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"Happiness always looks small when you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and at once you learn how big and precious it is."
Maxim Gorky

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Not as it seems...

Sometimes the world is not as black and white as we'd like it to be...
Even in the clearest moments, I wonder...
"is it black with white stripes or white with black stripes?"
That's where the grey comes in.
Fuzzing things up and creating questions.
A friend commissioned me to make a zebra for her husbands birthday.
At first I thought...sure! No problem!
After I made the initial sculpture I began in on the stripes.
In this case it was white with black stripes.
But as I do with any animal I'm making, I began to research.
Then it became more than just applying the stripes...
No two zebras have the same stripes.
They are like fingerprints.
Similar until you look very close to see that each animal is unique.
Even the pattern on each side of the zebra can be slightly different.
Did you know there are 3 different kinds of Zebras?
Each with a different pattern to their already unique stripes.
There are many theories to why zebras have stripes.
To confuse prey, to confuse flies, to hide in the tall grass.
When my friend came to pick up her gift, she told me the significance of why 
her and her husband like zebras so much...
They met later in life, each with a big suitcase from other lives.
Their melding of lives was not easy at first.
They realized that so much of one persons 'black' was the others 'white'.
Instead of fighting it they saw that together
they were as beautiful as a zebra.
I like that.
Black and white can bring forth the most vibrant of colours , not just grey.

8 comments:

Stone Angel said...

Your Zebra is just as cute as Toby!! I love him/her.

Suz said...

gosh how DO you do that?
I love it

the wild magnolia said...

I am blown away with the intricate show stopping beauty of this darling lovable creature of the wilds.

You are talented and crafty combined with research turns out a magical baby.

I swear he has personality plus.

Thank you for sharing.

Mary said...

Your zebra is beautiful.. so unique that i can see 'life' in his eyes. No 2 zebras are alike. That is a beautiful story about an older couple. And i didn't know all those things about zebras. We really do learn something new every day in this life...

farmlady said...

This lovely creature will be a symbol to this couple of the differences in a marriage... but also how those differences can fit together and make a beautiful relationship.
This is a wonderful felted piece of art. I'm in awe of your work.

Acornmoon said...

What a lovely story. I am flabbergasted by your creation, how very clever! I am sure he was very difficult to make and even more difficult to part with!

Happy New Year to you. x

Unknown said...

absolutely exquisite. and as thoughtful as you are...

Anonymous said...

one of these days, i hope a burro of yours graces my house. this zebra and your telling of the zebra is beyond sweet.