Long time no Blog....

Hey world, the One Stone has been taking a break. In the last 6 months all our members have been going through some major life changes & relocation's, all while putting together our last show. Since the show came down and we had our rehash session, we've been taking some time to ourselves. Whether it was to settle into our new surroundings, or to pack our lives for an international move, starting a business, or just taking the time to be with ourselves, we've been busy.

We are thinking some thoughts for our next show and hope to share with you our working processes a bit more. We'd also like to share our studio spaces and the other things we are working on outside the collective. So, hopefully you'll enjoy the ride with us, cause some things are brewing....

Weaving the Stories

I've been thinking a lot about the performance aspect of the my piece. I feel like I've been neglecting it as I try to finish the physical work. I have been using the concept of Grandmother Spider as inspiration for my piece. I have been rereading one of my favorite books, Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko. The book is written as a ceremony and emphasizes the importance of change and flexibility in order for the people to thrive and grow. It's a tough lesson, but necessary. The 'wise ones' (in this case, the matriarchs) have to change the ceremonies in order to keep the family safe and moving forward. Anyway, I have also been doing some online research to find other stories featuring Grandmother Spider. Below is an excerpt I found on this website http://www.herbshealing.com/herbal_ezine/September05/goddess.htm

THE WEB OF LIFE
by Taino Ti (I share the Spirit of the Earth with you)

When the Universe was still so dark that not even shadows could be seen in the night, Grandmother Spider sat in her web in the Sky World, waiting and watching. No one knows how old Grandmother Spider is, or how long she sat waiting for the Universal Mind to awaken. But, every Creature Being who has ever lived knows her song and dance as the weaver of the Web of Life.

From her web, Grandmother Spider observed the first thoughts as the Universal Mind awakened from the dream. Seven energy beings floated out from the shining light in the center of the Universal Mind and solidified into bright, shining stars who went out to take their places in the Sky World. Grandmother Spider took a very deep breath and softly began to sing her weaving song while she danced across the Sky. As she spun her thread, Grandmother Spider envisioned the Web of Life. Within moments, she had woven her web connecting the seven stars and creating the Spirit Doorway through which all of the rest of life would enter.

A Productive Morning...

.... Leads to warm fuzzy feelings of moving forward.
So far today:
-I bought color cards and color knitting books from knitpicks. This yarn is the perfect weight and has a huge selection of colors, so I'm sure to find just what I'm looking for!
-A flower press that you put in the microwave to dry and press in one step, and they say the color retention is good. I'm now thinking that if I pre-press and dry the petals they will be easier to manipulate into my image. Now I just need to decide on the proper backing material and finishing coat. But I have a friend asking a friend who works in the floral design field for an professional opinion, so let's hope for a good answer!
-Plus i got some quilling paper and 2 books from amazon too, so i now have my materials for that piece too and I was totally inspired by this quilled typography that DJ sent me the link to

Plus the fact that as of this weekend I have the final layouts for each of the 5 portraits, which means I can start the pieces. Time to pick one, and begin. I'm thinking of starting with the embroidered one, since I have all of the materials here. Once I get the outlines penciled onto the fabric, it's just hours worth of stitching to go.

Hope everyone else is starting to feel that forward momentum towards their goals for this show!
-Meghan