Month 12 — The Beauty of Moths
Moths are incredible. They are pollinators, food for owls and bats, they travel thousands of miles and come in an unbelievable array of designs to make any textile designer give up and go be a plumber. They are confused by our porch lights and sent astray. I want to make models of them all. I want to save them all.
The moths are made of recycled aluminum cans, cut and embossed, with antennae made of wire and masking tape. Each one is approximately 1-1/2” x 3”.
Embossed recycled aluminum cans, wire and masking tape
Embossed recycled aluminum cans, wire and masking tape
Embossed recycled aluminum cans, wire and masking tape
Embossed recycled aluminum cans, wire and masking tape
Embossed recycled aluminum cans, wire and masking tape
Moths in action
Paper cut-out on black paper
Paper cut-out on black paper
Month 12 — The Beauty of Moths
This is the final installment of the This Is What I Can Do project. I decided to focus purely on craft. My definition of craft is something that is repeatable, done with skills that can be honed over time, and produces things which are either useful or decorative. The aluminum moths and paper cut-outs were fun, achievable by my hands, and ultimately unfulfilling. It felt like making Christmas ornaments. Fine for a snowy weekend during the holidays, or to decorate for a celebration, but not to do every day
When I began this project I truly believed I was sifting through skills to see what kind of craft I could enjoy making on limited energy and still somewhat shaky hands. I imagined sitting in front of the tv quilting, making paper flowers, something soothing where my mind could amble. It turns out that the desire for uniqueness is burned into my soul.
If I could still design, illustrate, or write, I wouldn’t have to make art. At the end of this project this is what I have learned—Art is what I can do. That is what I have left to me. Now the question is, how will I use it.