On The Hunt

Would you like to accompany me on a little shopping spree? Don’t worry, no money needs to change hands. You may not even have to leave your comfy abode. But, if you’re looking for an adventure, you’ve come to the right place. I went shopping in my own home, looking at all the old dishes, bowls, glassware and the odd “whatchamacallits” – you know, the things you collect over the years, and you have absolutely no idea what they are, or are for. Gosh, I love those things! But lots of them were not bought for their practicality. Oh, no!

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” — artist and textile designer William Morris (1834-1896)

I live by this statement of passion from my old friend, Will. Our home is full of useless but beautiful things. They are there simply to make me smile. The useful things, well, that would be Rick’s department. But I digress . . .

So in my shopping spree, in my house full of semi-useful things, I found a cache of tangled dishes that took my breath away. Yup. Right there in my cabinets. Some on the big blue stove. The borders and designs on these pieces were stunning in their simplicity. I photographed a few of them for you to study and admire. I documented the patterns on an Opus tile to see the luscious lines dance together and see what would come of this gathering. What fun to analyze the designs, try to imagine the artists’ thoughts as they decorated the dishes, glassware, sewing machines!

If you have no old, useless accoutrements or vintage “something-or-others,” perhaps you can peruse the windows in quaint antique shops or second-hand boutiques and harvest your own collection of new-to-you tangle inspirations. You can harvest them with your phone cameras, turning them this way and that, and collect a bevy of breathtaking patterns to work with.

So . . . armed with all this new-found excitement, I proceeded to do what I planned all along: turn out some heart-felt art just in time for the season of LOVE. Or, LIKE. Or, GRATITUDE. Whatever your heart desires. Hmm. It was that simple.