Item #2008-0043

Item #2008-0041

Item #2008-0034

This is a plaque I made with a Buddha hand carved in Lamphoon Thailand. It was a gift to my friends Gina and Sue who went to Thailand forseveral months this past year. It is great to share my art with loved ones.

Item #2008-0037

Buddha that I made and love so much I don't want to sell it! It is made with handpainted wood beads from Asia, a cutting board and soapstone "dish" (I don't know what else to call it!)

Item #2008-0036

Plaque I made with a resin Buddha, river rocks, beads and a woven basket "plate." This is for sale on my etsy storefront, but has not sold yet http://studio38.etsy.com/

Item #2008-0031

This is so beautiful I wanted to keep it for myself! It is a Kuan Yin devotional, in which the owner can place a flower or flowers, or a devotional such as water, rice or sunflower seeds in the ceramic vase in honor of Kuan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess of Compassion and Mercy. There is also a red onyx candle stick holder. This item is for sale on commission at Heaven and Nature in Harrisburg http://www.heavenandnaturestore.com/

Item #2008-0030

Plaque made of ceramic, river rock and woven wood background, along with a multi-colored Buddha. This items is also for sale on commission at Heaven and Nature in Harrisburg http://www.heavenandnaturestore.com/

Item #2008-0028

Maroon resin Buddha plaque made with grapevine wreath, river rocks and wood frame. For sale on commission at Heaven and Nature store in Harrisburg, PA http://www.heavenandnaturestore.com/

Item #2008-0024

This is another item that I made for myself with one of the Buddhas from my collection. I also collect amethyst crystals because that is my favorite gemstone. I glued together a stoneware plate, an awesome wood bowl with bark on it (it is upside down of course) and then a lotus shaped plate, along with the glass votive holder that I filled with small amethyst chips. As I get more amethysts, they will just add to this collection and it will be covered in purple beauty.

Item #2008-0023

I made this to decorate my kitchen after it was renovated - it matches the colors I used (brown/green) and it reflects the asian part of the kitchen decorations. Another wall has more earthy/countryish items.

The frame I already had and I saved after the glass broke and ruined the picture that was originally in the frame. I spray painted it walnut brown and added texture by putting sand between layers of paint. I got the plate from Freecycle (26 of them actually! and they are handpainted in Japan - yay Freecycle!), the wood African items were purchased at a yard sale and the smaller frame I had - it was just spray painted to match and I framed a note card I had. The green fabric backing is just a fabric remnant that I got for another buck, and the match stick wood I cut off of a huge match stick blind that I bought at a yard sale to use "someday" for "something." Luckily, I have a bunch of it left and can use it for ALL KINDS of art.

Item #2008-0022

I made this as a gift for a dear friend of mine. Made of ceramic, stone and woven "plate."

Item #2008-0015

Item #2008-0014

Item #2008-0013

Item #2008-0008

Buddha and Kuan Yin Devotional
Made with a wood slice from Goodwill (50 cents), 3 birch pillars from a yard sale ($1) and a piece of pottery from Salvation Army (99 cents). The Buddhas and Kuan Yins I purchased at Heaven and Nature (http://www.heavenandnaturestore.com/).I call it a devotional because I put water in the cup as an offering of devotion.

The funny thing is that now my cats show their devotion by drinking from the cup! Kuan Yin is often depicted with an upturned vase with water flowing from it. I guess my kitties are meditating about Kuan Yin when they drink from the cup. "I must have more compassion, I must not shred the recliner!

Item #2008-0007

I got the idea for this when I was at SA and found old wood napkin rings for 99 cents. When glued together they make a great stand for a tealight holder! You'll be able to see in this piece, and most of the art I have done after this, that I love river rocks, and I love gluing them all over the place. The rocks are so beautiful and yet cheap, so they make the best kind of art!

The buddha is from Thailand and it is one from my collection - I am starting to transform my collection of buddhas into art and am really enjoying it.

Item #2007-0006

I made this out of a shadow box frame that I got for free on Freecycle. I wanted to frame some buddhist pendants that I had because they were pretty fragile. I printed the picture of Kuan Yin, and then I glued coins of the chinese zodiac to it. The coins represent the women in my life on my mom's side - from Karin and I, to my mom, to my grandmother and then my great grandmother because we all share in the legacy of having struggled with mental health conditions. This piece is very meaningful to me because it also represents that over time it has become easier to deal with mental illness because of advanced treatments, so I was lucky enough not to face what my forebears went through.

Item #2007-0003

I call this a Tibetan house blessing. It is a plaque that I made out of a tibetan Om Mani Padme Hum bracelet that I had purchased on eBay. I *was* wearing the bracelet until two of the soldered pieces fell off - so I figured why not glue some rocks on it and make it something pretty!?

I have it hanging opposite the door into my apartment so that it can act as a blessing plaque.

Item #2007-0001

I made this little beauty for Karin as a wedding gift after we got married in MA on 1/22/07. The frame I got at a Salvation Army and I refinished it (you'd be surprised what kind of beautiful solid wood frames you can get for 99 cents that just need a little sanding and some paint or stain).

The symbols swirling around the yin yang represent the phoenix and the dragon (auspicious symbols for marriage), heaven and hell (for our last name Heimel-Heck), and I think there is the symbol for love, change and a couple of others - maybe I should have written them down? The reason I say symbol is because they are based on Chinese characters, but I am sure if you read Chinese you will tell me that the symbols are EXACTLY right. That is okay though, because art is not at all about perfection.