Ghosts

'Wildflower earrings' sterling silver; Kathleen Faulkner

When I was a child, my dad and I would hike deep into the wilderness.  He was an obsessed outdoors man, among other things, so I spent a lot of time in forests.  I saw many things during those times: lots of bear,  and one up close and personal,  elk all around me, many elk,  critters,  birds,  old growth forests,  billions of wildflowers and on and on and on.

One time, while hiking, we came upon Ghost Pipes.  Pale, dreamlike fairy tales from some other world.  I was fascinated.  My father said to me, "You'll probably never see these again, they're very rare."

I've thought about them much over the years, how lucky I was to see something so rare and the impression they left,  as if they had become attached to my very being.

One day, while walking in Washington Park,  there they were:  Ghost Pipes!  I was stopped in my tracks, my mind bursting with memories and emotion.  I wanted to shout out, "Hey, Dad,  Look!  Ghost Pipes!  After all these years I finally see them again!"  Instead I only thought it.

Maybe ghosts see and hear everything, even thoughts if we want them to..

Living on the Salish

'Rock Brooch' sterling silver, beach rocks; Kathleen Faulkner

Another full moon... 'The moon when all things happen'

I head down to the water's edge where I look for rocks.  The place where I go has every color except for blue.  While there I can see across to the Olympics and over to Lopez.  Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I see the  graceful little otter family, a seal or two and maybe a woodpecker, eagle or owl.  I always see the deer.

This is the place where the madrones hang out discussing dance moves and the cedars watch over everything.  On a warm day the mix of cedar, pine and fir cooks up a heady aroma that is addictive.  I can never get enough.  

I look back on my life and thank myself for moving here.  It is one of the moves I would not change.  I am grateful every day.

The Salish Sea is a magic place that is rich with life and deserves our respect.  I hope we manage to keep it thriving.

 Things are happening.   I'm paying attention.

You get the Picture

'The Original Sentinels' 23x22" oil pastel; Kathleen Faulkner

When looking at trees, what do we see?  

I love trees.  I see a magic in them:  having been born in the Northwest,  they're family.  I've given them a life with personality,  a higher consciousness.  I consider them Enlightened Beings:

but, who knows of the life of a tree

Usually trees are considered resources.  Viewed from an objective point of view, they're useful.  If damaged or disabled in some way, their value decreases.  There is no emotion attached to the harvesting. A tree's value to nature is seldom taken into account and this is generally how we consider most natural things.

Often, throughout history, we have regarded other humans this way.  Considerations as to value have been and still are:  financial worth, color, religion, sexual orientation, political views and on and on.  The value of persons to their people is seldom taken into account.

Resources, value and worth

Recurring Dream

'Untitled' 60" fine and sterling silver, hematite; Kathleen Faulkner

There it is again:  my recurring dream.  

Instead of images it is more about a feeling,  an energy,  a movement.   The giant mass of swirling tendrils moving, becoming faster and faster until a total anxiety is born out of the tightness.

Then, just as quickly, this 'thing' starts to unravel loose and slow,  slower,  until it comes to a point of anxiety once again.

Then, again, the whole process over and over until I wake being unable to sleep the rest of the night.

While making this necklace the memory of that dream re-appears.

Tribe

*'Birds of a Feather', Shadowbox with Brooch; Kathleen Faulkner

There are many thoughts among artists regarding the art community and what that means.  

Some see it as one nonstop, cutthroat competition.  Everyone wanting what someone else has/gets, congratulating, but feeling pangs of jealousy as the words come out.  Wondering out loud why one gets into a show but someone else doesn't, who deserves it and who doesn't. 

Then there are those who see this community as a 'tribe' that all artists belong to.  Most artists I know think like this.

We are all just trying to survive.  We, in the art community, all want the same things:  to be able to survive while having the time and inspiration to make art.  

That tells me that we are all on the same side and, like 'birds of a feather',  we should think about sticking together.

*Brooch: sterling silver, wood, paper, ink, colored pencil

This shadowbox is in the 'Birds' show at Smith & Vallee Gallery in Edison, WA

Process

Although I made an effort to clean things up..  

This is the 'dirty' room and this is where sawing and filing happen. I've spent many an hour at this worktable 

sawing  sawing  sawing

filing   filing   filing.

It's also the room where I solder and buff,  hence the word, 'dirty'

A little further over to the right is the area where drilling happens.  

It is all done with a hand drill because I don't like noise.

Now we're in one of three miscellaneous rooms where all kinds of things get done.  

Here I'm set up to work on the scrimshaw neckpiece that I was planning to enter in the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial exhibition, ' Journey's End'.  

It is a documentation of the flora and fauna found along their journey to the Pacific Ocean starting and ending at their point of origin. 

That particular piece was accepted into the show and it won first place in 'Other Mediums'.

'The Journals', sterling silver, fossilized walrus ivory,
 oil and printer's ink; Kathleen Faulkner