November 19, 2023

Frame:
Reclaimed red cedar – designed and made by Colin Hamilton of  Thuja Wood Art
Handmade Bobbin Lace:
Enamelled copper wire, silk, wool
Semi-precious stones and beads: 
Calcite,  Citrine, Aventurine, Sunstone, Garnet, Serpentine, Quartz

Dimensions in centimetres: h:50 x  w:50  x d:10
Dimensions in inches: h:20 x w:20x d:4
~

This work completes a series of offerings dedicated to the magnificent Nature, in a creative  collaboration with Colin Hamilton of Thuja Wood Art. Colin’s work is deeply rooted in the West Coast tradition, while my metal bobbin lace evolved from centuries old European craft. Unexpected meeting of two very different disciplines resulted in a unique, one-of-a-kind body of work:  ‘Offering to the Tree of Life’ (2015), ‘Waves: Offering to the Moon’ (2015), ‘West Coast Mandala’ (2017), ‘Red Berries’ (2019), and finally, the ‘Divine Harmony’ (2023).

It took a long time to bring the last work to fruition. When Colin delivered the frames, one in particular caught my attention. It had a strong base and arch that seemed to protect a womb-like inner space. Raw edge on the outside contrasted beautifully with finished wood, in colour as well as texture. Overall, the frame was so well balanced, and so inviting, that I thought right then that it will become a special piece. 

Time went by, one by one the wood/lace sculptures were completed and sent off to the world. The last frame seemed content sitting empty on my studio bench. I imagined that the wood must have been from a tree that lived a long life, then drifted in the Pacific ocean to reach Gulf Islands, dried on the beach there, and waited for Colin to salvage it and use the reclaimed wood for the frame. What a couple of years could mean in its life cycle? That perspective gave me freedom to wait for the right idea. Because the simplest things are sometimes the most difficult to express in art.

On New Year’s Day 2020 I took a photo while strolling in an urban forest in my neighbourhood. It was a peaceful day, ideal for contemplation. Admiring nature’s contentment and ability to maintain equilibrium regardless of season, weather or time, I wondered if it is possible for a man to live that way, too –  in balance, instead of struggling in self-created chaos. The serene moment became an inspiration for the final Offering.

‘Divine Harmony: Offering to Father Sun and Mother Earth’ is a tribute to the two forces that permeate all that is, on our planet and in the whole universe.

Called by Indigenous North Americans Father Sun/Sky ~ Mother Earth, and in many cultures with other names: Shiva ~ Shakti, Yin ~ Yang, Pachamama ~ Inti, the Creative ~ the Receptive, Ida and Pingala, Masculine and Feminine, they represent two fundamental energies which exist and work together. They are of opposing qualities, but not antagonist. Being different, they compliment and complete each other. When they are in balance, life happens. 

As my time for lacemaking became limited due to unprecedented circumstances, the months working on the “Divine Harmony” turned into years. Despite the slow progress, or maybe because of it, I enjoyed every moment at my drafting table and lacemaking pillow. Lost in lace and in space, I learned a lot about the fine lace craft, and even more about myself and the source of my profound need for balance and tranquility.

Mother Earth

Starting form the ground…

The Earth’s strength lies in the ground, and there is nothing more important than the soil. It holds all resources for life to flourish. Everything grows from the soil and returns to the soil in an infinite cycle. Soil is the most amazing complex of organic and inorganic matter living in total synergy, hidden under the surface, yet influencing everything above. I was looking for a pattern that is structured yet fluid, like a weave of roots, and I found it in an experimental and very interesting book ‘Using Modern Grounds’ by Michèle Kelly.

The Mosaic pattern was fun to work and allowed me to play with texture and colours. Mixing black and browns in multiple strands of three to six ply in random order produced an organic texture that was changing along the lace length. Once the pattern was committed to memory the work became pleasantly rhythmic, with bobbins flowing and gently clicking. Unlike traditional lace grounds, this pattern is worked in horizontal rows. Wire allows omission of the interior holes, and placing pins only at the foot sides considerably speeds up the work. I made  six yards of the pattern to have enough material for building a strong ground foundation. While folding and sculpting the yardage, I enclosed raw semi-precious stones (garnet, citrine, serpentine and quartz) between the layers. The minerals are hardly noticeable in the dense weave, but their presence infuses the ground with strong energy patterns.
In the centre top, a shallow recess was prepared for the nest.

Growing ferns…

Coastal Mountains forests are full of ferns. Diverse species of ancient origins, these plants thrive in humid climate and grow everywhere, gracing the landscape with cascades of fronds in many shapes and shades of green. Despite not producing flowers, ferns are very beautiful, ornamental and prolific. Many stay lush all year around and provide microhabitats, as well as shelter and shade to various animals.

Fern leaves made in wire are an attestation to the potential of free style lace design. With just four pairs of bobbins, and a lot of patience, the lace fern grows and unfurls, one leaf at a time. This very slow process leads not only to total tactile and cerebral satisfaction but also to deep appreciation of all Earth’s creation. In the Offering, the ferns play an important role of providing a sheltered space for a new life.

Building nest …

With the foundation laid, it is only matter of time for a nest to be built. As opposed to real nests made by birds, the expert builders with highly specialized skills, mine was pretty simple, constructed from long plaits, wound and interwoven together. To make it more welcoming, I lined the bottom of the nest with lace made from wool and silk fibres.

Father Sun

Temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest are humid and cool. When the sun penetrates dense tree canopy, the warm rays are received with deep reverence by the earth, animals and people. Sun is precious, and therefore worshiped as the vital force. 

How to express the venerated sun in the language of lace? I reached deep back in time to old Italian laces. Plaited laces of Venice and Genoa, which originated in the Renaissance, embody the spirit of an exceptionally fertile period. Art and science merged in a great creative surge and propelled Europe from medieval to modern era. The five centuries old Italian designs have lost nothing of their beauty and vitality, and today they lend themselves exceptionally well to the wire medium. I love their geometrical patterns of plaits and tallies, and their fearless expansion into empty space. They seem to be made for wire and I couldn’t envision a better form for the Sun. 

Gold coloured copper wire is embellished with natural calcite, citrin, aventurine and sunstone beads. The materials represent qualities of the creative force: power, light, potentiality. The sacred geometry inherent in the pattern directs the energy from its source out, through waves of concentric circles and the sun rays stretching towards the Earth.

New Life

When Father Sun reaches the receptive Mother Earth, a miracle of life happens. 

Symbolized by a chrysocolla egg, the new life originates from both fundamental energies: the creative and the receptive, light and dark, masculine and feminine, the cosmic and the earthly. Therefore, it is complete, perfect and faultless.

It is humbling and at the same time uplifting to realize that humanity has the same origin.
I offer the ‘Divine Harmony’ with heartfelt gratitude to Father Sun and Mother Earth for their boundless, immeasurable Love. With each sunrise we are given a new chance to witness their magnificent creation and through it comprehend Life and Truth. Without such introspection we cannot solve our current problems and conflicts. The ‘Divine Harmony’ is a prayer to bring forth the fundamental law and honour the dignity and possibility of our existence.

The work was unveiled in summer at an exhibition on Pender Island, British Columbia, home of the artists Colin Hamilton and Stan Oglov, whose beautiful orchard garden became the most amazing exhibition space for the Art in the Wash show. Sharing the ‘Divine Harmony: Offering to Father Sun and Mother Earth’ with open-minded and attuned audience was a mystical experience.

I am grateful for being able to realize this work despite the challenging times, and thus completing the latest chapter of my lacemaking journey.

Thank you for reading this very long post. If you find it worthwhile, please share with your friends.

Lenka 

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