hope is a thing with feathers

January 26th, 2009 in member junk

MelHow, member

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From the first time I saw this jar the shape said heart to me and so I painted it red with ceramic paint and then did this to it.
This jar also has a side with an image of the system of blood vessels in the body, and a side with the definition of vessel on it.

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I started this the spring of 2007. The girls and I collected feathers on those endless bike rides we took that summer. One day, I found an entire duck's wing. It was very dry and apparently had been there for a long time.

I saved them in a jar. I put a music box on the lid and rusted the lid and music box.

And then, I could not decide how to handle the text. Finally, I decided to just do it. This is not the ideal. I wanted to do it differently. However, I needed this to be done and for some reason my gumption for trying a new technique on this project failed me.

Text:

It's not a carol of joy or glee,
but a prayer that it sends
from its heart's deep core,
a plea that upward to heaven it flings.
I know why the caged bird sings.
Paul Laurence Dunbar

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all, Emily Dickinson

Pattern or design used: My own design

posted in: member junk, metal, artwork, glass, , red, fabric, natural, alternative, rust, feathers

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Comments (7)

MelHow writes: Kimberly,

It isn't a big secret, I used Sophisticated Images "Rust Antiquing Set"....I screwed the music box (from one of my girls' defunct jewelry boxes) to the lid and then used the kit to create the effect. Posted: 9:39 pm on January 30th

KimberlyMelamed writes: Ok, I have to know how you 'rusted' the music box and lid... Care to share the process? Beautiful verse you chose for your bottles. Posted: 3:52 pm on January 28th

QueenofGreen writes: Wow. This takes me back to art class. Very very cool and out of the box. I love the fragments of paper, the softness of the enclosed wings and the strength and form of the glass. Posted: 5:50 pm on January 27th