When I was in the initial stages of developing the work for "I Live Here Now" one of the first pieces I knew I wanted to make was about the house I grew up in. My first thought was to use some of the original wood from the house, but when I looked for some, there really wasn't anything I could easily attain. My mom and I looked in the basement and the garage and I even thought about removing a board from a corner or something. Then one day my mom asked me to follow her into the basement and when we got down there, she pointed at the floor. There were bits of stone here and there and she told me they were from the foundation. She also wondered if maybe I could make something using them. I knew immediately this was the solution and was excited that my mom had so clearly been thinking about my work. I collected a bunch of pieces and designed a necklace reminiscent of a diamond choker or some sort of royal jewel. I made prong settings for each stone and then created matching earrings and a ring.
As I was working, I also thought about the presentation and became fixated on finding a blue velvet box. I searched online and found the perfect one on Etsy. It was a bit worn and stained and the word "Illusion" was stamped on the inside. It was even better than I ever imagined and when I got it and put the necklace inside, the piece became a truly complete thought.
I've added lots of process photographs to Flickr including pictures of details around the house that I have loved since I was a child. The house was built in 1882 and we moved there as a family in 1976. My earliest memory is at this house…my mom was holding me and talking to my father outside. We were standing at the back corner in the yard. I must have been a year and half or maybe 2.
Thanks for reading.
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