a pennant for Jo New (RIP)
carved bone feather and shark’s tooth from Jo
parchment star
bandaged heart
hand twined string Arnhem Land 1976
inktense indigo and poppy red pencils
vintage cotton, linen, Gütermann red upholstery thread
vintage glass and bone beads
bone feather from Jo’s trek in Nepal, vintage glass chakra beads, bandaged heart
shark tooth, parchment star, skull bead from India
hanging with The Gathering
Jo New (RIP)
healer, poet, drum maker, photographer, wife, mother, grandmother, beautiful friend
totems by Jo New 2004
Firesinger
PS just added more knots, parchment stars and some of the fragile veil from the wedding dress December 18
It's Crow Time 
Every element, like the friendship, intimate, organic and expressive. Sorry for your loss.
(((Michelle))) Jo had such a huge heart, I miss her even though we never had the chance met in real life, we inspired & supported each other for nearly 15 years!
Mo, That’s a beautiful pennant. What a lovely tribute.
(((René))) thank you it really just made itself!
So sorry for your loss Mo…………..
(((Martine))) Jo is free to be a star now!
Love extends in many ways and here is one of the best examples of dreaming of a world where Love is the answer, a friendship that transcended the actuality of meeting in the flesh…inspiring, sharing, connecting…Jo’s pennant , the cloth shape, in particular, the beginning and end of the cloth, spires that are reminiscent of her Star Drum. The delicate coloring on this fragile cloth, the vulnerability of the bandaged heart totem, the whole of this pennant strengthened by the edging of twined string and the symbolic totems of her shark’s tooth, the skull bead, speak to the knowing belief that while those we love are no longer with us , their spirit lives on, continuing to inspire, to comfort, yes even to drum a beat, for you have shared with us that Jo was a drum maker…and this all serves to say that Love is always present . Mo, this pennant is a very moving member of the Gathering.
(((Marti))) back in March Jo sent a talisman for the dream that never arrived but that was fine as her beautiful big hearted intent came through, she gave me so much over the years her spirit fills this pennant.
Oh, and now I see where the pencils were going…what a beautiful and precious pennant. The gentleness of it feels like a wave of love. serene, free and open. So very very special.
(((Fiona))) at first it was just a test to see how the pencils worked with the old satin and then suddenly Jo’s beautiful bright spirit flew in and it made itself!
This holds deep magic and love & both of your hearts.
(((Hazel))) Jo helped open my heart back up in 2004, it was like a sea anemone closed up in a gesture of protection from the pain in the world, it took awhile but each little tendril tentatively opened out with love and time.
what a beautiful description of trust and love
Seeing the pennants hanging together is breathtaking. You …. and your dear friend……have created a beautiful tribute. x
(((Nanette))) this is the most magical dream I have ever tried to realize and it wouldn’t have happened without everyone’s love!
The pennant..brilliant in love….
And can you tell again, I’m sure you already have, what do you envision for this creation of love at its completion?
(((Grace))) here’s the statement I have provided for Artsite and the grant applications (with a lot of help from Marti’s good words for the project!)
“The major work ‘I dream of a world where love is the answer’ is a collaborative project bringing together a worldwide circle of 70 art and craft practitioners with the purpose of making connections, communicating a sense of how we belong to our earth, that each person has value, each moment of reaching out has potential, collectively lighting a beacon of awareness and respect for our planet Earth.
It began with the gift of an old wedding dress which Mo cut up into 45 pennants and made a call out for anyone interested in stitching their hopes and dreams on June 30th, 2017, the pennants were all spoken for the next day. Those who missed out on a pennant are making small talismans of love and protection for our world. Making art as an act of reverence, a magic spell cast into the world to be released at the opening at Artsite Gallery, Camperdown March 2-24, 2019.”
we’ll see what happens next once the spell has been cast!
Lovely expression to honor your dear friend.
(((Nancy))) namaste
Really beautiful Mo.
(((Louise)))
Beautiful, whenever I find myself back here, I am inspired by your work – here, your love shines through
((((Valerianna))) thanks for the good words and good to see you!
(((Mo))) – I couldn’t find words when I first read this … it’s still hard, but I’ll try.
There is such sadness here, but likewise joy in the knowledge that we in this community-of-ether are bound together by something that transcends the traditional ties of friendship. Your love for Jo and your ether-real friendship are made manifest in this pennant and for that I am so very grateful.
(((Liz))) love how we are weaving with threads of love and light for our beautiful broken world
Beautiful!!! I love the edging…so many have celebrated the ragged edge of the pennant pieces to wonderful effect, but yours goes the other way. The corded, contained edge is clear and satisfying. What a wonderful tribute to Jo, and what a great addition to the pennant gathering. Also, the inktense coloring is subtle, but perfect.
(((Dana))) thanks for the good words, the Inktense pencils are so easy to use and that hand twined string from Arnhem Land holds powerful magic.
This is really special, Mo !!!
A true tribute to a very special person !
A lovely gathering indeed !
(pffft I’ve started)
(((Els))) look forward to seeing what you make of yours!
What Dana said — and also, there is something otherwordly in the washed out blue. Because of a certain twitter post this morning, I was moved to go listen to Train’s song, “Drops of Jupiter” — a piece about the death of the singer’s mother. It came to him in a dream and in it he muses about her spirit being free to roam the heavens. It was familiar, but I heard it with new ears.
I am sorry for your loss.
(((Dee))) such a beautiful song!
very moving post, such a beautiful pennant for a remarkable woman; such delightful beings she made
(((Saskia))) they defined her wild adventurous spirit and deep heart