Wabi-Sabi Inspiration

Think of an aged door with chipped wood and rusty hardware. Old barns have stories visibly displayed for all to see. A single flower blooming in a crack of a sidewalk or side of a building can be the most beautiful thing ever. The defective crack actually created life. 

I’m drawn to looking for these gifts of fallible beauty. Magical moments that I love to capture and share. Once aware of these spots, you find them everywhere. Think about the reflection of car lights in a puddle on the road or the decaying process of an old beautiful barn, just before it becomes a heap of wood, glass and metal. Impermanence makes objects more mysterious and magical. Why wouldn’t I want to celebrate this magic with you? 

Seeing elegance in blemishes isn’t new. It’s been around since the sixteenth century and is called wabi-sabi. This way of thinking originated in China and passed to Japanese culture. It is many things, such as the acceptance of transience, and imperfection. A way of being at peace with yourself and your surroundings. An appreciation of that which makes us uniquely imperfect. Wabi-sabi is also finding beauty in the imperfection of nature. It is an appreciation of an asymmetrical design (wabi) and the lovely patina found on an old rusted door (sabi). 

The Japanese practice of Kintsugi is an enchanting example of wabi-sabi taken further. Kintsuzi is the art of golden joinery, in which broken objects, usually ceramics, are mended with gold dusted lacquer. It is believed the crack is an opportunity to share in the story of the piece. A place to show beauty, rather than hide it. Once again, we celebrate imperfection. 

My passion is to create pieces that reflect the wabi-sabi way. I celebrate the unique imperfections that are found in life and nature by creating a work of art. This achievement gives voice to the unheard or eyes to that which is not seen. Beauty is in the forgotten. Stories can be told by the scars and life can reside in cracks.