moon ladders go with the flow

moon ladders made with boar bristles and linen thread for the River of Moons
a little escapism
making sense of the flow
with a different perspective
my favourite so far
all 13 moons are basted down now ready to go with the flow between now and August
with gratitude to Glennis Shibori Girl, Ulrike Bogdan and Jude Hill

the fierce determination and clarity of the third chakra

the power of the fierce determination and clarity of the gold in the third chakra
this is in response to Acey’s exploration of the chakras

the blessing of the cat goddess Bastet

our next door neighbour’s little black cat Muffin joined the circle of Bastet to bless Ariel’s grave 
so good to have some cat magic ’round the house!

A New Year Wish List by Michael Leunig

Wish List for 2021 by Michael Leunig
it’s dawn here on the first of January, swept out all the old energies just before midnight and lit a candle to welcome in the new, away we go!

Dancing in the Moonlight

the Queen of the Night dancing in the moonlight
and the summer rain
in full flight for this Full Moon night
the river of moons starting to gather shape
with more stitching
a balancing act
touching the edge of the New Moon for January next year, have a good one!

with gratitude to Glennis Shibori Girl, Ulrike Bogdan and Jude Hill

Seasons Greetings!

Best Wishes for the Solstice, Xmas & the New Year bringing lots of Hope, Love and Joy to the World!
namaste
Mo & Rod
“Cosmic Seedling” illustration by Mo Orkiszewski 2020
for “How Plants are Born: A story about relationships” by Peter Webb

Go with the flow… a river of moons marking time

Go with the flow… a river of moons marking time…  WIP Mo20
at each New Moon I stitch in the next moon in this year of marking time
there’s a rhythm rolling back and forth with each new moon turning the story
here’s a link to the WIP widdershins

with gratitude to Glennis Shibori Girl, Ulrike Bogdan and Jude Hill

Gab Bates is making sanctuary for all things awkward, forgotten and unloved

“Let our eggs share the same nest”
This quote from ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’ by Robert A. Heinlein came to mind early on Monday morning when we were invited to make some wild magic with the artist, witch and animist Gab Bates
Gab transformed us into ‘Urban Unknowns’ with her wonderful sense of play and sensitivity to the spirits of place
shapeshifting our shared reality, becoming fugitives finding sanctuary
in becoming other we fall into each other
Gab is making sanctuary for ‘all things awkward, forgotten and unloved’ with her wide open heart, curious mind and deep respect to the spirits of place
You can see more of Gab’s transformative art on her website
and her  instagram page
(all photos courtesy of Gab Bates “Urban Unknowns” 2020)
‘Let us make sanctuary’ is a concept explored by the deep thinker Bayo Akomolafe

Orange: the colour of the creative womb chakra

a little paper boat launched to farewell my womb just before it was surgically removed on the Winter Solstice in 2009
this gourd by my friend Carol Duprey was shattered in the mail back in 2004 so I repaired it
it became part of the Dream of the Blue Cat
Shen a gourd to honour the Woman at the Edge of Two Worlds in 2008
holding memories & magic
Winter Solstice 2008
a favourite spot for ceremony til the sandstone shelf collapsed a few years ago

Circling Enchantment (aka keeping an eye out for “The Flighty Nature of Chance”)

The air is tingling with portents;
… a crow feather floats down out of the sky to land in my hand
… a butterfly explores my thumb with her tickling curious tongue
… the sun is shining through the clouds, making one of those Michelangelo “Hand of God” styled skies again
…. the moon is rising just over my shoulder… is she following me or am I following her?
In the shimmer of that moment…
I wake up to look at the clock…
it’s 3:33am…
I drift back into the dream of discovering just the right angle that I need to bring this latest fragile whisper of an idea into “reality”…
& I wake up to look at the clock…
it’s 3:33am…
again
Time… Is… Standing… Still…

I am Spellbound… Bewitched… & totally ENCHANTED with the process of bringing this echo of a dream into the “Real” world, making it become a thing of substance, something that I can touch & hold in my hands for others to see & perhaps even meet my old friend, “The Flighty Nature of Chance!”
I catch a glimpse of his magic in the fragile shimmer of this new dream, in the spinning of the idea over & around in my mind’s eye & then again when I get to know it a little better after a few walks through the dreamtime, rough sketches & quick models are made in the attempt to catch the moment… and then finally, the shiny new dream-thing starts to take shape… it’s at that point when the dream starts to make itself, when the “The Flighty Nature of Chance!” takes over & I become a channel for the making… that’s where I can find my favourite Enchantment.
The first time we met I had been working hard all year, trying to perfect a titanium & glass tetrahedron
Blue Triangle Mo1989
& then suddenly everything fell into place when a little blue pyramid of a dice sprouted a set of wings & flew right out of the studio, I didn’t even have time to get a decent photograph! I tried to make another one just the same but that flighty magic can’t be nailed down with a formula, Enchantment is always different, every time…

We met again a few years later when I was describing the feeling of intense compression that happens just before the idea of a dream starts to become real and there he was again….”The Flighty Nature of Chance” dressed as a little dragon-fly like creature wearing flying goggles came spiraling out of the moon, bouncing with joy as he hit the surface of my mind with his little coiled spring of intent!

Free Fall Mo 1993
Then, just a few weeks ago as I was working on my bat-winged gourd another one of those pyramid shaped dice fit perfectly into the bat claw setting I was finishing for the handle… it was in that moment she became “The Flighty Nature of Chance!” Mk3. Well met old friend, my most magical muse!

Mo 2006

this post is in response to Acey’s exploration of the Sacral Chakra

 

preview for Collector’s Choice 2020 at Artsite

Collector’s Choice 2020 at Artsite Galleries opens this weekend!
here’s my 3 offerings
Too dark? Mo 20
black glove leather, black leather cord, papier maché, grape vine tendrils, linen & silk thread embroidered text on vintage black suede over board
H 36.5cm x W 36.5cm D 5cm
Holding the dark Mo 20
black Italian glove leather over bookbinders board, black vintage suede lining, black leather cord, grape vine tendril, lead fishing weight covered in gold leaf, red and black Ormosia coccinea seed (a gift from Peter Webb  plant guru extraordinaire 1974), black linen thread, red Gütermann upholstery thread
H 8cm W 8cm x D 8cm
The chicken and the egg revisited Mo 20
eggshell mosaic over bookbinders board, lined with chicken leg leather & red leather cord held together with waxed linen thread, Gütermann upholstery thread & knotted japanese cotton, wishbone, red felt heart, myrhh, glass & ceramic beads, white feather
H 8cm x W 7.5cm x D 7.5cm

See you there!