Bookish Mary

We  all have inner and outer worlds.  The outer world is the world we show every day to the world at large.  The inner world, on the other hand, is private.  It is the world that nurtures us.  It is the place we go to when we need to learn about ourselves, our habits, our mistakes, the lessons we learn from those mistakes and the action and accountability we need to take, when required.  It is the place where our personal wisdom grows and nourishes us in our times of need.  It is the place we go to when we need validation.  It is the place we go to when we need true, honest love.   This piece was inspired by these thoughts, while the shape of the outer world book was inspired by Carlos Cabo's ceramic figures.   Front cover of the outer world: foam, ribbon, ink drawing, photograph and applique.  Back cover of outer world: photographs, ink drawing,  applique and hand-written text on gampi paper.  Full view of the o...

  Have you ever worked with a piece of food and looked at it from an artistic point of view?  Recently I was making an avocado salad and when I emptied out the skin I asked myself, 'what does this feel like and how can I use it?'  It felt like a small water cup that fit perfectly in my palm, which made me think about cups, water and then the phrase, 'is your cup half-empty or half-full?  I then thought, well, it depends on whether I am filling up the cup or emptying the cup.  The intent of the original question was to help identify if one is a pessimist or optimist.  Again, I though, well it depends on what experience I am being faced with: sometimes an optimist and sometimes a pessimist.  This piece embodies both sides of the phrase.   I really liked the leathery texture of the avocado skin which I had cut perfectly in half.  I washed it out and let it dry and then gave it two coats of varnish to prevent it from deteriorating.  I t...