Lady C. Sebastian

I tried to convert the Egyptian love poem to what looked like hieroglyphs, then obscured them somewhat with dilute white and tan to make them look more aged. The poem has a translation as well:

I hear thy voice, O turtle dove-
The dawn is all aglow-
Weary am I with love, with love,
Oh, whither shall I go?

Not so, O beauteous bird above,
Is joy to be denied....
For I have found my dear, my love;
And I am by his side.

We wander forth, and hand in hand
Through flowery ways we go-
I am the fairest in the land,
For he has called me so.

The rose leaf is real, sealed with a diamond glaze, so i hope it only ages as a leaf should after millennia, rather than crumbling!




I must admit this was a bit more challenging as Lady Sebastian seemed to have everything she needed! Then i realized that as a traveller, amateur archaeologist and wandering soul, there was one thing she would have, need and treasure and that would be samples or fragments of the past.



Her notes reveal that as she shops the souks, she stumbles across clues for her search. Being a smart woman, she knows there are chances the offerings may be not what they seem. Even so, she buys (after much haggling of course, as money is starting to run low) what she thinks may be important to her journey of self discovery.




The fabrics are a small piece of weaving from my college days, and some ecoprint and wrapping scraps from my natural dyeing experiments.

serenity leaves arlee

"The canyons of the sea
call and protect me

They are home
they are unknown,
serenity and surrender to my destiny"


"One cannot write one's destiny on the waves,
one must flow"

Serenity has wing fins so that she may swim with the currents, or against them to reach the sky above the canyons of her underwater home, or to delve deep in the waters and grottos of her submariner scapes.

We all swim or fly with or away from the currents of our lives--these travels make our experiences and shape our wisdom.

Raisa becomes an It Girl

With the style that Raisa was "accumulating" on her travels, she looked to me like a girl from the 20's, transformed from dutiful daughter to Flapper Kewpie girl! She may seem innocent enough but she's growing up with the changes in the century---a little bit wild, but still a good girl.

She feels a bit trapped and stifled, but loves her mother and just needs to cut loose once in awhile!







When she stays at home, she puts her pretty and demure collar back on and settles down.
Watch out for Saturday nights though!

Audacity leaves arlee

(I'm sure there's a sly joke in that title..ahem, i digress....my apologies to all for the lateness of this entry, due to health and work circumstances.)

Aud A Cit Y is definitely becoming one of the strong women that Gail had mentioned in the beginning of her journal. Looking at her face, one detects a certain note of haughty arrogance, but in her eyes are much doubt and pain as she relentlessly pursues her destiny.




The Eye of Perception has been taken and hidden from her, but as she travels, wisdom and experience are binding her more tightly to the path she is taking than any amulet or talisman ever could.

Anneelaw ready to leave arlee!

Above, front. Below, back:


Pouch detail:
She will actually have a pen in the pouch, not the paint brush i subbed for the photo!

Front of my spread for her travelling journal:
Inside spread:
Back:

The front and back are deliberately wordless: i liked the contrast of such quiet with the wild and words inside. I’d also like to have the front and back printed as cards!

Anneelaw, first stage

Above, the first stage: "arm" bent and covered with ruched hand dyed hollyhock silk, below, the embroidered hand being attached.

Above, the giant bobbin, below, the "Canadian Collar"--it's cold here!!! :)
Behind the scenes, i have been diligently working on MaryAnne‘s figure. I had no clue where to start—such a unique figure to begin with! Originally part of a lamp, MaryAnne mentioned that i could take the “head” off. I surmised that that also meant i could bend wires to alter as well, so left her head where it is and have created a special arm for her.

I thought i’d play on the fact that Anneelaw did start as a lamp: illumination, vision and well lit paths are coming into focus here then. The hand that “sees” intuitively and the eye that creates are working together to invent and map the explorations and experiments. She will hold a giant bobbin of hand twisted cording and naturally dyed embroidery floss, and carry a pen sheathed in her “back”, threads to mark or record the journey, and pen (being mightier than sword) to chronicle or defend.

She’s not quite done yet, so i’ll post a picture later this afternoon. She then moves on to California to Robyn for her next addition.

Onoma ready to roll through the world

Onoma is looking a little rough and the travels have barely begun. Heading out on the road, hoping for a bed for awhile, some stories and bread and soup.