Studio news....Memorial piece for John H...

Hi There-
I admit, I've been neglecting my blog. I could offer excuses, summer vacation, too many responsibilities, not enough time...but really, I've just not felt like writing in my blog lately.
mea culpa.
In my studio....I'm starting to make a bunch of Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos pieces...when in Tucson, skull and memorial pieces are a must!

NEWS:
I DID get a "Dia de" memorial piece accepted in the Tohono Chul (Tucson botanical garden and gallery) show in October/November....here is a sneak peek...It's a piece I made in memorial for my dear friend John Henderson, who was killed while riding in the Tour de Tucson 2013...

a pic of John (seated) and his partner of 26 years(Bill) in my studio taken about 2010

RIP John- we miss you!

*sigh* every time my son goes on a bike ride (he is really into riding these days) I hold my breath... John was killed while riding in one of the biggest events in Tucson...under very controlled and "safe" environment. And yet, a driver (who had a diabetic event that blacked out behind the wheel) still found him, and that was that. You just never know.

OK, not wanting to put a bummer out there- just be safe while riding, and drivers...LOOK OUT FOR BIKES!
thanks- M

healing

Tucson Arizona-
It's a beautiful day here today- blue skies and sunshine- and a peaceful sensation of hope and healing.
Last night, I walked to University Medical Center- less than a mile from my home- to visit the memorial shrine and to pray with my fellow Tucsonans for the healing of the victims and their families.

The president arrives in Tucson in about an hour - to attend a memorial service for the victims and to offer words and leadership to begin the path to healing and recovery. I pray that his words are heard by Gabrielle, and that they give her strength in her road to recovery.

*paz*-M

Bundled Treasures

This "caviar spoon" necklace is part of my new series "Bundled Treasures". In this series of work I am bringing forth my little found object treasures that I have found over the past 8 years.

Wait- are you thinking "why does this Tucson artist have sea shell jewelry??" well, I've tried to explain it in this simple back story......

I am from a New England family- (we also lived in Ohio and Delaware for a while)- For me, summertime was beach time- The same is true for my husband, who spent summers as a little boy in the south of France.( nice, huh? yup, I'm jealous too) 

Even though we live in Arizona now, we try to get to the beach once a year- Because the beach is removed from us by a long stretch of desert I believe we have become even more fond of the sound of lapping waves on the shore...and so I commemorate it, by using my found shells and glass that I've collected over our years of vacations.

I've always loved seashell fragments- and  find myself constantly picking them up when I'm at the beach- with the intention of making jewelry with them when I got home- I've been doing this since I was a little girl- collecting shells- I think it's a common thing that many people do when at the ocean-we want to have a treasure from the ocean to bring back with us and remind us of that fantastic day of sun and surf.

(The only thing is that most of us just put the shells in a bowl and forget them- leaving them to collect dust...)

I also have bowls of bugs, of rocks, of pieces of wood, plastic and metal street junk....all sorts of little things that I have treasured as interesting pieces of my world that I feel the need to protect and appreciate. My latest mission is to set these treasures free to roam the world as parts of beautiful one of a kind jewelry! As you wear a bundles treasure you become officially entrusted as a chaperon for these delightful snippets of beauty-
bon voyage!- MBZ

Memorial ring for Chet BZ

march 26 2010 chet1
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

My sweet kitty "Chet" was with me from 1991- 2002......

he first came to me in Bisbee Arizona- then moved with me to Tucson- later became a world traveler when we moved to Florence Italy- and then in 2000 moved back to Tucson.

He was an incredible traveler- just hunkered down and stayed quiet until he got to the destination. (even rode in coach all the way to Italy and back...he and I recovered from jet lag together...bonding over our sleepless nights and groggy afternoons

He was a great friend- sadly lost his life to feline leukemia** around this time in 2002, when I was pregnant with Cosmo.
(** it was then that I found out that the feline leukemia vaccine is only %85 effective -perhaps if I had known that he still could have been infected I wouldn't have let him outside- but then again, I feel bad for kitties that haven't frolicked in the garden...thankfully the cat that we have now isn't at all interested in going out )
I often wonder if he sensed the impending shift in attention and decided to leave while he was still ahead. ( I know, kind of "woo woo" thinking, but it does come into my head...)
I miss you Chet, "the great Boo boose"
thank you for being a part of my life.

pewter memory boxes

urn rip fullon front1
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

My newest project is creating hand fabricated pewter memory boxes. They are intended as urns or memorial pieces for beloved pets who have crossed "the rainbow bridge".

This particular box I created for the "Dia de los Muertos" show at Obsidian gallery, Tucson AZ. It is a bed-like structure with a headboard that resembles the arch of the virgin of Guadalupe (which is so prevalent here in the southwest) there is a lotus flower as a candle holder (candle representing eternal flame/soul) and the top section comes off, revealing a small compartment below, to store a small amount of ashes/photos/id tags/kibble/notes and wishes for the departed animal companion.