Friday, August 24, 2012

new hand work

 This week I returned to those spring branches that I had bundled up before we went to England. 
I added another layer to most of them, sometimes from old lace, sometimes a wrapping of new cotton tape.  I also put a little protective thread on each one. 
Now there are eight.   Pioneer Babes.  Budding branches, vintage domestic linen and lace, red thread.
 beauty and tragedy. 
These fragments of old hand work connect me to those brave women who left Europe and came to Canada.

The most important thing is to love and be loved.
The second most important thing is to do the work.  
Michael James

12 comments:

Marianne Hall said...

Judy, I love this quote. This 'work' is thought provoking.......and I love how you just keep doing it.....I once had a collector comment on some little pieces I'd made.....I asked him what I could do to improve on them.....he said "make more".

Ms. said...

Once more, It's the way you just keep loving and doing, quiet, steadfast and true. Just that.

Mo Crow said...

the strong binding of the branches combined with the delicacy of the lace the blood strong red of the stitches... your work brings to mind the work of Olga Cironis (a sculptor friend I went to art school with back in the 80's) she has been covering things for the past twenty odd years. I love her eggbeaters covered in old woolen blanket in her 2010 exhibition "today I am what you want me to be" -
http://www.turnergalleries.com.au/exhibitions/10_cironis.php
and this Greek garden statue also covered in blanket this year
http://www.pica.org.au/view/Olga+Cironis/1512/

Heather said...

Oh, Judy! Wow!

Karen Thiessen said...

Beautiful.

mansuetude said...


immaculate conception

feel into the spaces
yes. so they are breathing, quietly
singing

safe now
in your hands.


.
so loved


Velma Bolyard said...

yes. YES!

Nancy said...

Beautiful ladies :)

Velma Bolyard said...

i thought some more about these, and what i thought was, she takes risks. that's a good thing, in my opinion.

Judy Martin said...

thanks Velma.
It is a good thing, but scary.
It's beautiful that you can feel that about these pieces.

Montse Llamas said...

Beauty and tragedy. Thrilling...

Embroidery designs said...

So beautiful.