Natures healing power

This last week I was fortunate to be carried miles from the unending snow of this late winter season that stubbornly refuses to welcome spring.

As we traveled 10+ hours south, I left behind my tiredness, and looked anxiously for the green leaves of newly budding trees. However when we arrived at our destination, we were greeted with still dormant trees. Save 3. Flowering pear trees, Red buds, and beautiful Magnolias.

It brought to mind how deeply we as human beings are affected by nature. Riding through the hills of the Ozarks on my motorcycle, grateful of the opportunity to breath in the earthy smells of spring, embracing the visual candy of the colorful budding blooms, absorbing the suns rays into my very pores, and listening to the fresh breezes as they blew over the lakes that do not ice over as they do at home.

The moment of truth came on the trek back to my home state at the end of our respite. Back to the cold winds, the whiteness of yet another fresh snow, and the frozen ice tundra covering the waters below.

As a person living in the North Country, I think I am ultra sensitive to the changes of the seasons. The gifts each few months bring in the changes of our color palette. Cycling from fresh spring leaves to deep summer greens and later to the celebrated golds and reds of fall, to the white crystals and brown bark contrast of winter - and back again. These elements are innately reflected in my work.

I feel like I have written of this before, however at this crest of spring, I am cyclical as well. Having been in the throws of winter hibernation, and anxiously awaiting the sunshine to bring forth fresh colors, I look forward to a refreshed spirit to continue the creative works I love - of nature.

Live fully,

Michelle

Why?

A friend asked me the other day how people react when I bring cremation urns into a conversation when talking about my art work.
Responses ranging from uncomfortable, to raising an eyebrow. "Really???" being a frequent.  I can just see the question rolling in their brain "Who in their right mind would make cremation urns unless they were a bit quirky themselves." Really!
However I believe the hesitant responses may be more from the topic it is connected to:  Death.
I do not want to be, nor believe I am the first to inform them that we all die.
More softly I could respond with "We all are going to pass from this life as we know it." 

So it begs the question - Why do I create urns?

Before I delve into the question, I need to put this out there - Some people correlate passions as hobbies. What do you do if it is more than a hobby? The statement that resonates more with my art and who I am is this: I am passionate about life.  And I express that passion through my art as a way of life.  

When I began carving wheel thrown vessels, I put all of my being into it. My beliefs, my hopes, my dreams, my intuitive thoughts, all flowing into each piece.
And my question was "Would people see it? Would they get it?"
Some. Others would pass it by without a hesitation nor bother delving into a deeper reflection of the creation. Seeing a pretty piece.

I realized that what I put into each piece was easily lost with the general audience. I desired a connection on a more intimate level with a recipient who felt the reverence and the celebration.
So I did some soul searching and re-searching to find an avenue that would align with what I put into my pieces.

The link. Passion.
I believe there is a connection between those left behind and those loved ones who have passed on. When someone passes on, it is our mission to carry their passions in life forward.  Their wisdom, the essence of their spirit, their passion for living. It is our responsibility to carry those stories forward.

So to answer the question - I create urns - for others - as vessels that represent the essence of those who pass before us. To carry their rich story, wise and inspirational spirit, and humble passions forward - for the living.

Live fully,

Michelle

A Sculptural Twist

I have loved working with wire since I was in my mid-teens.

It all started when my grandmother had the family members all bring a handmade ornament to decorate the Christmas tree. I had relented. Then I saw the wonderfully created ornaments on the tree. I wanted to chime in with my part. However it was too late, for it was already Christmas. Or, maybe it wasn't too late. I dug around in my grandmothers what not drawers and found some odds and ends of wire and a pliers. It was my first experience with working with wire. I made a simple little piece spelling out Christmas. I will never forget that day. It was my first introduction to thinking outside my box.

Flash forward some thirty-five years. I was learning how to make adornments with a local jeweler. My rusty thoughts had returned and my previous connection to wire was reborn.


Now I have pulled the world of wire into my world of clay. The two work. Creating wire sculptures that adorn textured urns. Somehow I find a strong connection, merging these elements together: nature, wire, and clay.

I hope you find they resonate in a wonderful way.
Live fully,

Michelle

Changes of a life time

Throughout September and October, and November for that matter, there were additional changes in my life - that have brought forward good things. Not how I expected them, however good just the same.

The last many months in my studio has been my respite and a place of grounding. Giving myself permission to put my well-being at the forefront - a stretch for me as I have been involved in many things that meant a lot to me - and yet I needed to relinquish them. I was forced to take a step back, and look at the big picture.
Through this evaluation, I found how much I truly love working in clay and in art. It is such an intrinsic part of who I am. At times I feel like I am whirling in an ocean filled with art life.
So I made those hard decisions that in turn gave my spirit sanity and new light. I came to my studio, sat at my bench, and created. It was a very prolific time for me, and gratefully, it still is. Ideas just swimming in the art ocean and being discovered and implemented.
Which brings me to feathers...they are significant to me - and to many cultures. The Native American culture specifically. I observe birds that soar and descend, crossing my path. With intention. Telling me to pay attention. Leaving notes via feathers on the ground, in very powerful places in time.
May your time on this earth be very powerful and telling of who you are.

Michelle

See more work from the Keyhole Studio..

We are all connected

Such a respite to be able to work in art. In many ways it is our only voice.
Teachings of many cultures share that we are all connected: Earth, People, Creatures of the Earth. I also believe this, and it was my message as I created this design.

Now it is translated into clay as it takes shape as a keepsake lid.
Live fully,

Michelle

Life's Path is ever changing

I look back and I see my last post was July 4. My how quickly things can change.
Just 3 days after that post, my father passed from this life.  He was doing what he loved to do. Working with his hands, creating and building.
I didn't cringe. I was reflective and saw with reassurance, the importance of living life to the fullest.

Exactly one month later, I was going through my own life events. After a fluke accident, I found myself going through major surgery, and am blessed to say it was not life-threatening, however I am still in recovery mode - and will be for a good long time.
I haven't picked up a ball of clay and thrown it on the wheelhead since my dad passed - until today.
I continued to design, draw, and create, with smaller pieces being the protocol for months.

Some people think I am a bit quirky because of the pieces I create in clay, ie: Urns. However, I find they resonate with who I am.
I have a deep respect for nature, and mirror that feeling in each piece of art that I create. Knowing - everyone passes from this life.

It sounds brutal, however, I believe we all are on this earth for a reason, and to experience life to our fullest capacity. It is our choice to make them great experiences or challenging ones.
What have I learned during these life challenges/changes?
Live life to the fullest.
Appreciate everyone you meet in your day, for it is an intentional opportunity.
Look at each event of your life as an opportunity to experience something grand.
Find the best in everyone.
When life hits you like a brick - pause and ask yourself if you are ready to listen yet?
Don't waste your purpose in life.

Live fully,
Michelle

Willows in my back yard

Living on an acreage filled with nature, I am intrigued and inspired by an elegant and grandiose tree that grows nearby. The willow. It has these beautiful seedlings that emerge on all of its branches every spring. Fuzzy bristles with yellow tinges on the ends bedeck its limbs like jewels. And quietly clustered beside them are tiny green curls waiting to unfurl into long swaying blade-like leaves of summer.

These little beauties are gifts of nature as spring emerges time and time again.
As in nature, every person comes into this world bearing gifts to those around them.
And when the time comes for them to leave us, it is hard to say good bye.
It feels as if our life will never have another happy day.
However, as far away as it may seem, spring will come again.
Delivering new growth with beauty, intrigue and inspiration.

I hope nature fills that void you may have in your life.
May it fill your days with beauty, intrigue and inspiration.

Live fully,
Michelle
To see this piece in more detail, click here.

"Life Lives"
Cremation Urn

Nature surrounds us. And it is such a powerful connection for us as we live our lives day to day.
This piece echos the importance of nature with grasses and cattails, carrying the soul forward.

Because each piece is unique and inspired in the moments of its creation, I decline recreating this piece, in respect to the holder of this urn. See other pieces currently available in the Keyhole Studio shop on Etsy, or on this site.

"Guardian" Cremation Urn

The Oak. A tower of strength. This small acorn is where the life began, and now that history is carried forward.

This piece has found a new home.

Because each piece is unique and inspired in the moments of its creation, I decline recreating this piece, in respect to the purchaser. See other pieces currently available in the Keyhole Studio shop on Etsy, or on this site.

The Keyhole Studio’s keepsake urns are one of a kind stoneware vessels, wheel-thrown and carved without forms or casting, created to hold the ashes of a beloved, respectfully. Texture and tool markings reflect the work of caring hands, each piece stained with an oxide finish or glaze, and fired to cone 6 to complete the process of transforming it from clay to stoneware.

In memory of the young...

My sister died when she was 18 months old.
The pain my mother and father felt? Unimaginable.
And almost 50 years later, my sister's presence is still near.

When I first began creating urns, they were medium to larger in size. Then one day, I made one that was smaller in size. A heartfelt sigh, a pause. A tribute to the young - like my sister.

Since that day, I have created smaller vessels, along with the medium and larger urns. All reverent, all made with intention to carry a loved one's spirit into the future.

Blessings,

Michelle

More images of created pieces at The Keyhole Studio.

The Soul Remains.com welcomes you!
With ever expanding technology - it is becoming more and more advantageous to have work in more than one viewable location. With that, please note my work is now also available on etsy.com. I monitor this site every business day, and it is a very accessible site to use with paypal.
I have been enjoying my new studio which I moved to in September of 2011. It is still called the Keyhole Studio, and I still work reverently with the urns. They are viewable through the www.thesoulremains.com site and through my shop at etsy.com. Not all pieces are shown at both locations, so feel free to visit both sites if you are so inclined. Thank you for visiting and if you have a piece you would like made specific to your needs, please feel free to email me.

Blessings,

Michelle

March 1, 2012. Status? Spacious studio in hand. Check. Urns selling. Check. Additional pottery vessels selling. Check.  Desire to work with metals a reality. Check. Check. Etsy account established. Check. The Bridge: for culture and life started - and growing. Check. Wow! Life is good!

Life moves forward.

Things have been evolving here. I am in the early stages of moving my studio to a business location. The environment change will be good. I am looking forward to expanding my studio as my pieces are getting larger and I am enjoying the spaciousness. As you can see, I have not been posting to my blog site for a while as I am also on Facebook. Won't you join me there? My Keyhole Studio Facebook is linked to the right. Enjoy!

Extra ordinary memorial vessels

How do we express life when selecting art objects that represent how we feel? Are they eccentric, fulfilling, purposeful, intentional, or fun? Do they exude our enthusiasm? Coming from the world of interior design, it is easy to purchase something because it is pretty or because it matches the decor.

But what about our life's representation in a memorial vessel? Should it be somber? Or should it be delightful?

I have been deliberating this question for a while now. I have been working on a number of urns that are reflective of nature. This is the soul of what I create. But there is that side of me that says - why not something more playful or outlandish? With that thought I will retire - and see what develops.

Live fully,

Michelle

Finding your own voice

Selecting an urn can be an act of embracing life - as an integral part of our world around us first, and a cremation urn second. By choosing a vessel that represents who we are while living, we prepare those around us for what will hold our ashes after we are gone from the physical world.

The urns I create are so personal to me. None of them are preconceived, or production pieces, but are made one at a time, as the spirit guides me. The shape is 'thrown' on a wheel, and then after quiet reflection, an image is sketched that melds with the vessel, which is then hand carved out of the clay.

Having that special vessel in your home, as a sacred piece, is a process of embracing life with reverence while still here on earth.

Live fully,

Michelle

Carved Urns

Inspiration

Shapes and images of seedlings, leaves, flowers, and creatures. All gifts of nature that initiate shapes and carved features in my urns.

How do you look for the right urn?
What inspires the perfect representation of those you love who have passed on?
I think of this every time I create a vessel. Can an urn express ones' existence? How do you articulate appreciation, reverence, care, gratitude, peace, or love?
Through nature, I have found that voice.

Whether you are searching for a cremation urn, memorial urn, or a keepsake, each of these vessels are made with an emotional voice.

With the deepest appreciation for the world around us,

Live fully,

Michelle

Herons

Elements of living.
I have probably thought (and said) a million times - Life is an inspiration.

Why?
It is quite simple really. It's all about essence. Who we are. What makes us tick.
When I create a piece, there is a life force of it's own that guides me to complete each piece.
I capture that essence of life that I feel. My hope is that these vessels evoke reflection and connection, and that these cremation urns create a tangible element for those who are needing to say farewell to a loved one.

Live fully,

Michelle

My newest work!

Welcome to The KEYHOLE Clay Studio blog!
I am excited for people to see what I have been up to and for all to get an 'up to the minute' glimpse at the newest of my creations.
These are all one of a kind - as you will see, as each new creation is added to my blog.
Each piece reflects life's encounters.
From walks in a nearby woods, to motorcycling on back country roads, or simply - as life moments pass, I pay attention to my surroundings, and to the wonders of nature. Truly, beauty can be found in a single leaf! And I place much focus on these beautiful wonders.

I also see life as a journey, and you will notice some of my pieces have curves and lines that twist, cross, indent or alter the flow about a piece. - Just like in life!

My kiln is half-filled and I have been working on staining more pieces in prep for a glaze firing.

This piece is a vase that is quite large. About 18" high when drying for the 'bisque' firing.
Thought you would enjoy getting a glimpse of the pieces I am preparing to finish!
Be inspired! Be creative!

I will share my belief with you: We are all creative. Support it where you live!