inspiration
| Buying a puppet in a Thai market with beautiful eyes; walking the hot streets of Penang looking at Sari’s with girlfriends; bargaining for the Chinese temple puppets and being warned of their worth. Buying Bindi’s and henna, cloth and bangles in Georgetown by the box; wondering if I really would do anything creative with all of this “stuff”.
Being overwhelmed by the colour of, the Chinese New Year celebrations; the magic of Depavali, the Festival of light and the cultural wonder of Ramadan. Walking “Antique Street” plowing through boxes of old photos and letters. Admiring the weavers in Laos. The peacefulness of Luang Prebang and the colour of the monks. Buying lengths of trim from the hill tribes in Sapa and marveling at the vibrancy of the Sapa markets. Haggling with puppeteers in Agra to give up the puppet they were using to entertain the crowd that had gathered. I had fallen in love and had to have it. Choosing hangings in Laos. Hand sewn cushions and quilts, hand dyed cloth. Hanging pearls in Saigon, buttons, trims and beads, sequins and lace at the “Button Market”. Buying Chinese silk whenever presented with it. Having boxes of the glorious material. Falling in love with Batik stamps in Malaysia and hunting for them every Sunday at the local “Trash and Treasure market”. Sitting with a carver in Hanoi admiring his designs and his craftsmanship. Finding what I would come to call “Lord of the Toys”, hanging in a shop and needing to have him even though he was surrounded by others that were similar. The Lotus, regal, precious, beautiful, symbolic, exquisite, strong and lucky. Filling my house with them, bought from the market in massive bunches……representing the cycle of life, honor, respect and the constant struggle for growth. Transition. |
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