I fabricated this rattle out of sterling silver, with a hollow channel through the middle for stringing it on a necklace/handle. The rattly bits are sterling balls of various sizes and shapes. Once I had it all soldered together, I covered both sides with micro-mosaics. It was early in the year, and all I could think about were the flower buds swelling, the snow receding, and how spring always brings a sense of hopefulness, a desire to get outside and see friends. I filled the surfaces with blueberries, strawberries (and their blossoms), raspberries, fiddlehead ferns, flowers (cosmos, poppies, and forget-me-nots,) and a bee with her hive, crucial for all.
In the past two+ years, isolation hasn't really been difficult for me, because I love my work, I love home--the human and animals I share it with--and I feel connected to my faraway loved ones through phone calls and video chats. I know it's not the same as a hug, but this time did highlight the need for community, communication, and openness across a distance.
One of the first things I did back in 2020 when the world was staying home: I drew a coloring book in the hopes that it would fulfill a need. Many of you bought one--or half a dozen--to share with someone you cared about. That first printing sold out and I drew a second one. (I still have copies available.)
What I learned about myself through this time is I am a "helper" and use my art to reach out. This project was born of the idea that we build community and fun, through intentions and love. How to make my art reach farther?
There's not a lot more to tell just yet, the next part of the storytelling is up to you. I am sending it out now, and have set up a few of the first stops for the rattle, to get the story going. After that, it is up to you, whoever receives it can choose where to send it next, within the US, please. Think about the gift you hold and who you'd like to share it with after five days. With ecological concerns, it would be fun to watch it travel east, and then turn back around and travel back to me by the end of the year, (rather than crisscrossing from coast to coast.) Feel free to hand it off to the next person--in its box for context--or ship it via US mail, Fed Ex or UPS...it doesn't matter the carrier, and don't worry about insurance, just please reuse the box. The value is in our story, the experiences on this adventure. Share with me a joy in giving unexpectedly, of receiving, delight in our planet and the seasons.
