like to see was The Stitches Speak, by Nina Sabnani.

(From the website linked to above):
"Tanko Bole Chhe (The Stitches Speak) is an animated documentary that traces the journey of four Kutch artisans towards finding themselves and forming the Kala Raksha Trust (a trust formed to preserve traditional art and to generate income for the rural artisans of Sumrasar Sheikh, a village 25 km north of Bhuj). The most amazing part of the film is that it uses the art of appliqué and embroideries as means of expression to narrate the story. Can you imagine that… now that is being creative to the stitch!"


I've written about the infinitesimal, about how the tiny speaks grandeur to me.  I love how valuable the stitches become, especially over time.  I love how each stitch tells a story, carries a culture.

I want to learn how to tell my stories.  I want to learn how to write my story into the stitches of my words, the stitches of my life, the stitches of my art.  I'm getting there.  Perhaps this is why I am so enamored with the stitches and the infinitesimal; perhaps this is why they speak to me. 

In the early fall, I'm taking a Thread Painting Workshop with artist Missy Stevens.  Thanks to Peters Valley I received a scholarship to help cover half of the cost of this. 

"The workshop will introduce participants to the technique of punchneedle embroidery using needles which hold one or two strands of sewing thread and create a delicate, dense and rich loop pile surface. Missy encourages a painterly approach that allows a conversation between the maker and the thread painting as it evolves. You will be instructed in the basics of using a small punchneedle: threading the needle, correct use of the hoop, stitching and materials and will be guided through visualization exercises."

I will go there expectantly.  I will go there listening with open ears and open mind.  I will hear the conversation between the maker and the thread painting.  I will receive messages about my life, and about how the holes that have been poked through have allowed for light, illuminating darkness like the stars at night.

River Road Cleanup

This post is about something special that my family & I did together recently.  We had such a good time and took some nice pictures that will fit well into a blog memorabilia page.

We participated in a cleanup on one of the scenic roads that is part of the beautiful national forest region we live in.

As I post these pictures I smile, remembering what a good time we had together.  Who would have thought that collecting garbage off the sides of a road could be so much fun and carry such meaning?

Leave it to my insightful son to find significance in everything and share comments to express his thoughtful mind.  "Hey Mom," he says, "it's like, all these little things, people think they don't even matter, but they really do," as he picks up some small piece of trash to add to our garbage bag. 

It's the infinitesimal, speaking & calling, the truth that we need to look closely, pick up the tiny pieces that were tossed as if they didn't matter, and realize the impact of each and every stitch.  I know this, but I need to be constantly reminded.  Just last week on Jeopardy, I heard the word.  It was an answer to a $2,000 Double Jeopardy clue in the 13-letter word category.  The first contestant to answer got it wrong for leaving out a syllable.  The infinitesimal matters.

This is what we see when we look closely.  We find beauty in the small things, and we find hearts too.