Tuesday I went to Denver with my Mom & 2 friends to see the Chinese embroidery collection of Pat Dalton. Pat has been taking small groups of people to see & experience the beauty of the textiles & culture of ethnic China for over 30 years. I met Pat at an exhibit of ethnic Chinese textiles at the International Folk Art Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pat’s enthusiasm and in depth knowledge of these labor intensive, amazing techniques was a joy to experience!! Pat will be leading a couple of tours this year and she says they are the last she will do- so if you are interested check it out!

I visited thinking my primary interest would be the Miao & Dong traditional embroideries:

but came away completely intrigued by the double mirror embroideries on silk- for example this woman is beautifully embroidered on almost transparent silk & then on the backside she looks exactly the same! It is magical- how do they do that!!!?My favorite though, was the back of a woman holding a hand mirror with her reflection in it and on the backside it was the front of the woman with the back side of the mirror visible- wow!!!!

Here is a red crowned crane that had some relief to it:

and it’s reflection in the mirror so you can see the backside:

This is a landscape “painting” that has been embroidered:

And beautiful figures on a Chinese screen made out of a variety of stones with painted details:

I am influenced in my own art work by the “folk” embroideries (the colors, simple shapes etc.):

and “folk” paintings.

I love these beautiful traditional crafts from around the world- it is sad that in so many places the quality is getting poorer or disappearing for economic reasons – the crafts women & men are either having to quit the tradition to get better paid jobs or changing their traditional work into items that tourists will buy- making it quicker and therefore cheaper. I hope that things will turn around, so that people all over the world gain an appreciation for these crafts- embroideries, metal work, carved wood etc. – similar to what has happened for Native Americans here in the United States. The Native American Arts & Crafts in Santa Fe are beautiful and generate a good income for the arts & crafts makers- as it should! This is one way I always justify my buying of traditional crafts when I travel- I am helping to support an economy I believe in!!

After many days of crawling up perilously high stalks of Hollyhocks to chomp on their bitter leaves, while beautiful butterflies danced in the air above her head or daintily sipped flower nectar as she clung on tightly, afraid to fall, the caterpillar finally called out “How does one become a butterfly?” “You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.” was the reply. “You must be willing to go into the darkest depths & liquefy your very essence before the beauty of your butterfly being emerges into the light.”

This piece is comprised of 5 metal canisters,that come apart to reveal affirmations, colors and elements that relate to their corresponding Chakras. The caterpillar head corresponds to the 6^th Chakra: the Eye of Wisdom or the Inner Eye; and the emerging transformed butterfly corresponds to the final, 7^th Chakra- the Crown Chakra. I chose to use Chakras as symbolic elements in this piece about our path to transformation into a more enlightened being- or just a happier, more balanced human being.

Very simply, a Chakra is a concept referring to whorls of energy permeating from a point on the physical body. Rotating vortices of subtle matter, they are considered the focal points for the reception and transmission of energies. Seven major chakras or energy centers -also understood as wheels of light or color- are generally believed to exist within the subtle body. If you are interested in this concept please do more research because I have simplified the concept greatly.

1. First Chakra: Root Chakra; color: red
   Located at the base of the spine.
   Earth, survival, grounding, stillness.
   It grounds us in the physical world.

Affirmation: I am rooted and grounded in Life. Second Chakra: Sacral Chakra; color : orange

Spleen: Located just beneath the navel, and
related to our sexual and reproductive capacity.
Blockage manifests as emotional problems or sexual guilt.

Affirmation: I am co-creator with the Divine. Third Chakra: Solar Plexus Chakra; color: yellow

Navel; Seat of Emotions. Gives us a sense of personal
power in the world. Blockage manifests as anger or a sense of victimization.

Affirmation: I trust the Divine in me.

Fourth Chakra: Heart Chakra; color: green

Blockage can manifest as immune
system or heart problems, or a lack of compassion.

Affirmation: My heart is softened and filled with love. Fifth Chakra: Neck or Throat Chakra; color: blue

Communication Center; Tied to creativity and communication.
Feels pressure when you are not communicating your emotions properly.

Affirmation: I express myself. Sixth Chakra: the Third Eye; the Eye of Wisdom; the Inner Eye

Color: indigo; center of forehead
Clairvoyance, psychic abilities, imagination, dreaming

Affirmation: I allow myself to see clearly. Seventh Chakra: Crown Chakra; color: purple

Connects you with messages from higher realms.
Spiritual connection, understanding, knowing, bliss, God

Affirmation: I receive inspiration and spiritual illumination this day.

The Butterfly’s “hair”(felted wool) represents the crown expanding out

The metal embossed back side: