Our laughter kept the feathers in the air.

My favorite book ever, that I consistently go back to and re-read and recommend to everyone ever is Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. It's an absolutely beautiful book, with both an amazing story line and wonderful imagery used throughout. And, there are even pictures. Who said that adults shouldn't read books with pictures? I never understood that.

My absolute favorite line from the book is when Oskar's grandma is talking about her childhood friend who was always laughing. One day when they were little girls, they had a pillow fight. And, as she says, "Feathers filled the small room. Our laughter kept the feathers in the air. I thought about birds. Could they fly if there wasn't someone, somewhere, laughing?" Sigh.

Personally, I am fascinated by the stories that happened before we encounter them. My artwork involves using pre-existing materials (found objects, cut up encyclopedias, old photos), and acknowledging their past lives as I animate them or cut and paste them or sew onto them. And this line from the greatest book ever only encourages that thought process. Now when I see feathers on the ground, I think about so much more than the bird who forgot it there on the sidewalk. Maybe that quote is the reason I love feathers so much. Or maybe I just want to fly.

I've been making lots of feathers lately for these dreamcatchers. I've even made tiny little ones out of polymer clay (that are still waiting for my oven to be fixed so I can bake them without worrying about a gas leak) for itty bitty dreamcatcher necklaces. Part of me just wants to make feathers. As in, only feathers. No dreamcatchers. Just fabricated feathers of different materials, feathers you can hold. I don't know what the purpose would be. I just happen to love their form.

Make sure you check the shop as I've been adding lots of marvelous things! Right now it's time for my weekly trip to Joann's.

Ps. Want to win a custom embroidered portrait? Make sure you check out Rachel's blog for a giveaway!