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. : About me : .
 Name::Sapphire Dakini From::Santa Fe, NM, United States "The secret of life is in art." - Oscar Wilde View My Profile . : Artist Statement : .
My art is an exploration of the importance of change and releasing the past, especially the people and situations
that hinder personal growth, empowerment and transformation. The utilization of mythic figures, archetypes, motifs
and themes allows me to explore letting go of the familiar, safe and secure in order to travel to the dark, often
frightening, places of the soul. In this way, I've learned to trust my inner voice and honor my soul's need for
expression and challenge. . : Recent Posts : .
Words of Wisdom from the Daily Om . : Archives : .
May 2005 . :Blog Rings : .
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. : Portfolio : .
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. : Printmaking : .
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Wednesday, February 28, 2007What I'm Reading "An L.A. artist's search for identity forms the core of the diffuse but haunting new novel by Chris Abani. The Virgin of Flames follows a California muralist's search for himself. Black lives on the skids in South Central L.A. He paints in a "spaceship" he's constructed on the roof of The Ugly Store, a forlorn artists' space directed by a Jewish psychic with metal rings in her back. His work-in-progress is a portrait of himself as the Virgin of Guadalupe in a wedding dress. Black drives a dilapidated Volkswagen bus & smokes a lot of dope. He admits to his successful friend Bomboy, a Rwandan businessman, that he lacks the requisite ambition to get anywhere. In his mid-30s, he's still troubled by ghosts from his past. His Nigerian-born father, a postdoctoral engineering student at Caltech working for NASA, was drafted & killed in Vietnam when Black was very young. His pious Salvadoran mother forced him to pray to the Virgin for his sins. Later, dying of cancer, she was convinced she was being punished for getting pregnant out of wedlock. Shortly before her death, Black found a letter from his father explaining that because an evil spirit threatened to kill all male offspring of his Igbo family by age 6, Black had been dressed as a girl until he turned 7. This might explain his conflicted sexuality -- he's obsessed with a transvestite stripper named Sweet Girl -- & perhaps the voices in his head; he imagines that the angel Gabriel talks to him from time to time. Black hovers precariously on a kind of sexual abyss, unsure where he fits in. Is he homosexual? Does he really want to be a woman? He's not the only one grappling with childhood wounds; all of Abani's characters are scarred in some manner. A bleak, searing and sad portrait of outcasts." Labels: books 
Tuesday, February 27, 2007My Hippie Chick Name IsIn honor of my upcoming trip to Boulder, 1 of the few places left that you can actually see hippies in their natural habitat...
Labels: meme
Monday, February 26, 2007I Feel the Rocky Mountains Calling MeI need a change of scenery. I need to look out the windows & see mountains. I need to see the aspens changing colors & feel crisp mountain air. And yes, I know this is an odd thing to be saying in February with summer looming on the horizon. But, be that as it may... I still get homesick for Colorado & it's been 13 years since I left. I took a trip out there for a week in 2003 & now I'm feeling called back again. So, I've decided that I'm heading out to Boulder the 1st week in October for a week. Just in time for the Boulder Fall Festival & their 2007 Open Studios. My room is booked at the Hotel Boulderado & I'm ready to make my pilgrimage to such treasured landmarks from my past as Promenade's Le Bead Shop, the Boulder Arts & Crafts Gallery, the Boulder Bookstore, Lighthouse Metaphysical Books, & the numerous funky little shops & galleries that call the Pearl Street Mall home. I'm also planning to check out new venues like the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Arts & Rembrandt Yard. Labels: life
Sunday, February 25, 2007TAST - Week 8 - Fly Stitch Here's this week's mask incorporating the fly stitch for the Take-a-Stitch Tuesday challenge. I'm still trying to shake off the flu so there hasn't been a lot of stitching going on here.Labels: embroidery, masks, Take-a-Stitch Tuesday, TAST
Saturday, February 24, 2007What I'm Reading "A cultured city scarred by war. An eastern émigré with scars & secrets of her own. A young woman who claims to be a Russian grand duchess. A brazen killer, as vicious as he is clever. A detective driven by decency & the desire for justice. A political movement growing in power.... Deeply atmospheric, peopled with rich, complex characters, City of Shadows is an enthralling novel of historical suspense set in Germany in the 1920s & 1930s--a decadent, turbulent time in which a proud nation scarred by defeat, deprivation, & debauchery will become the fertile breeding ground for the rise of National Socialism.Berlin, 1922--one of this troubled city's growing number of refugees, Esther Solomonova survives by working as secretary to her fellow Russian émigré, "Prince" Nick, a scheming adventurer & cabaret owner. Always on the prowl for a deal, Nick smells money when he hears of a woman in an asylum claiming to be a grand duchess, daughter of the Czar of all the Russias, who escaped the assassination of the rest of her family by the Bolsheviks. Enlisting a highly suspicious Esther, Nick plans to prepare the woman, Anna Anderson, to claim the Romanov fortune. But Anna is being hunted. Or so she claims. At first Esther believes Anna's fear to be just in her imagination--until innocent people around them begin to die. So in a Berlin stricken by hyperinflation, Esther enlists the help of a German police officer--a dogged inspector named Schmidt--to try & find out who wants Anna dead & why. Yet the deeper she & Schmidt dig, the more they realize that their own lives are at risk." Labels: books
Friday, February 23, 2007Clay Monoprinting The February issue of Ceramics Monthly had a number of great articles in it. First, there is an excellent article on Mitch Lyons & his clay monoprinting process. He's using paper & canvas for his prints but I'm wondering about the results if one were to use fabric instead. In addition, Alfred Spivack writes about the fusion of dichroic glass & clay. I use a lot of dichroic glass in my various works so the idea of being able to incorporate it into my ceramic masks is extremely enticing. Labels: ceramics
Thursday, February 22, 2007More Ceramics Research And the research continues. There's an excellent article in Ceramic Technical by Cary Lathan Weigand detailing her process in creating Vajrayana, a 5'4" hand-built porcelain puppet. Note: Vajrayana is a sect of Tibetan Buddhism & is known as the "Path of the Thunderbolt". Unlike the Theravada & Mahayana paths which teach that enlightenment is gained over the course of many lifetimes, Vajrayana is said to provide an accelerated path to enlightenment. Labels: ceramics
Wednesday, February 21, 2007Ceramics Research Since I'll be returning to the ceramics studio after an absence of 15 years (Jeez, 15 years. It seems like a lifetime ago.), I decided that I had better do a little research. So I picked up some magazines this afternoon to check out what's been going on & some of the work is absolutely amazing.It's odd... I've always loved working with clay (Trust me... there's nothing more relaxing after a long day at the office than getting into the studio & pounding on a lump of clay.) so I'm not sure why I ever gave it up. But, anyway... I'm very excited to be getting back to mask making & to be combining it with my textile work. I've started working on the headpiece for the first mask & hope to have some pictures posted as soon as I can get out & pick up a new battery for my digital camera. Labels: ceramics
Tuesday, February 20, 20072007 Goals - RevisedI've made some minor revisions to my 2007 goals to integrate the return to mask making & working in ceramics. I'll be honest, I've been really down & just plodding along so far this year but this 1 little shift in technique has given me a completely new outlook on my work. It's what I needed to pull all of the disparate pieces together. Art Education Goals
Art Work & Technique Goals
Art Marketing
Labels: goals
Monday, February 19, 2007Coming Full CircleIn between working on my pieces for Take-a-Stitch Tuesday, my embroidery sample for the School of Stitched Textiles Embroidery course, & marketing projects for the 2007 International Opportunities for Artists Conference being hosted here in Boston in April by TransCultural Exchange, I've been struggling with the direction to take with the portfolio pieces to be submitted with my application to the SMFA diploma program. Nothing that I've been working on the past year has felt quite "right". This is a large part of the reason I've been putting off applying. Lately, I've been experimenting with various techniques for making masks... papier mache, plaster cast, plaster of Paris, fabric... & I'm still not getting the results that I want. So, I've come to the realization that combining the textile work I've been focusing on (surface design, embroidery & embellishment) with ceramic masks is the only thing that is going to satisfy me. I've always been fascinated by masks as an art form & first started making them when I moved to Denver in 1990. Over the ensuing years though, I started to focus more on beadwork & collage finally making the transition from paper to fabric. This year's return to mask making has brought me full circle. I'll need to make some minor revisions to the 2007 goals I developed at the beginning of the year but the results will be a much more cohesive plan. You have no idea what a huge relief it is to finally come out of the fog & have a solid direction. Labels: mask making
Sunday, February 18, 2007What I'm Reading "In a rare & gorgeous departure, Alice Hoffman weaves a web of tales, all set in Blackbird House. This small farm on the outer reaches of Cape Cod is a place that is as bewitching & alive as the characters we meet: Violet, a brilliant girl who is in love with books & with a man destined to betray her; Lysander Wynn, attacked by a halibut as big as a horse, certain that his life is ruined until a boarder wearing red boots arrives to change everything; Maya Cooper, who does not understand the true meaning of the love between her mother & father until it is nearly too late. From the time of the British occupation of Massachusetts to our own modern world, family after family's lives are inexorably changed, not only by the people they love but by the lives they lead inside Blackbird House.These interconnected narratives are as intelligent as they are haunting, as luminous as they are unusual. Inside Blackbird House more than a dozen men & women learn how love transforms us & how it is the one lasting element in our lives. The past both dissipates & remains contained inside the rooms of Blackbird House, where there are terrible secrets, inspired beauty, & above all else, a spirit of coming home." Labels: books
Saturday, February 17, 2007A Saturday MemeSaw this over at Red Shoe Ramblings & thought it might be an interesting diversion on a Saturday morning... What curse words do you use the most? Oh, trust me... I don't discriminate. I use them all. In several languages. My mother is very proud. Do you own an iPod? Yes. What time is your alarm clock set to? I don't have an alarm clock. I just wake up at 6 am. If I have to get up before 6 am, I set the alarm on my BlackBerry. Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture? I'm not a fan of being on either side of the camera. But I definitely hate being photographed & try to avoid it. What was the last movie you watched? The Witches of Eastwick What CD is currently in your player? Theater of the Imagination by Clarissa Pinkola Estes Do you prefer regular or chocolate milk? Gross! Neither. I remember constantly being in trouble at school because I wouldn't drink my milk at lunch each day. Nothing like a daily battle with an authority figure when you're a child to build character. Has anyone told you a secret this week? You betcha! And it was a good one! When was the last time you had Starbucks? Severe coffee addict that I am, I'm not a huge fan of Starbucks. I can't remember the last time I was in one. Can you whistle? Yes, but not well. What are you looking forward to? I'm looking forward to the Fall semester at the SMFA starting in September. Did you watch cartoons when you were little? It wouldn't have been Saturday morning without them. My favorite was Johnny Quest. Do you own any band t-shirts? No. What will you be doing in an hour? I'll be in my studio working on a mask. What was the last song you heard? Return to Innocence by Enigma Last time you cried? When I finished Find Me by Carol O'Connell. I seem to cry for really odd reasons lately. I should probably look into the reasons for that. Desktop or laptop? Laptop Desiring any new ink? Never say never. I already have 4 tattoos... a butterfly on each forearm, a phoenix on my left calf & a unicorn on my right shoulder. If I were to get another one, I would get a Celtic Cross on my lower back. Damn! Now I want another tattoo! What's the weather like? Sunny, windy & wicked cold. I'm really looking forward to Spring this year. What were you doing an hour ago? Cleaning the loft. There's something very Zen about cleaning. How many hours of sleep do you need to function? I need 4 hours to be functional & 6 hours to be fully human. Do you eat breakfast daily? No, only on the weekends. What did you do last night? Spent the evening in my studio working. Do you use sarcasm? Only when I'm awake. Do you like mustard? I love mustard. Do you sleep on your side / back / stomach? Usually on my side, curled up in a ball. I feel defenseless if I sleep on my back. And sleeping on my stomach just isn't comfortable. Do you watch the news? No, I get my news online from a variety of sources... ABCNews, MSNBC, CNN, the New York Times & BBC. Between the 5, I should get some semblance of a balanced story. Or as Jack Nicholson says in Something's Gotta Give "some version of the truth". How did you get one of your scars? I was at the firing range practicing with a semi-automatic pistol (my regular gun was a revolver), my left hand was too high & when the slide came back, it opened up my hand all the way down to the bone. Good times! Labels: meme
Friday, February 16, 2007TAST - Week 7 - Feather Stitch This week's stitch for Take-a-Stitch Tuesday was the feather stitch. Unfortunately, I've had the flu all week so there hasn't been much stitching going on in my studio. I decided to take the cat mask from last week & add the feather stitch along with some additional seedbeads & glass flower beads.Labels: embroidery, masks, Take-a-Stitch Tuesday, TAST
Thursday, February 15, 2007What I'm Reading "Nomadic archaeologist Maria Dark is returning home again to the Connecticut shore -- a magical place where she, her sister Sophie, & their brother Peter spent their childhood on the banks of Bell Stream. After 15 years away, Maria hopes that she can rediscover the joy & optimism of her youth in the arms of her family. But things have changed. Maria's siblings & her mother have weathered difficult times & Sophie & her children are not as happy as they seem. Now Maria will embark upon an emotional journey -- navigating the memories of a tender past -- toward the truth at the heart of her family & the chance for a new beginning."The timing couldn't be worse... I have the flu. I've been trying to fight it off for about a week but it looks like I lost the fight. Labels: books
Wednesday, February 14, 2007Valentine's Day... AGAIN!?Bitter? Jaded? Cynical? Who, me? I wonder what the Valentine's Day equivalent of "Bah! Humbug!" is? Yes, it's true... Wild single woman that I am, I will be celebrating Valentine's Day by watching a Sopranos marathon on DVD. Because nothing says "I love you" like a mob hit. I read earlier today that the online dating services, once the darlings of the Internet, are starting to lose traffic & revenue because people have finally realized that people aren't all that honest when writing their personal ads. Now there's a shocker! Apparently the 3 things people lie about most often is age, weight & income. And they frequently post old pictures, or someone else's picture, on their profiles. I always wondered why those underware models with the perfect bodies couldn't find dates. Do they think the other person won't notice the difference when they finally meet in person? Or maybe the person they're meeting is supposed to be so dazzled by their personality & sense of humor at that point that it won't matter. Yeah, that must be it. I did the personal ads for years. Long before there were personal ads on the Internet. It was the best way to meet new people every time I moved to a new city. And I made some great friends that way. I was lucky. I never had a bad experience other than the person I was meeting being boring. Or maybe I was being boring & projecting it onto them. Or maybe neither one of us was boring but we just didn't have anything in common. I never approached the meetings with too many expectations so there was little chance of being disappointed. I was a much more patient person then. I could play the game. And now? I just can't be bothered to be on my good behavior & pretend interest for the length of a cup of coffee. Bitter? Jaded? Cynical? Yeah... but it seems to be working for me. Labels: life
Tuesday, February 13, 2007Two by Two MemeI picked this up over on Melody's blog, Fibermania a couple of days ago. Be sure to pay her a visit & check out the amazing new work she's doing. The colors, as well as the designs are incredible. 2 names you go by: Bonnie, Sapphire 2 parts of your heritage: Irish, English 2 things that scare you: the religious right, scorpions 2 things that make you really happy: books, art 2 everyday essentials: coffee, laptop 2 things you are wearing right now: flannel pajamas, fleece socks 2 of your favorite current bands / artists: Cher, the Bee Gees 2 things you want in a relationship (other than love): independence, sense of humor 2 truths: I don't like children, I'm a workaholic 2 favorite hobbies: textile art, beadwork 2 things you have to do this week: work on my mask series, work on my City & Guild's embroidery sampler 2 stores you shop at: Barnes & Noble, The Body Shop 2 shows you like to watch: The L Word, The Sopranos 2 things you'd buy if money were no object: a loft in New York City, an apartment in Rome 2 wishes for 2007: a marketing job that will challenge me, progress in promoting my artwork Labels: meme
Monday, February 12, 2007What I'm Reading "In Stone Angel, Kathleen Mallory ventures from the rugged streets of New York City to the small Louisiana town of Dayborn, where her mother was killed 17 years earlier. In that distant southern town, an angry mob stoned her mother to death. Mallory has now discovered that her mother's body has vanished, & the only remaining trace is a stone angel in the cemetery; it only intensifies Mallory's desire to uncover her mother's killer & seek revenge.The brutal murder happened when Mallory was 6; she became a thief as a result, then was rescued from the streets of New York City by a police officer who would later become her adoptive father. Returning to Dayborn like an avenging angel, Mallory soon finds herself in jail, accused of murdering an evangelist near her old house. But there is no way that Mallory will let a few metal bars stop her from executing the revenge that she has been planning for so many years. As she pursues the truth, Mallory's determined search leads her to people who have much to warn her about & just as much to hide." Labels: books
Sunday, February 11, 2007Myth, Folklore & Fairy TalesAs I was trolling the blogosphere this morning, coffee mug clutched in hand, I stumbled across an absolutely fascinating website dedicated to "the creation & support of mythic art", The Endicott Studio. In addition to the website, there is the Journal of Mythic Arts which describes itself as "an online journal for the exploration of myth, folklore, & fairy tales, & their use in contemporary arts". I would also encourage you to visit the accompanying blog, Endicott Redux. If you're a book addict like me, be sure to check out their Recommended Reading Lists. Labels: mythic art
Saturday, February 10, 2007TAST - Week 6 - Algerian Eye Stitch I wasn't sure if I was happy with the butterfly mask so I decided to work on a 2nd mask for Take-a-Stitch Tuesday. So here's a cat mask using the Algerian eye stitch. These decorative masks have been fun but now I'm feeling the need to do something a little edgier. Labels: embroidery, masks, Take-a-Stitch Tuesday, TAST
Friday, February 09, 2007Keeping My Mind OccupiedHow do you entertain yourself while you're working in your studio? I've found that I can't really work in the studio with music on. Maybe because it makes me want to sing (& no good can come of that) & dance around instead of working. It's hard to embroider & shake one's groove thing at the same time. And I definitely can't work in complete silence. I just don't need that much quality time with my thoughts. So, my solution is to keep a small DVD player on my work table & I "watch" movies while I work. In addition to the steady stream of deliveries from Netflix, I have a small library of movies that I watch over & over again... When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Manhattan, Hannah & Her Sisters, Annie Hall (nothing beats vintage Woody Allen as far as I'm concerned), Angel Heart, Under the Tuscan Sun, Fried Green Tomatoes, Love Actually, Four Weddings & A Funeral, The Witches of Eastwick, Moonstruck, Only You, The Butcher's Wife, Alfie, The Birdcage, Something's Gotta Give, You've Got Mail, & Practical Magic. And yes, I know that about 90% of those films are considered to be "chick flicks" as a good friend (& he knows who he is) keeps pointing out to me. For someone who is relatively bitter & jaded in the romance department, there's something about romantic comedies that I find relaxing. Labels: life
Thursday, February 08, 2007TAST - Week 6 - Algerian Eye Stitch This week's stitch for Take-a-Stitch Tuesday was Algerian eye stitch. The upper half of the wings are Algerian eye stitch using a blue varigated embroidery thread. In the center of each eye stitch is a blue seedbead & scattered randomly over the wings are pink sequins & gold beads. The bottom half of the wings are silk waste, dichroic glass cabochons, gold & frosted white czech crystal beads, glass flowers, seedbeads & sequins. I also want to thank everyone for the kind words about my masks left here & on Flickr. Labels: embroidery, masks, Take-a-Stitch Tuesday, TAST
Wednesday, February 07, 2007Another Year Older & Wiser
Labels: life
Tuesday, February 06, 2007MasksOver the past few weeks, I've been doing some research on masks & mask making. During my travels through the Internet I've discovered 2 amazing performance artists who use masks in their work. Sha Sha Higby, a Bolinas artist who spent a number of years in Asia studying dance & crafts, creates very elaborate sculptural costumes out of hand-dyed stencil-stitched silk, paper, carved wood, gold leaf & ceramic pieces. Her dance movements are very subtle & delicate as she works to show the intersection of stillness & movement. There is a short video that provides an introduction to her creative process which is definitely worth watching. Another artist I came across is Lauren Raine of Rainewalker Studio. Her Masks of the Goddess series & the accompanying video is absolutely amazing. Another useful site I came across is the Mask Makers Web. Labels: mask making, masks, performance art
Monday, February 05, 2007What I'm Reading "A wild child turned New York City policewoman, Mallory was adopted off the streets as a small girl by police inspector Louis Markowitz, but she is still not altogether civilized now that she is a sergeant in the Special Crimes section. With her ferocious intelligence & green gunslinger eyes, Mallory operates by her own inner compass of right & wrong, a sense of justice that drives her in unpredictable ways.Very little has ever been known about what actually happened to her in New York before Markowitz found her, how she lived, the remarkable events that shaped her. Until now. Crime School begins with the discovery of a woman found hanging in a burning apartment, tufts of her own blond hair stuck in her mouth & red candles scattered all around. Immediately, Mallory knows several things. The fire was set so the woman would be discovered. The crime is identical to another one 20 years old. And Mallory knows this woman. She is a prostitute named Sparrow, who took Mallory in those many years ago, & then betrayed her. There is unfinished business between the 2 of them, & the quest to settle it will send Mallory spinning back to a time of secrets & desperation, & into the mind of a criminal whose work has only just begun." Labels: books
Sunday, February 04, 2007TAST - Week 5 - Chevron This is working a little better for me now. The light blue, electric blue & mauve stitches are detached chain. I replaced the gold chevron stitches with blue chevrons then scattered blue glass flower beads & pink seedbeads over the entire area. The lips are satin stitched. I also added a small piece of blue, pink & silver dichroic glass as a 3rd eye.I may do a little more work on it at a later time but for now it's finished. Labels: embroidery, masks, Take-a-Stitch Tuesday, TAST
Saturday, February 03, 2007TAST - Week 5 - Chevron The stitch this week for Take-a-Stitch Tuesday was the chevron stitch. Here's the mask that I'm working on but it just doesn't seem to be coming together. I thought I would post a work-in-process pic in order to make Sharon's weekly roundup, take a short break then approach it again in a couple of hours with, hopefully, a fresh perspective. Labels: embroidery, masks, Take-a-Stitch Tuesday, TAST
Friday, February 02, 2007Addition to My Art Library "Learn to create seductive stitched fabric surfaces using both traditional & modern products & techniques. The numerous color photos & sketch book pages provide inspiration for the authors' stitched samples. Topics include building & interpreting surfaces with button hole stitches, creative use of velvet & other textured fabrics. Other effects covered: fading, decay, 3 dimensional textures, & jewelry." Out of all of my art books, I find the books by Jan Beaney & Jean Littlejohn the most useful. They're concisely written & the photos are always inspiring. Labels: art books
Thursday, February 01, 2007Addition to My Art Library "In this book, Gary Clarke offers the reader 20 original & varied projects worked on organza. Clear instructions & illustrations cover everything you need to know about this delicate & unusual technique, from stitches & fabric to framing & mounting." Labels: art books
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