Happy Valentine's Day!

Thought I would share one of my Valentines with all of you. It was designed and crafted by my good friend Marshall Estes. Isn't fabulous?! Hope you all had a lovely day!

Happy Belated Birthday Mr. Joyce!

I have been a terrible blogger so far this year. My doctoral exams are imminent and that has taken priority over my creative urges. Given that I have been snowed in now for a few days, the urge is too great to be ignored. Guess that groundhog saw his shadow after all!

I have put together a treasury of James Joyce related art and artists on Etsy in honor of Joyce's birthday two days ago. Follow the link below and see for yourself! There is Joyce inspired jewelery, photography, stationary/paper art, pop art, and even wall hanging for wine enthusiasts!

Enjoy!

Link to Etsy Treasury: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d4c7af565528eef501dcb19/happy-belated-birthday-james-joyce

Ulysses Quotation Necklaces

Ulysses Quotation Necklaces

Made with paper (taken from a 1961 Random House edition of Ulysses), findings, eyelets, and chain. The quotation is taken from the last page of the last episode of Ulysses and reads:

"I was a Flower of the mountain yes when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used or shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes."

Measures 10 inches in length and available for purchase on Etsy.com at my shop--just follow the link at the bottom of my blog.

The second necklace's quotation is from the "Ithaca" episode: "Womb? Weary? He rests. He has traveled." Measures 9 inches in length.

The third necklace is perhaps the most memorable line from "Ithaca"--asks "Where?."

"Calypso" on Canvas

"Calypso" on Canvas

I am currently studying for exams, which, of course, means that my need for creative outlets has tripled with the amount of stress. The silver lining is I am creating more Joyce art.

Combining my love for print with canvas-in the midst of re-reading "Calypso"--I tore out the first two pages of a 1961 Random House edition of Ulysses and transplanted them onto the canvas.

I also cut out some of my favorite dialogue between Molly and Bloom from this chapter (on the "transmigration of souls"). Next to these lines I drew a symbol of parallax (the infinity sign in red cray pas).

Parallax leads me inevitably to "Penelope." The lines written in pale pink ink and dusky brown are from the final lines of the episode.

On the top of the canvas resides a
plain white plaster square to symbolize the blankness and potential for June 17th, when Molly and Poldy wake up.

On the opposite side is a woman's silhouette cut from another page from "Calypso." She emerges from the page smiling and already formed. She is, like every woman, a paradox--simultaenously an innocent and faithful Penelope and Dido; a treacherous Circe, Calypso, Siren, and Helen; as well as godess-like, Hera and Aphrodite; and of course, parallax itself.

Just another fun bit of Joyceiana! Let me know what you think!

"Penelope"

"I was a Flower of the mountain yes when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used or shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as abother and then I put my arms and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes." (U 18.760-768)

I constructed the gray freshwater pearls around the metallic flower (it is unbelievable difficult to locate a rhododendron bead--I guess I will have to mint my own next time!) to represent the Moorish wall of Molly's memory/fantasy and strung pearls that were exotically colored. The "yes" in the necklace is shaped from wire and the key represents just one interpretation of Ulysses's ending: Molly and Bloom together again. This is my favorite piece in this collection. I think it captures some of the beauty of "Penelope."