Mosaic

I had some left over clay, pieces of glass, and beads so I made a mosaic. I didn't have any specific idea of what I was going to make. I started out with shaping the clay into a heart for no particular reason. As I started laying in the pieces of glass, a song lyric from Vienna Teng's "Enough" popped into my heart and kept repeating.  She sings...

 "I'll carry the weight of you....carry the weight of me in your heart."

As the lyrics circled and danced around inside of me, it made me think of the children I got to spend time with in India and Nepal. I will not forget how many of them came up to me and said, "Please don't forget me!" Hearing them say it with such concern and yearning made me resolve that I would do what I could to  love them by remembering them and praying for them even if we are halfway across the world from each other.

I will carry them in my heart. Their presence is ever so real and tangible that my heart can feel their weight. I will carry the weight of them in my heart and this mosaic was a way for me to materialize and express my desire.

I feel like I have left a part of my heart with those children...and I feel like I carry them around in my heart here with me.

4.5" x 5.5" Clay, glass, beads, glue. The hearts on the two maps mark the estimated location of the orphanages we visited.

A Wish Come True

Today was an exciting day! I went to visit my dandelion at the Brea Art Gallery!

 It was accepted into their juried show of artwork by California residents. I was out of town for the opening night so I went today to see it in the gallery. I feel like a parent who's sent off their child to their first day of school. I am so thrilled to have my dandelion out in the public for others to enjoy rather than collect dust in my house! When it had been accepted into the student show a couple years ago, I got to see other students having so much fun taking pictures with my dandelion, pretending to blow on it and being so excited to see a life-size dandelion.  That was when I realized artwork is meant to be shared. I wish I had gotten to be at the opening night for this show to see others enjoy it but maybe there will be another opportunity for that.

Standing with my dandelion :)

There it is! Among other works of art! I feel like my dandelion has friends :)

A wish come true!

I had to submit a short excerpt about the piece

If  you live in Socal and you're interested in seeing it in person, I'd highly recommend checking out the gallery. I really enjoyed walking around and seeing the other works of art. They have some really interesting and lovely pieces in this one!

Thanks for reading!
-M