Author: carriebeachey

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Mandalas

mandala-new-beginning-websI was looking around on Etsy the other day, when I discovered MandalaArtByCloe.  I was immediately drawn in by the bright colors, and contrasting designs of these mandalas.

mandala-create-1The artist, Cloe lives in Amsterdam.  Her hand woven mandalas are inspired by the ancient mandalas of Tibet and Mexico where mandalas have been used for their calming effects on the mind.

earth-mandala2-copyThe icing on the cake for me, is the knowledge that a portion of every sale is given for the support of a Tibetan family and their guesthouse in Nepal.

lily-mandalaGo check out her website Art by Cloe!

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How can you not want to follow this climb?

This is a group of Arab climbers who are working to raise 1 million dollars for Nepali education projects. Check out their website and get to know the climbers. They will be pushing for the summit in just 1 week!

I wonder how these climbers will feel after the climb?

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Warp & Weft = Life

life loom

My dear friend and mentor, is currently working to complete her master’s degree in social work. It has been her joy to find ways to use the fiber arts in her work.

How setting up the loom parallels to life

By Kim Hanes

Good evening…I was thinking throughout the week, as I was in and out of families lives how our lives are like a weaving. The warp is the “strength” of each weaving.  It is the foundation.  Just like our families and our community is our foundation.  If the foundation is strong, then the weaving is sturdy.  It is the same for us.  If we have a strong foundation, then we are able to be more resilient.

In contrast, if our ” warp” in weaving is not strong, our weaving will have holes, and is weakened. In life, if our foundation is weak, it easily breaks, and we have gap.  Sometimes I experience individuals that break easy.

The weft is like the lives we live.  The more colors and texture we have, the more variety we we have in life, the more beautiful the overall weaving becomes. However, if we do not have enough fiber, the weaving is never finish.  In this circumstance, it is hard to even visualize a final project. I have found that within families it is quite similar.  Without enough resources, such as friends, money, food, etc, it is hard to visualize a goal.  Working as a social worker in people’s  lives,  I can walk with them to seek more resources, teach them how to develop positive friendships, and find mentors.   I then see them start to set some goals.  The weaving develops into a beautiful piece of fiber art.  As we unravel life together, there are many lessons that lie in a ball of yarn.

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Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

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 I was invited to attend the 40th Anniversary Sheep & Wool Festival in Maryland! I am very excited about the opportunity to go and promote The Rocking Yak.

I’ll be spending the week packing my bags and getting everything ready for the festival.  If you’re in the area, stop by! We’ll be in the Farm & Garden building booth #2.

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A conversation I had . . .

safron orange yarn
My mind has been racing with projects.  I’ve been waking up early, eager to start.  My days have been spent trying to make my hands keep up with my ideas. I love these times in my life when my inspiration seems to be a bottomless well to draw from.  Everything else is abandoned as my mind is distracted with art.  I can’t help it.

I had the following conversation with my husband:

ME: You know, if I didn’t have to eat, or sleep, I think I could work on these projects for DAYS without stopping.

HIM: (stopping to look at me in my eyes) Is this like crack to you?

ME: YES! Yes it is, and I am addicted

 

note: The yarn above is one that I made by unraveling a woven fabric that I had from Tibet. I plied 3 strands together to give it strength. It has been a long time since I sat behind my spinning wheel.  It felt so good – like having tea with an old friend.

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Saffron Orange & Maroon Red

When that first spark ignited in my heart for the people of Tibet, I found that, to me, their culture was synonymous with saffron orange and maroon red. For the most part, this is because these are the colors that the monks wear.
Monks-Robe

The traditional robes worn by today’s Tibetan monks originated 2,500 years ago.  Monks of that time, would scavenge cloth that had been discarded for reasons such as, being chewed by mice or oxen, being soiled by childbirth or menstruation, or being used to shroud a dead body. This cloth would be cleaned and any salvageable areas would be cut out and sewn together.

iStock_saffronA dye would be made by boiling the bark of trees, plant juices, leaves, fruit and flower juices along with the roots and tubers of plants over a long period of time. The maroon color of the outer robes that we see used today became the traditional color of Tibetan monks because at the time it was the cheapest dye to produce.  The inner robes are usually a bright saffron orange. Often, spices and heartwood from a jackfruit tree would be used  to achieve this color.

saffron yarn & fabric
Do you have certain colors that you automatically relate to a certain place?

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Thoughts on art & sex

michelaneglo-creation1302x649The other night, I found myself at home working on a crochet rug when I began to contemplate. . .

What is God’s purpose for art?

I asked myself, “Why did God create human beings with the ability and the desire to create?”

The first thing to pop into my head was “We are created in God’s image – God is the creator of all things. Therefore, we also create”

Okay, yes – of coarse, but that answer does not satisfy me.  There has to be something more.  When I am creating, I can see inside my soul.  My heart overflows with passion.  I can feel God, and I can hear His voice speaking. For me, creating is a spiritual experience, and I am wondering, what I am suppose to do with this. Does God have a purpose for art? Does He have a higher purpose for MY art? What if there is no other greater purpose than to give me the enjoyment of creating, and Him the pleasure of my artistic praises?  What if art is like sex and it exists only for the sake of passion, as an expression of my soul?

I truly believe that God LOVES to create.  He is creating all the time.  Look around and you can see this is evident. Every child born was first knit together in the mother’s womb by God himself. Every morning & every evening God paints the sky. Every pallet of color that is found in nature is a perfect color scheme.  I am reminded of a quote I once ready from G. K. Chesterton:

10120634-field-of-daisy-flowers  “It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon.  It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that god makes every daisy separately but has never got tired of making them. . . . The repetition in Nature may not be mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical encore.”

Is it that God so sweetly enjoys creating, that He wanted us to share in this experience with Him? Has he given us this gift simply for the edification of our souls?

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Beach Stones, Driftwood, Blue Skies

weaving color wayIn my studio recently, I have found myself being drawn to raw, natural fibers that are sturdy, strong, and coarse.  My hands have been reaching for hemp, silk, and fibrous handmade papers.  Inspiration has been drawing from my beach stones, drift wood, and bright blue skies.

It’s April, my children are on Spring Break, and the weather has been warming.

In response to these early stirrings of spring, we packed up for the day and drove to my most favorite place on this Earth – the Lake!

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dunesI love coming to this place anytime of year. The summer, of coarse, is fantastic with the soft, sandy beaches, and cool water.  The cooler weather of fall makes hiking the sand dunes MUCH more enjoyable, and in the winter, there are amazing ice flows. Springtime, however, has come to surprise me.  In recent years, I have found myself spending more and more time here in the spring.  The beaches are,for the most part, empty of human beings. There is sand EVERYWHERE.  Every year, I am amazed at the amount of sand that the winter winds bring.  If you come early enough in the year, the park is almost unrecognizable and half buried in sand. It is this phenomenon that I can’t get enough of, because along with the sand comes all sorts of treasures. I could spend days combing the beach for colorful stones, driftwood, beach glass, and bones.

beach rocksAs I walk the shores, my mind just swims with ideas of things to make. “This could be an awesome necklace”, “These should be tied into a dream catcher”, “This is so straight, it could be added to a weaving”.  I collected quite a pile of colorful goodies before my kids were done.

day camp

Their hungry bellies were grumbling, and  they informed me, the beach just isn’t fun if you can not go swimming. So after 4 hrs of beach combing, we went to go hike the dunes.  I guess 4 hrs is long enough.  Although, I am secretly plotting another trip someday soon while these guys are in school. shhh!   4 hrs is not really enough for this momma.