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Sunday, November 16, 2008

Cold flower heads are raining over my heart

Cold flower heads are raining over my heart. ~Neruda
Well, not really on my heart, at least not this minute. But I have started a series of platters with phrases, poems, and snippets of evocative prose that I am pretty excited about.
The opposite of a profound truth is also a profound truth. ~Niels Bohr
Let the beauty you love be what you do. ~Rumi

My inital plan was that these plates would be chargers, looking very cool and interesting on the table before the dinner plates were set. I started out simply writing freehand, in the border, nice and loose. It doesn't always come out symmetrically balanced, so I ad-lib the rest with leaves or scrolls. I like the rustic vernaculalr feel of this.
But now I am thinking they might be used more often singly, as platters, that might hang on the wall when not in use. And that makes me think I should be more intentional with my lettering and spacing. So, stay tuned for the next interation.
Don't let your mind go outside your heart. ~Papaji
A life without passion is no life at all. ~Madgesdig

I keep a notebook going to record things I come across in my reading that might work on a platter. I also put single words that I like on the back of my dinner plates as a little gift to the dishwasher(that's the only person that would normally see them). But I think most people use a mechanical dishwasher. Which is fine, it does use less water than the way most people wash dishes by hand. But I think you lose part of the experience of having handmade pieces if you don't take every opportunity to actually handle them
Thich Nhat Hanh is eloquent in describing washing dishes:
"There are two ways to wash the dishes. One is to wash the dishes in order to have clean dishes and the second is to wash dishes in order to wash the dishes. If while washing the dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not 'washing the dishes to wash the dishes'. What's more, we are not alive during the time we are washing the dishes. In fact, we are completely incapable of realizing the miracle of life while standing at the sink. If we can't wash the dishes, the chances are we won't be able to drink our tea either...we are sucked away into the future and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life." ~The Miracle of Mindfulness

7 comments:

  1. I've always had a thing for Rumi. These are cool!

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  2. I wanna see a "What would Ranger do?" plate.
    With Ranger on it.
    That would be cool.
    I would definitely buy that plate.
    When presented with a conundrum, I could consult the plate.
    It would probably result in carpal tunnel syndrome, but it would be so worth it.

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  3. Hi. I like the plates with the words. I've wondered about doing something with words but my handwriting is such rubbish I don't know if I could pull if off. I love the Thich Nhat Hanh quote too, we have that book and when I discovered that passage it really woke me up. Have a good week.

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  4. Ron- My handwriting is not so hot either, but, like I said, I was going for a folk art look. For my more 'formal' platters (wedding plates, baby plates) I find a font I like and then print out the words and use it as a template. The lettering and spacing work out much better that way. I am still at the trail and error phase of figuring out how to curve it successfully to match the plate curve though.

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  5. Dear Pseudomnyless Brother~ Here is a useful website to use while you are waiting for your 'what would ranger do?' platter. http://www.godesignate.com/

    ps I'll get on that platter for you, great idea.

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