Thursday, August 27, 2009

Monica's blog

First off, sorry no pictures of the purse today. I'm ALMOST done with the handle. I also have a few brooches done for the swap during the Bead Unique Retreat in Tahoe (ALMOST HERE!). I wanted to write a little about a blog I enjoy following and a fellow artist that I really admire. I've known Monica for years now back when she was my Fairy Bead Sister from one of the beading forums we belong to over on Delphi. I've never met her in person, but I feel like I know her from her private e-mails and her blog. She is one fantastic artist and really makes people think about things with her poetry and her pictures. Today was no different. Monica was writing about Tea with Savannah Terry. Please check it out.

She is talking about finding old pieces of a woman's life such as her dishes, her letters, her pencils and other things. All these things hold her essence, but unless found by an artist are discarded and thrown away. Monica, by reusing these items in her own art work has taken Mz Terry's life and passed it on to others. I really was touched by these ideas as I feel the same way when I take these throw away toys and make them into bead items.
But what really made me sit back & really contemplate Monica's post was an incident that happened this Spring.

We live in a small subdivision on the suburbs of Worthington Ohio. There is a main street outside of our project with older ranch style houses probably built in the early 1960s. I was told that most of those houses were bought by workers of the Annhauser/Busch brewery only two miles south of us. I remember when we first moved her seeing these older African American people with their walkers going out to pick up their mail in their rural route mailboxes. Most of the inhabitants have passed away over the years, and many of the houses have been torn down to put in more newer homes on squeezed together on smaller lots. One house I remember because it had been abandoned for over 2 years with the grass overgrown. I wondered what happened to the old lady who'd I'd see get into her big Lincoln and drive down to get her mail. It was finally sold, and a new family moved in redoing the whole house from top to bottom. Chris & I were driving down the main road when he spied a pile of radios, and upright piano and other items on the side of the road. As we drove up into the drive way they put out a big sign that said FREE. I wish I had room for the piano, but our house is stuffed as is. Chris took the radios, and other items including a old milk jug. I opened a cabinet & there were records. I asked if I could just have the record. The new owner said yes. I can't believe what a treasure I found in her old records. Ones that I remember listening to on the radio back when I was a little girl in the back seat of my Dad's big Chrysler New Yorker with the radio blaring. Then I found 3 Dinah Washington albums. I wasn't sure who she was, so I pulled one out of the sleeve, cleaned it gently & placed it on our vintage stereo. It was LOVELY. I feel in love with Dinah's voice & then something made me feel weird. I could almost see that older woman sitting over on the couch smiling at me. I saved her music. Now I listen to Dinah all the time & get the other old Motown records out to listen to (oh she had some Tom Jones, and Engleburt Humperd- too). I wish I could know her name as Monica has found Savannah's name, but I do share in this woman's love of her music and her life.

BTW, you might have HEARD Dinah without knowing who she really is. I'd heard a car commercial & there was her song coming out of the speakers at me. I was thrilled to see Dinah's music is still appreciated even though it is used to sell cars.

dot

ALSO...please check out my new button to get you to Monica's site for the Pink Artist Part 2 raffle. A QUILT and so much more to win with all money going to breast cancer research.

3 comments:

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

I felt the same way when I read that post.

I feel the same way about Billy Holiday. O, not the Diana Ross version from the movie, but original Billy Holiday. However, because I saw the movie version of her life several times, and have the soundtrack including the dialogue, I feel Billy is near when I listen to her. I feel her soul in her music.

Some artists make music like that today. Unfortunately you have to look for it because its not on the radio. My friend Deb dates a roots blues singer and he is fantastic.

pam T said...

o what a fun post! I love collecting things too, but refrain because of the ol' "what am I going to do with THAT" thought invades my brain. you definitely got a real FIND!

girlgonethreadwild said...

Dot.. once in awhile I cross a path that takes me back to my CHILDHOOD! Smell of baked bread, sound of rain meeting the rooftop, clammering of dad building something out in the shed, songs blaring from my sister's radio, clink of my brother's change hitting his jar jar (acquired from bagging groceries at the commissary).. and YES! tossed away "garbage" on the ride home..

in Germany we had a day known as "junk day." Old toys, records, radios, ODDITIES filled the streets..all for FREE.

Your post just connected the DOTS for me. (smile)

TRASH TO TREASURE takes on a whole new meaning these days.. Jeff does all the dirty work (ground digging, aka metal detecting) while I reap all the rewards of discovering who these people are/were!

I had a blast popping in here! The lovely Miss Grace just sent me a note telling me where to find you!

I hope the days spill over onto you MORE JUNK than you know what to do with! Will we see a post of those radios? the photo of the girl you told me about in picture?

Have a fab day.. and sorry about the lengthy comment, heh.. I sometimes can't control myself!


your friend
xoxo