Shawl of Advice
Why
There are good times and hard times; art flows from who we are and what we're going through. Shawl of Advice was the fruit of a good time, a happy time. It was a chapter of her life that was full of music. Nan was a member of Central Florida Master Choir, the musician for the First Congregational Church of Ocala FL, and, with husband Tom, hosted “Music Night” in their home every week. Friends and neighbors came with instruments and voices. Music of all kinds happened there, sitting around the baby grand piano bar, drinking excellent wines.
The words and brief phrases on the Shawl of Advice are lighthearted “life suggestions,” encouraging ponderings and actual actions. It beads together the thoughts and words that shaped that period of her life. Every time she puts it out for display, she reads it from bottom to top.
"The piece still amuses - and amazes - me." The Artist
How
It started with a few thoughts to be beaded into pins. But more thoughts/quotes also begged to be added, and the thread carried on. Taking the thoughts and words, even lighthearted ones, and beading them all together gave them weight. As the phrases came together, the overall form became one of a shawl. Being able to drape it over your shoulders allows you to feel the weight of the beads, and the weight of thoughts that shape life.
What
Shawl of Advice is the most approachable piece for most people. It is constructed of 106 quotes strung on 2550' (½ mile) of Fireline fishing line. The shawl, gently and carefully wearable, is beaded in soft and comforting colors (118 of them to be exact), including several shades of white, all different but softly related to one another.
