Car Boot Sale II - a kiss and a paste pot

A KISS AND A PASTE POT

raw metal-a gift from a gentleman's treasure trove

There is something poignant, melancholy, fascinating and tragic about a car boot sale. It is a form of biography, or indeed obituary. Along with the sellers clearing out the possessions which have come to possess their saturday mornings are the folks who deal in house clearance, disposing with the estate of those who have recently passed away. Hence the boxes of faded sepia family photos, baby's first shoes, Granny's prized tea-set and carefully hoarded tat. The stories of the dead seem to speak louder that those of the still living, and it is as if every floor-cast teapot grasped on bended knee, being rubbed will induce a genie type promise of being the next keeper of its secrets, and with it the next link in the heady beat of history. Or, more morbidly, one becomes the holder of someone else's 'poor Yorick' the clay form fighting the earth from whence it came, full of the spirit and memory of its previous owner.

corals from the estate of a polish artist and her billionaire russian husband

I'm enjoying making my own memories and stories at the car boot sale itself. Today something different happened. At the far corner of the field is a man who sells all manner of old bottles, pots, ceramics, clay pipes-the type of things you'd find in a Victorian rubbish tip. I expect most of it has actually been dug up or mudlarked, but who knows! I was rummaging in one plastic box, dusty hot in the late morning sun, all dirt and tangled jewellery, picking out a few broken chains. The owner asked if I'd found any gold yet, and I placed some gleaming chains in his hand. I'm not sure why I did this, usually I'd joke along then go and sell the gold-that is the job of a dealer, after all. This time I said 'yes', and the gentleman seemed as surprised by my honesty as I was. Turned out his sight was very bad, so he couldn't see what he was selling. He'd have run straight off to sell it all to the man who buys gold at the other side of the field and come back to split the takings with me, but it turned out he was disabled and couldn't walk that far, so I offered to go instead. Remarking to him that I'd not have been honest were it not for feeling rich since knowing Jesus, it occurred to me that at that moment I was far far richer than I'd have been had I done the done thing of keeping quiet and selling the gold for scrap. I cannot tell you how overjoyed the gentleman was, probably more due to unexpected candor than some extra cash- I was showered with hugs and a kiss and a paste pot and an oddly shaped lump of shining metal from his treasure trove, not to mention half of the gold money..... I think that simple, chipped, humble little paste pot will become more of a treasure to me than anything else I've found today; it keeps within it the memory of a wonderful moment shared with a dear old man safe forever.

the greatest treasure of all- a simple white paste pot

This field- a racecourse- is aptly named as the 'knavesmire'-not just for the fool who bets his savings on a horse, but the punter who gambles on making a profit from a purchase. Many times I've won, many times I've lost. I've even left spoils of battle in the field. Somewhere there is a single diamante clip earring, as big as a penny, as bright as a headlight. Perhaps its healthy to leave a gleaning, the remnant of a post harvest gloating session, as I'm lying in the long grass and basking in the midday sun, wondering how on earth I'm going to get everything home, and already imagining how I'm going to display or sell it. The thing about trying to buy the past, or attempting to secure your future from the oversight, ignorance or generosity of a vendor; the thing about setting your wit and wisdom against every other dealer there, is that it does not leave you unchanged. Or rather it brings out, in one single clear note, the hidden and undergirding treasures of ones heart-'for where your treasure is,there will your heart also be'[matthew 6:21].

More often than not, it shows me my covetousness; today it also showed me how gracious God has been to me...

'freely you have received; freely give' matthew 10:8

As for me and my house....

Product development. What an ugly, clumsy phrase. 
The truth is, its a pretty ugly clumsy process too. 
Lots of trial, lots of error. For me, it means trying to hit upon something that I want to sell that people want to buy: keeping my integrity whilst keeping afloat.


I want to show you something I'm mulling over. I'm not sure whether its a road I want to go down, but Christian art signs [from salvaged material, of course] do seem to be in short supply here in England. Is that because no one wants them, because they are too tricky to produce in large numbers, or just because no one has tried it yet? Check out this prototype:

This verse from Joshua
is a good one to reflect upon...
 Its printed on vintage printing block separators,
 which I've nailed to cedar wood from an antique wardrobe
 and suspended on a charity shop metal snake chain.

I wonder how much people value upcycling-
maybe they just want something pretty?
Maybe it looks a touch too rustic?

This one would make a nice valentine's gift.
Its actually from Psalm 119.
I've nailed the words onto the back of a wooden
ornament mount I found at a jumble sale,
and suspended the whole thing on a string of peach freshwater pearls.

Wood and nails-symbols of the cross of Christ

I'd love to know what YOU think of these prototypes? How could I improve them? Or am I barking up the wrong tree, so to speak?

Lets see what the good people of Etsy think...https://etsy.com/listing/121916005/christian-bible-verse-wooden-sign-as-for

Tidings of Great Joy: Peace on Earth. Dove Art.

One thing I'd like to try more of is art that reflects my faith. It'd be a pleasure painting about the things dearest to my heart. I had a go last week, and came up with a triptych of doves. Birds are among my favourite things to paint anyway, and doves seem to encapsulate so much of the peace, lightness and freedom I find in living for Jesus.

I painted quickly, trying to avoid the laboured overworked stuff that is so easy to produce when you're pouring your heart into something. I painted wet into wet, which is tricky with fast drying acrylic. I'm pleased with the result, and, oddly, they work best under artificial light, which is a bonus in an English light-starved winter.

The next challenge would be to try the same subject matter, but in oils.

Bible verse bottle craft: simples!

My latest little invention: promise bottles. This are very simple to make and are a great gift for anyone in need of a bit of encouragement. Just fill little bottles with antique promise box scrolls, or write out your own favourite Bible verses. Pop in bottle with whatever treasures seem to match the verse; I used twigs, salt. real pearls, sequin stars and gems. White sand and tiny shells would look great, as would buttons and feathers.

But is it really Art?

Am l the only one to find graffiti inspiring? This example was snapped on today's shopping expedition, and what l love about it is that people have scraped their initials into it. Yes, the graffiti has been graffitied!

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So l attempted to create my own piece of 'graffarti' if you will pardon the term. Its just the beginning, but there is something nice about the simplicity. It makes me feel, well,  hopeful!