Catching A Dream.

I may be taking this a bit too literally but what’s the harm?

In my quest for the Holly Gr….. No wait, stop that!

Sorry, too much Monty Python of late.

Since I have decided to make a run at our dreams of living from the land and the things my hands can make from it- I have remembered one of the first magical objects I ever learned to create.  Dream catchers.

I still have my first one.  As with all first attempts at anything, it fell well short of my intentions.   I still believe it to be a powerful reminder of my beginnings.  A failed attempt that created a beautiful and precious object.

On it- I have locks of hair from everyone in my life that was important at the time of its making.  My sister, mom, dad, friend, even our first and second dogs, and my favorite bunny.  (YES,  I know I’m weird.  Get over it.)  There is also sage, moss and an origami crane.   All for reasons I cannot remember but there all the same.

The wooden hoop is made from my plum tree back home.  It is the tree I leaned to climb on.  The one I spent a large chunk of my childhood in.   The other dream cartcher that still hangs in my room was a slightly larger undertaking.

You can’t tell from the picture but it’s over 3 feet across and five different colors.  I think things should be colorful- because they are prettier that way.   Again this was made from the shoots pruned from my tree, back home.

Since the chickens have been contained and unintended but predictable situation has arisen inside the fence line.  They are eating EVERYTHING that is slightly green or twitching.  For the little trees trying to grow within that perimeter things are looking grim.  If your leaves are not more than 4 feet off the ground, this happens:

Much to my husband’s chagrin these little trees are not going to make it.  At first he proclaimed that we will “just have to keep moving the fence.”  I pointed out that then they will just decimate a larger area of forest and he relented.   I took it upon myself to uproot the poor little trees that are now eternal sticks and make dream catchers out of them.

When the root came with the first one I pulled I though that it looked really cool, so I kept it.  Looped it in on itself and started to weave.

When I was done I found a new way to hang them.  If you leave the end of the string in the middle and counter balance the weight you can make a type of mobile.

My dad introduced me to Alexander Calder early in life.   At first I thought he was pulling my leg when he said that this was the man who invented the mobile.  When he went on to tell me that he also did static sculptures he called “stabiles,” I was sure he was lying to me.  Then he took me to the MOMA in San Francisco for the Calder exhibit.

I had to shut up.  In my silence- I was inspired by the asymmetrical balance that he captured in colorful metal.  I have loved Calder ever since.

In that vain of natural balance.  I created some truly weird dream catchers.

With glass beads for counter weight I think they came out looking pretty cool.

Isis didn’t know what to think.  Except “I bet that is crunchy and will fit easily in my mouth.”

I like them and that is that.