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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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. : Social Media : . . : Daily Om : .
. : Portfolio : .
www.flickr.com
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. : Printmaking : .
. : Masks : .
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Artists Foundation . : Yahoo Groups : .
Art Dollz . : Blogrolls : .
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Monday, March 31, 2008Take It Further Challenge - March I had some trouble getting into this month's challenge. Everything that I came up with seemed to be so "been there, done that". As I was working on this bracelet for an exchange, I realized that it shows exactly how I've felt lately... buried by all of the little details of life. It's hard to tell in this photo but there's a face in the center of the bracelet peering out of the fabric, fibers, & beads.Labels: Take It Further 
Sunday, March 23, 2008What I'm Reading "It is a secret that has been hidden for more than a half century. . . . The clues have been scattered across the globe. Now someone has begun to piece them together & the future of the world depends on his being stopped in time. In Maryland, a vicious gang breaks into the National Cryptologic Museum & steals a Nazi Enigma machine. In a London hospital, an Auschwitz survivor is murdered in his bed, his killers making off with a macabre trophy -- his severed left arm. In Prague, a seemingly worthless painting is stolen from a synagogue. Three cities. Three puzzling thefts. Could there possibly be a connection? When former art thief Tom Kirk is first asked to investigate, the Prague theft certainly seems unremarkable enough -- until the stolen painting turns up alongside the amputated human arm. As Tom digs deeper into the past, both items appear to be elements in an elaborate trail of clues laid down in the dying days of the Third Reich by a secret order of SS knights -- clues that stretch from the remote mountains of Idaho to the snowy streets of St. Petersburg & ultimately lead to a fabled treasure lost in the ashes of war. Spurred on by the sinister light of the Black Sun emblem, ghosts from his past, & the poisonous manipulations of a deadly enemy, Tom finds himself trapped in a situation where the greatest prize of all is life itself -- & not just his own."Labels: books
Saturday, March 22, 2008Collaged Torso Here's the start to my new collage project. The torso base was covered with rice paper then painted with Shimmering Mist in Iridescent Blue & Iridescent Gold, & Glimmer Mist in Midnight Blue, Sapphire, & Moonlight. I love these paints. The results resemble a piece of pottery that's been raku fired.
Thursday, March 20, 2008Researching Boudica "Boudica (died 60/61 C.E.) is a famed enemy of Rome, but, oddly enough, she was virtually unknown before the Renaissance. She was queen of the Iceni, a Celtic people in what is now the county of Norfolk in eastern England. After Roman conquerors apparently raped Boudica & her daughters, the Iceni, led by Boudica, rose up against the Roman Empire. Some stories say Boudica's army killed 70,000 Romans before she was defeated. British writer Collingridge describes not only Boudica & her battles but also the Roman mentality & the subsequent creation of Boudica's legend. She lets her varied sources do most of the speaking. To the misogynistic Romans, Boudica was everything evil they could imagine. To modern eyes, she has come to represent all the good that women can manifest; she was strong, assertive, & aggressive in defense of her family."Labels: books
Tuesday, March 18, 2008Researching the Celts "By the 3rd century B.C., at the height of their greatest expansion, the Celts had spread from their Rhineland home as far west as Ireland & east to Turkey’s central plain, as far north as Belgium & south to Cadiz in Spain. They had crossed the Alps & defeated the armies of the Etruscan empire & had occupied Rome & invaded the Greek peninsula. Formidable warriors armed with iron weapons, they would find their way to Egypt & into Queen Cleopatra’s elite bodyguard. Tracking the progress of the Celts through the ancient world, this compelling history celebrates more than their warfare, for the Celts also developed agricultural techniques that even the Romans adopted. They cut the first roads through impenetrable European forests, displayed exuberant genius in their metalwork, monumental stone carvings, glassware, & jewelry, exerted influence on Greek philosophers & Roman surgeons, & made Irish the 3rd literary language of Europe, after Latin & Greek. Bringing new material from anthropology & archaeology to this engaging illustrated survey, Ellis explores the remarkable achievements of a people who have survived 3 millennia, their heritors the Irish, Manx, Scots, Welsh, Cornish, & Bretons who speak a Celtic tongue to this day."Labels: books
 "Celtic origins, heroes, & stories spring to life in T. W. Rolleston’s classic work, Celtic Myths & Legends. Spanning thousands of years & across thousands of miles, these myths & legends offer a glimpse into worlds long gone that continue to influence modern culture. The book includes classical accounts of Celtic tribes in Europe that describe their lives, the ancient gods & world of nature that they worshiped during & after their migrations to Britain & Ireland. Rolleston also retells stories from the 3 major cycles of Irish legend & from the ancient Welsh corpus, interspersing these with erudite commentary that aids comprehension of this vast ancient world & its surviving literature."Labels: Celts
Sunday, March 16, 2008What I'm Reading "In 1934, the dying composer Sir Edward Elgar feebly whistled to a friend the theme from his Cello Concerto & said, "If you're walking on the Malvern Hills & hear that, don't be frightened. It's only me." Seventy years later, Merrily Watkins -- parish priest & Deliverance Consultant to the Diocese of Hereford -- is called in to investigate an alleged paranormal dimension in a spate of road accidents in the Malvern village of Wychehill. There, Merrily discovers new tensions in Elgar's countryside. The proposed takeover of a local pub by a nightclub owner with a criminal reputation has become the battleground between the defenders of Olde Englande & the hard men of the drug world -- with extreme & sinister elements on both sides. As the choral society prepares to stage an open-air performance of Elgar's Caractacus at a prehistoric hill fort, the deaths begin."Labels: books
Saturday, March 15, 2008Woody Allen is a GeniusIt was a Woody Allen marathon today while I was working... Annie Hall, Play It Again Sam, Manhattan, Hannah & Her Sisters... I've watched these movies so many times that I can practically recite the dialogue along with the characters. Tomorrow's screening will include films by Federico Fellini... La Strada & La Dolce Vita. Not to worry, movies by Ingmar Bergman will be coming soon. While the paint & glue was drying on assorted projects, I spent some time on eBay tracking down mannequins & torsos for my next project. I also came across a company selling drafting table combos (drafting table, chair, wire storage bin, & lamp) for a really great price so I bought one. I need another table in the studio that I can lay fabric on to paint. I've been painting on the floor but that's getting a little hard on my back & knees. Now that the days have started getting longer, I'm starting to feel much more creative. If only the weather would warm up so I could open the windows & get some fresh air into the loft. It seems like it's been a really long winter & that spring is really slow in coming this year. Labels: life
Thursday, March 13, 2008Addition to My Art Library "Collage is a fascinating technique that involves combining & layering various elements onto a design surface & anchoring them by using glue, stitching, stapling, or other methods. This book explores some easy & fun ways to add hand & machine stitching to collage designs."Labels: art books
Sunday, March 09, 2008What I'm Reading "Life isn't easy for D.I. Bobby Maiden, possibly the only honest detective in a corrupt police division. Death is even harder. When Maiden is revived after dying in a hit-&-run incident, his memories are not those of white lights & angelic music -- only of a place he has no wish to revisit... ever. But his near-death experience means that Bobby Maiden may be the only person who can reach the Green Man, a serial killer the police don't even know exits -- a savage predator who haunts prehistoric stones & burial mounds in the belief that he is defending Britain's sacred heritage. Meanwhile, journalist Grayle Underhill arrives from New York to search for her sister, who's become obsessed with the arcane mysteries of the Stone Age. The bloody trail leads to a remote village on the Welsh Border & to people who know there are more crimes in heaven & earth than are dreamt of."Labels: books
Saturday, March 08, 2008Moirae - WIP Here's a work-in-process shot of Moirae. The visible background is bothering me so I'm going to fill the spaces with blocks of text (or maybe tarot cards). I want a very weathered, worn look to the text. Once I'm past that stage, I can start embellishing the masks with beads. fibers, etc. Right now the chiffon fabric is a little too "bridal veil-y" for me. Should probably have used cheesecloth like I normally do. I was originally planning for each mask to have a needlewoven necklace but they seem to be asking me for amulet necklaces instead. The piece isn't progressing the way I thought it would but I'm not unhappy with the results so far. I just have to overcome some of these issues. I don't usually work this big so I think that might be contributing to my challenges. Labels: collage, masks, Moirae
Friday, March 07, 2008Mini Vision QuiltThe Mini Vision Quilt class with Mai-Liis Peacock started today at Joggles. This is a take-off on the concept of vision boards. Instead of using pictures, etc., we'll be creating a 3-D version using textiles, fibers, beads, etc. We'll also be creating an art doll representing ourselves to include. This should be an interesting process & 1 that I can utilize when creating my mask collages. If you aren't familiar with vision boards... A vision board is a simple yet powerful visualization tool that activates the universal law of attraction to begin manifesting your dreams into reality. A vision board is simply a visual representation or collage of the things that you want to have, be, or do in your life. It consists of pictures, drawings, & narrative describing the things that you want in your life or the things that you want to become. The purpose of a vision board is to activate the law of attraction to begin to pull things from your external environment that will enable you to realize your dream. By selecting pictures & writing that charges your emotions with feelings of passion, you will begin to manifest those things into your life. Labels: Joggles, Mini Vision Quilt
Thursday, March 06, 2008Additions to My Art LibraryWandering past Borders tonight on my way home from the office I found these 2 amazing books on the sale table for $19.95 each! Some days it doesn't take much to make me happy!   Labels: art books
Wednesday, March 05, 2008Fertile EarthThe Fertile Earth class at Joggles started today. This is a 6-week embroidery course drawing inspiration from:
Since this month's Take It Further Challenge is about noticing the small details of life, I thought I would combine the 2 projects so the search is on for appropriate pictures. Labels: embroidery, Fertile Earth, Joggles, Take It Further
Tuesday, March 04, 2008MonoprintingI decided to register for the Monoprinting / Collagraph class being taught by Rhoda Rosenberg at the SMFA this summer. Hopefully I'm not too late & there's still room in the class for me. The last few years have given me a chance to experiment with a lot of different techniques & now I'm starting to focus on classes that will enable me to produce work that can be utilized in my collages. I took the monoprinting class taught by Susan Sorrell at Joggles a couple of years ago which focused on monoprinting on fabric & think this class will be a good continuation. The class description is "A monoprint is an individual, 1-of-a-kind print that can be made from a variety of traditional plates (matrices) such as metal, wood, cardboard, plexiglass, or other non-traditional surfaces that are found or manipulated. This intensive is designed to teach the basics of mixing inks, hand wiping & rolling techniques, & overprinting in multiple colors & plates. The making & printing of carborundum, plates, gum transfers, & chine collé also will be taught." Labels: monoprinting, SMFA
Monday, March 03, 2008Addition to My Art Library "An illustrated guide to embellishing dolls with beads.Beading, 1 of the oldest forms of craft, is also a hot new trend & being used in new applications. Beadwork, which has typically been used in fashion, home decoration, & jewelry, is reaching for new horizons & showing up on quilts, journals, knits, crochet, & fiber arts of all kinds. In this book, author Patti Medaris Culea & beading experts, Anne Hesse & Laura McCabe illustrate new ways of using various bead techniques to embellish the cloth doll. Sections include the basics of beadwork, beaded flowers for her hair, bead embroidered faces, starbursts (using crystals to enhance the figure), & wings & things (creating wings, crowns, & shoes with beads). Each chapter presents a different type of beading application in detail, with full instructions. Techniques are highlighted with step-by-step photos. A gallery of interpretations of the same pattern by leading artists is included for further inspiration." Labels: art books
Sunday, March 02, 2008What I'm Reading "When a young reporter is found murdered, Mobile detectives Carson Ryder & Harry Nautilus wonder if there may be more to this slaying than a standard homicide.Simultaneously, the detectives are drawn into the dealings of the Kincannon family, "picture-perfect" socialites & philanthropists with ties to Ryder's partner & to his journalist girlfriend. When Ryder is abducted by bizarre & unknown forces, he's given up for dead by all but those closest to him. Digging fast as Ryder's time disappears, they discover a web of connections between the murdered reporter, the dealings of an elusive bearded man, & the charitable enterprises of the Kincannons. The question quickly becomes: What will the perfect family do to protect an image of perfection? The answer: Whatever it takes." Labels: books
Saturday, March 01, 2008Take It Further Challenge - March March's Take It Further Challenge has been announced. This month we're asked to pay attention to the "little things, the small moments, the details" of our life. The palette this month is definitely a color scheme that I can work with.Labels: Take It Further
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