The Link That Holds It Together

   I shared a photo of some wooden chains with some friends of mine and never dreamed that it would garner so much attention.  The chains are hand carved antique pieces that I acquired from the old farm place where I grew up.  As a kid, I remember being in awe of the handiwork involved in creating the chains and feel blessed that I have them now.  The wooden chains were a quirky addition to the a "museum" also know as our house.  The Little Bayou House has always been filled with oddities of this sort and I would not have it any other way.  I am, after all, the "Keeper of Weird and Wonderful Things" or so I have been told.  I feel it is one of my duties to protect items such as this simply because (at one point) they were nigh on tossed on a burn pile.  (We won't go there but I am glad I was able to rescue the chains.)

  These particular chains were given to Pop by some very sweet old ladies way back before I was born.  Pop took up handyman work to supplement the meager money he made as a farmer.  In fact, this was just one of his "other jobs".  He had many to support his family.  The chains stayed in the old farmhouse as long as I can remember before coming into my possession.  Granddad had told me that these were made by sailors of long ago. I figured he would know as he was a sailor himself!  He claimed that sailors needed something to occupy their time on the long voyages so they took up carving among other handcrafts.  Each chain and its pendant are carved from a single stick of wood.  The links are movable and the pendants have small carved balls in them that are also loose.  

  In this day and age where everything is mass produced and cheaply made, it completely awes me that folks had the talent and patience to create such fantastical works of art simply to make use of their idle hours.   Some will claim that the chains are useless but I beg to differ.  The are works of art.  These fine pieces are here to inspire.  They are here to make us dream of times when things were well-made.  There are here to make us realize that we should have patience and do things to the best of our ability even if there are those who think we are of no use.  Folks, take the time to really look at things and delve into the idea behind them before being too hasty of passing judgement.  

Mine is NOT skill!

  Have you ever seen a photograph of a bird that seems a whole lot larger than it should be?  The same thing goes for pictures of giant snakes, huge moons, tiny architectural landmarks and gigantic people?  These are all usually photographs that use the technique called "forced perspective".  It is not a hard thing to accomplish.  It merely is the angle of the photographer against the subjects in the photograph.  In fact, the results can be quite impressive.  The photographers practice their skills and become adept at this "sleight of hand" parlor trick.  Their works are viewed and passed around as "true" phenomenons.  Most are not trying to be dishonest but are merely taking that incredible picture.  It basically has become an art form in itself.

  Then, there are those of us who do this without thinking.  Sometimes, I get so involved in getting the "great shot" that I accidentally do a bit of forced perspective.  Trust me.  It is unintentional as the subjects of my picture-taking are impressive enough without me trying fancy them up with my skills.  My photography is greatly lacking in so many ways but the subjects around the Bayou are beyond ideal.  

  Case in point is the osprey that was diving for mullet in the middle of the Bay.  I had no intention of this bird looking like it was some huge prehistoric dinosaur trying to snag breakfast.  It just happened.  Am I proud of the effect of a big bird and small building?  No.  In fact, I was highly disappointed that I did not get a clear shot of the osprey.  I so was in hopes to get the "perfect shot" of an osprey catching a mullet.  It did not happen.  The building in the background looks pretty good, however.

Oh, Moe!

  Moe, the heron, comes to visit every day.  He stands patiently on the end of the pier while I do my chores.  Once I get to the pier, he flies to one of the posts and waits for me to ready the net.  As I begin to throw the net for his meal, he flies to the pier and follows me.  With him just a few steps behind me, I am always afraid that the net will hit him but, so far, he has been agile enough to avoid it.  After a good mess of menhaden and mullet fill his belly, he flies back to the post while I fish.  He knows if I catch a catfish or croaker, I will fillet it for his dining pleasure.  It has become quite obvious that the bird is spoiled rotten!  Still, I like him and he does pose rather nicely for photographs so I have no qualms about the extra work it takes to feed him.

  Today's photo session was going well except that one picture turned out rather weird...cool...but weird.  The lighting is strange, the contrast is strange but what in the world caused all of those concentric circles??  Out of a dozen or so photographs, this is the only one that is strange.  The others are fine.  I had not changed the settings on the camera nor even changed positions while photographing Moe.  Other than him doing his usual "posing", everything was exactly the same.  

  I have no idea what caused the difference in the results but whatever happened, the picture is rather unique.  So, either I can look at this as a huge mistake with no explanation or I can see it as "art".  Sometimes, mistakes can be beautiful in their own right.  I guess this is one of those times.

Shattered....

  I have been told that I see things a good bit differently than most folks.  I tend find beauty in the oddest things.  This comes from the artist hiding deep inside of me.  I am fascinated by color, shape, form, lines, anything that can be found lurking in whatever is at hand.  The way a catfish's skin glistens with iridescence, the shape of a cicada's eye, the spiral of a pine cone...all of these things intrigue me and make me wish to copy and preserve the image.  Sometimes...it happens and I get the image that satisfies my mind's eye.  Other times...things go awry and I shake it off and say it was not for me to recreate something so perfect.  

  We are in the process of doing some much needed repairs to the Little Bayou House.  Time, critters and hurricanes have taken their toll on the place and the renovation can be delayed no longer.  One of the items that needed to be replaced was the front door.  I will miss my old door!  But...already, the new (or rather old) ones feel like they belong.  I say "they" since the new door is a set of antique French doors that were given to me by my brother.  He just happened to have them and I just happened to need them so everything worked out perfectly!  The only problem with the doors is what only I can see as a thing of beauty.  The center pane of one door has been shattered.  Either a rock or a gunshot caused a tiny, perfectly round hole and an entire "spiderwebbing" of the glass. I know it will have to be replaced but, for now, I will marvel at the glistening piece of art as the sun shines through it.

  This morning, Son looked questioningly at me as I photographed the broken window pane.  Perhaps he thought I was "measuring" for a new pane or something...or perhaps he fully understood what I was seeing.  He, too, has a quirky artistic sense about him.  After a bit, he calmly stated that he would change the pane for me as soon as he finished installing the doors.  I responded by "I am in no hurry."  To which he replied..."I know."  He understands and will let me enjoy the beauty I find in the broken glass for a bit longer.

Taking the Byways!

  With arthritis setting in on the poor, old hands and the eyesight dimming with age, I was beginning to think that my "artist" days are behind me.  If I do things now, it will have to be "large scale" projects and no longer the intricate detail work of days past.  That does not mean that I still do not get the urge to create.  Just the opposite is true.  I do, more so than ever.  Because my days are not filled with projects, does not mean that the mind is not filled with creative endeavors.  The mind still works somewhat!  The body just does not want to cooperate.  

  However, I still "see" art in everything from the kaleidoscopic displays of sunrises to the mundane, muted colors of a dead leaf.  All things are beautiful when one can view them with the right attitude.  Just today on my hike about the hillside, I found an intense beauty in the commonplace hickory nut.  A squirrel had gnawed the nut right in half and inside was the most delicate design!  The inner portion of the nut (sans the meat) formed almost a mirrored image of itself.  I was intrigued enough to sit and examine the nut while ignoring the billion or so mosquitoes that buzzed about my head.

  The half of hickory nut reminded me of a necklace that I had as a kid.  Granddad had carefully cut slivers off of a hickory nut and stained, then polished them until they sparkled!  The slices of nut were carefully threaded on some twine and then tied to form the necklace.  Not only was I so very proud that Granddad had taken the time to make a special necklace for me, I was enthralled by the design.  Thus, a love for nature and all things of beauty therein, was starting to grow inside me.  

  Now decades later, a single half-gnawed hickory nut brought back, not only a flood of memories of one of my best friends (Granddad) but, also, a renewed idea that perhaps I could still create.  I would just have to retrain my mind to accept boundaries and let the thoughts run wild in a different direction.  Life is good that way.  There are never-ending opportunities if we sort of take the byways instead of always traveling down the straight and narrow highways.  Thanks, Granddad.  Even though you have not been with me for decades, your lessons are still speaking loud and clear.  Geez!  I miss you!

Treasure Hunt!

  Son is pet sitting for Darling Daughter and her husband while they are out of town visiting his folks.  It is not often that I have the opportunity to "clean" his room (and we all know how moms think rooms are not clean unless they do them!) so I am taking full advantage of this!  I have decided to "deep clean" the entire house starting with his room. Hopefully, I will finish with his territory before he returns tomorrow. Anyway, while I was tackling the usual clutter that amasses atop dressers, I had to sit back for a few minutes and ponder things.  Hanging on the wall over his chest of drawers is a door panel.  Yep, a door panel...or at least I assume that is what the thing is.  

  Years ago when he headed off to college, I did a similar deep clean of his room.  It was a lot easier then since he took most everything with him.  I was assured of the fact that whatever I tossed was not needed. Now, I am not so certain.  But during that other purging of the attic room, I had a wild hair to redecorate (not this time!).  Since his room was painted a deep grey and he loved black and red, that set the theme.  He also had a penchant for Asian art ever since my aunt gave him a water-color painting that she had gotten on a long-ago trip to China.  That started this whole thing!  I hung that piece of art and things went from there.  This was right after Hurricane Katrina and it just so happened that I "rescued" a few items from the debris mounds that filled the property.  One was the aforementioned door panel.  This item was special. Well, maybe not to too many folks but I deemed it worth keeping. The panel was black lacquer with mother of pearl inlay and was just far too pretty to toss aside in the trash heap.  So, I kept it and it soon was hung in his room.  From trash to treasure perfectly describes the piece! A few other items, such as his sword collection and an oriental screen polished off the look.  

  I figure that Son must have been pleased with his room as he did not change a thing when he moved back home.  Oh....other than bringing back a ton of stuff.  It is that stuff and years of added stuff that needed purging today.  Old school books, an accumulated mound of tools and some older clothes all found their way downstairs and either in the trash or out to the shed.  The room looks so much better already!  

  I must say that the door panel and the other nifty things will stay and, at least for a little while, the room will resemble something from a magazine page!  

So it begins!

  With a successful Third Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou behind us now, my thoughts have turned to a different project.  Gourds!  Each year, several kind folks order hand-painted or jewel inlaid gourds as gifts for those on their Christmas gift lists.  It is perhaps the highest compliment that can be given to an aspiring artisan to have repeat clients.  Some of mine have been returning for over ten years and it never ceases to thrill me.  I recall the first "order" that I ever received and the feeling was a mixture of gratitude and success.  I had sold an art piece!  Today's order thrills me just as much and I am still just as grateful as I was with that first sale.  

  With that in mind, I lugged out the huge basket of paints, the box of brushes and the sack of cleaned gourds.  These would soon become art pieces that will be put before the prospective clients for their final approval.  First, however, I had to become inspired.  I had to wrap my brain around painting happy little flowers and birds rather than creating clue hunt props.  There is a massive difference in the two and switching from one to the other involves me shifting gears, so to speak.  To find my "happy" creativity, I delved into my stash of photographs from the Bayou and gardens.  Something there always does the trick.  A photograph of my sister-in-law's clematis plant seemed to grab my attention so I had a beginning!  Clematis blooms would adorn the first gourd.  (This worked well as one lady had specified that she "loves purple flowers"!  Hopefully, she will love my purple flowers.)

  For the next few weeks, the living room will become an artist's studio. Things will be scattered about hither and yon.  My room will be in a disarray but the production of gifts will be in full swing. What fun I have!  

"Knot" again!

  I have been sorting a good bit of "junk" (otherwise known as treasures) that has accumulated in the craft room.  Michael, Elizabeth and I have begun our work on the next annual clue hunt and a lot of our supplies lie buried beneath everything that we do not need at the moment.  The craft room seems to be the handiest spot to stash anything and everything. Things are now being pulled and put in their proper places.  

  Chalk it up to serendipity, but I found something that has inspired a new (yet, old) craft.  Macrame!  Yep, that lovely hippy thing we all did back in the seventies.  As I lugged out a wall hanging that I made years...no decades..ago, a renewed interest in the craft spawned.  I shall now be in search for cords to knot!  The macrame piece that I found fits well with the Little Bayou House and for years has hung as a curtain on the front door.  It is an unique piece that acts as a backdrop for seashells, starfish and sand-dollars.  

  Macrame, as a skill, has evolved into some mighty intriguing art pieces.  The art has been around for centuries and has ties (pun intended!) to all regions of the world. Some archaeologists have found evidence dating pieces back as far as the 13th century. It seems that most cultures at some point delved into knot-tying for decorative and utilitarian purposes.

  As an art, macrame comes into vogue for a while then falls from favor with the "in" crowd.   My love for it has never wavered. This is perhaps due to my granddad teaching me the skill so many years ago.  The man was amazing!  It was his intention to teach me all sorts of skills and macrame was one of the first.  He explained how while he was in the navy, he and his fellow sailors would while away their off hours creating knotted masterpieces!  I learned knotting from a man that knew his stuff! My new interest is not quite the same as the retro pieces that I used to make.  I want to try new things!  Still, what is new is old and, for some strange reason, we just keep going in circles. Art is fun.

My Quirky Little Friend!

If you recall, I made a "junking" trip here a few weeks back. It was quite the experience as I encountered the typical "salesman" who tried to sell me all sorts of "quite exquisite" articles none of which appealed to me whatsoever. His spiel left me cold! I did however find the perfect piece out "behind the barn" so to speak. Left out in the weather was a rather sturdy end table that I envisioned as an art piece..and so it was purchased for a paltry $10! The table was mine! Once Mark carted it home for me, I set to work to make this a trash-to-treasure work of art! (To see the "before" picture, visit the post "The Queen of Spain" from February 6, 2012.)

A fresh coat of paint improved the table tremendously!

The weather had already loosened the finish so a light sanding made the end table workable. There was no need to prime coat the wood since I would be painting a picture directly on the tabletop. Early one morning this past week, I sat and watched the Rail fish for breakfast. This little shorebird was to become the inspiration for the artwork on the table. I have a tendency to paint pictures of things from the Bayou because that is what I know best. Observing the critters allows me to know their funny little quirks and it is those movements that give these art pieces their charm. That is exactly what this little rail had...charm..and lots of it!

A portrait of my friendly Rail adorns the tabletop!

Today saw the finishing of the table. All that is left is to apply a few coats of paste wax and this table can be declared a completed art work. I am not sure if it would ever appeal to anyone else but to me..it personifies a little part of my Bayou. My quirky little friend's likeness is now preserved for viewing by those folks who do not get to dawdle around in the marsh! Hopefully, I can share my Bayou by illustrating it one critter at a time! Time to start the next image!

A closeup of the tabletop!