Eunkang Koh | Eunkang Koh
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Sunday, September 18, 2011
Eunkang Koh | Eunkang Koh
I want to introduce you to my friend, Eunkang Koh. She is an excellent artist whom I have had the pleasure of getting to know. She was a MFA student in the Printmaking department when I was getting my BFA. Check out her website. I am particularly fond of her Book Art and Hairy Tales, which is an enormous pop-up book. Check it out and you will see just how exceptionally unique and gifted Eunkang is. Enjoy.
Eunkang Koh | Eunkang Koh
Eunkang Koh | Eunkang Koh
Sometimes I am the Moss
I am feeling a roller coaster of feelings, right now: Relief, irritation, frustration, love, joy, regret, blah…. Last week my cardiologist drew 9 vials of blood to see if we can get to the bottom of my blood clots prior to repairing my shunt. There have been some things consistently out of whack, so he wanted sort that out before he does my procedure on November 1st. He called me with the test results yesterday morning. Two things concerned him. One is the anticardiolipin antibody IGM, which has been in the moderate range all three times. The other is Factor V Lieden. Both things cause blood clots. The IGM also attacks the blood vessels, cell walls and heart valves, which could be causing my hemolytic anemia, hemolysis and the three funky heart valves… So he’s now sending me to a hematologist to get me on the right medications before my procedure. The major concern is that r-l shunt is allowing blue blood, clots and bacteria to skip the filtration of the lungs and go to the brain and organs…and both of these blood abnormalities cause clots, so combined with the hole, it’s an unlucky combination. He told me before that he believed that my intractable migraines are actually TIA’s (transient ischemic attacks – mini strokes) and now this could also explain strokes, neurological problems, white patch on my brain MRI,... He has to get this under control before he can operate.
I am relieved that somebody is finally doing something to help me, but I’m pissed that it has taken 39 years for that to happen. I don’t want to be pissed, because it is not good for my mental or physical health, it blocks my qi, and it doesn’t change anything anyway, so I guess I’m compensating with the blahs that break up moments of watery eyes and grumpiness. I really really felt irritable and withdrawn today, and I am fighting against frustration that doctors can be so ambivalent. How many people slip though the gaping cracks in this supposedly superior medical community?
I don’t understand why doctors bother to run blood tests if when they come back abnormal they do nothing about it. I have never had a normal CBC, and the IGM has been there every darned time they checked. You’d think the hoards of blood clots, repeated thromboplebitis, massive vascular damage,.... would raise a red flag or two. This only lightly scratches the surface of my misadventure, but I’ve said enough to paint a vague-ish picture of my medical fiasco so you can understand me better, and understand what motivates me in my current creative shift and what motivates what I will have said by the end of this.
Going through it all has been hell and has really taken a toll on my body, psyche and relationships, especially the last few years. I have missed out on the basic normal stuff that everybody takes for granted and have been in the hospital literally hundreds of times in the last few years, including at least two birthdays. I have withdrawn from people and if you’ve had the pleasure of doing something with me in the last 5 years, you should count yourself as a minority. I owe an apology to my friends. I was not rejecting you when I did not take you up on your wonderful invites. It really means so much to me that you thought of me. I know now that it would have been easier to bear this weight with the help of my friends and the fun distractions we could have enjoyed. I have not wanted to be a burden on anyone and was afraid that I would get sick and spoil everyone’s fun. I thought that I needed to be a happy, cheery, rock of a person who everybody could lean on, but I was very uncomfortable leaning on anyone else.
Everybody has many struggles in their lives, but most people hide them. I think people are afraid to come across as vulnerable. We want to portray ourselves as having the lives everyone else wants, because we incorrectly regard “perfection” as strength. This does nothing but lower our quality of life. If we can’t share our pain with other people, then not only do we miss out on the nourishing support from our loved ones, but our relationships remain superficial. We never actually experience true intimacy, and I’m not referring only to romantic intimacy, but to the many deep connections that are possible in life.
People don’t like you because you are smart, talented, rich, attractive, perfect…in fact, I think many people resent folks who seem to have it all. Anyone who likes you for those reasons is only using you. They see you as someone who can do something for them or somehow elevate their status. People really like you for how you treat them and how they feel when they are around you. Unfortunately, some folks are uncomfortable hearing the gritty, intimate, darker details about other’s lives. But I am not, and I refuse to portray myself as a shiny, polished person with no problems. I have problems. I might sparkle sometimes, but that is pure perspiration. If someone can’t handle the dirty truths about my perfectly imperfect life, then they can find their kicks elsewhere. I am not afraid to be ridiculed…and I have been, even publicly by people that I loved. It hurt immensely, but I survived and can look back and know that my problems were not the problem.
I promise to everyone right now that I will do my very best to be myself, the good, the bad and the ugly; and I will do my best to forgive those who can’t accept that. I will also strive to provide my half of true deep, honest, encouraging and supportive friendship to those who are willing to grow and learn with me and love me for who I am. Our struggles are part of living and I want to live fully. Let’s embrace the wholeness now, of what it is to be alive, and do our best to help make life better for everyone, because that gives us purpose and joy. Sometimes we are the rock and sometimes we are the soft, fuzzy stuff growing on the rock.
I am relieved that somebody is finally doing something to help me, but I’m pissed that it has taken 39 years for that to happen. I don’t want to be pissed, because it is not good for my mental or physical health, it blocks my qi, and it doesn’t change anything anyway, so I guess I’m compensating with the blahs that break up moments of watery eyes and grumpiness. I really really felt irritable and withdrawn today, and I am fighting against frustration that doctors can be so ambivalent. How many people slip though the gaping cracks in this supposedly superior medical community?
I don’t understand why doctors bother to run blood tests if when they come back abnormal they do nothing about it. I have never had a normal CBC, and the IGM has been there every darned time they checked. You’d think the hoards of blood clots, repeated thromboplebitis, massive vascular damage,.... would raise a red flag or two. This only lightly scratches the surface of my misadventure, but I’ve said enough to paint a vague-ish picture of my medical fiasco so you can understand me better, and understand what motivates me in my current creative shift and what motivates what I will have said by the end of this.
Going through it all has been hell and has really taken a toll on my body, psyche and relationships, especially the last few years. I have missed out on the basic normal stuff that everybody takes for granted and have been in the hospital literally hundreds of times in the last few years, including at least two birthdays. I have withdrawn from people and if you’ve had the pleasure of doing something with me in the last 5 years, you should count yourself as a minority. I owe an apology to my friends. I was not rejecting you when I did not take you up on your wonderful invites. It really means so much to me that you thought of me. I know now that it would have been easier to bear this weight with the help of my friends and the fun distractions we could have enjoyed. I have not wanted to be a burden on anyone and was afraid that I would get sick and spoil everyone’s fun. I thought that I needed to be a happy, cheery, rock of a person who everybody could lean on, but I was very uncomfortable leaning on anyone else.
Everybody has many struggles in their lives, but most people hide them. I think people are afraid to come across as vulnerable. We want to portray ourselves as having the lives everyone else wants, because we incorrectly regard “perfection” as strength. This does nothing but lower our quality of life. If we can’t share our pain with other people, then not only do we miss out on the nourishing support from our loved ones, but our relationships remain superficial. We never actually experience true intimacy, and I’m not referring only to romantic intimacy, but to the many deep connections that are possible in life.
People don’t like you because you are smart, talented, rich, attractive, perfect…in fact, I think many people resent folks who seem to have it all. Anyone who likes you for those reasons is only using you. They see you as someone who can do something for them or somehow elevate their status. People really like you for how you treat them and how they feel when they are around you. Unfortunately, some folks are uncomfortable hearing the gritty, intimate, darker details about other’s lives. But I am not, and I refuse to portray myself as a shiny, polished person with no problems. I have problems. I might sparkle sometimes, but that is pure perspiration. If someone can’t handle the dirty truths about my perfectly imperfect life, then they can find their kicks elsewhere. I am not afraid to be ridiculed…and I have been, even publicly by people that I loved. It hurt immensely, but I survived and can look back and know that my problems were not the problem.
I promise to everyone right now that I will do my very best to be myself, the good, the bad and the ugly; and I will do my best to forgive those who can’t accept that. I will also strive to provide my half of true deep, honest, encouraging and supportive friendship to those who are willing to grow and learn with me and love me for who I am. Our struggles are part of living and I want to live fully. Let’s embrace the wholeness now, of what it is to be alive, and do our best to help make life better for everyone, because that gives us purpose and joy. Sometimes we are the rock and sometimes we are the soft, fuzzy stuff growing on the rock.
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Monday, August 8, 2011
Cut Your Own Rubber Stamps
Welcome to the next act in my gift tag saga. I decided to cut some new rubber stamps for my recently dyed tags. Many of the designs on the gift tags I showed in my paper dying entry were hand-cut in this way. I am currently using Soft-Kut Printing Blocks from Dick Blick because they are soft and inexpensive. Curls were not easy because the material is so rubbery and pliable, so the first design you see here took me longer than I had hoped. A firmer block would have been better for this design, I think.
I started by cutting with scissors some shapes from a larger block that fit the two main sizes of tags that I am using. I made a rough sketch with a sharpie directly on the block, then started cutting away the negative space with Speedball Linoleum Cutters. I like these because they are inexpensive and if you make a mistake when sharpening your blades, you can buy inexpensive replacement tips. You can also use an exacto knife for straight edges in tricky places.
When I finished cutting my design, I rinsed it with sudsy water to remove any rubber debris. After it dried I tested it with an inexpensive black water-based ink pad. Inking these up is much easier if you keep the block on your table and dab it with your ink pad. Keep dabbing with your pad, moving it all around the block and angling it in different directions. Do not slide the pad across your block. It will take a while for the block to build up enough ink for your first proof, but after a few prints the surface of your block will get more sticky and hold more ink.
To print, place your block face down on your paper and press the back with a flat object a little larger that the pad. A block of wood works great.
After you have successfully made some proofs, you may decide to cut more of your block away. I have left some texture in the negative space around the tree that I will probably cut away at a later date.
My second block (the leaf) was much easier because my design had no curls. This time I cut away all of the background that printed in my proofs so I would have a clean design. It’s best to cut away more the closer you get to the edge of your block, so the edge is thinner than the area next to the image. Make sure you wash the ink off your block with soapy water after your are done printing or between colors. When storing your blocks make sure that nothing is touching the printing side that will leave an indentation and damage your image. These block are fragile. I use a layer of thick cardstock to protect mine.
You can used water-based ink pads with these blocks, or roll ink on with a brayer. This is a great way to control your color and get an opaque, crisp and consistent print.
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Saturday, August 6, 2011
Golden Healers - Yellow Quartz Crystal (NOT Tangerine Quartz): Healing Properties And The Difference Between Both Stones
Golden healer quartz is a yellow variety of quartz colored by iron minerals such as goethite and limonite trapped inside the crystal. Some specimens also contain amphibole inclusions like tremolite or oxidized actinolite.
This article explains what golden healer quartz is, how it forms, how it differs from tangerine quartz, and the metaphysical properties for these fantastic healing crystals.
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| Golden Healer w/ Amphibole Hairs |
Golden healers are rare yellow quartz crystals colored by an internal dusting of fine iron oxides, often including goethite. Some specimens also contain fine amphibole needles, commonly tremolite or oxidized actinolite, trapped within the crystal. Their colors range from pale yellow to deep gold or orange, and like clear quartz, amethyst, and citrine, they have a Mohs hardness of 7.
This stone is known as golden healer for its reputation as a powerful whole-body healing crystal. The presence of iron-bearing minerals adds grounding and restorative qualities to the purifying and amplifying properties of quartz. Golden healer quartz is traditionally used for spiritual healing, energetic cleansing, immune system support, clearing blockages in qi (chi), aligning the chakras, and balancing yin–yang energies. Yellow quartz can be used with any chakra, but is especially associated with the sacral, solar plexus, and crown chakras. Working with this stone at the third chakra (solar plexus) supports alignment with Divine will and personal purpose.
Golden healers are often associated with confidence, vitality, happiness, and a sense of adventure. Paler yellow stones are commonly used when uplift, cheerfulness, and enthusiasm are needed, while deeper golden hues are believed to enhance manifestation, self-assurance, and leadership qualities. Yellow quartz is traditionally linked with sun energy and all zodiac signs, and is sometimes associated with higher states of consciousness, including what is referred to as “Christ consciousness,” “divine consciousness,” or the “Golden Ray.”
Tangerine quartz shares a similar color range, but differs in that its orange or yellow coloration is caused by iron staining on the outside of the crystal, rather than being trapped internally as in golden healer quartz.
Most golden healers are light yellow in color, though specimens with intense golden tones are occasionally found, like those shown in some of my photos. These deeper-colored crystals sometimes contain visible amphibole hairs, typically tremolite or oxidized actinolite.
The horizontal striations visible on some specimens, known as macromosaic structure, are commonly associated with Lemurian-style growth. Especially rare are crystals that taper dramatically toward the termination, displaying the tessin habit, sometimes referred to as diamantina laser quartz. Tessin and Lemurian-style points focus energy into a narrow, concentrated beam, making them useful in energetic work aimed at clearing blockages, breaking up densities, and releasing cords or attachments from the auric field.
Amphibole inclusions (such as tremolite), goethite, limonite, and other iron-bearing minerals contribute to the complex mineral “cocktail” responsible for the yellow coloration of these crystals. Because the mineral composition varies from specimen to specimen, each golden healer is energetically unique.
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| Golden Healer Pendant |
This stone is known as golden healer for its reputation as a powerful whole-body healing crystal. The presence of iron-bearing minerals adds grounding and restorative qualities to the purifying and amplifying properties of quartz. Golden healer quartz is traditionally used for spiritual healing, energetic cleansing, immune system support, clearing blockages in qi (chi), aligning the chakras, and balancing yin–yang energies. Yellow quartz can be used with any chakra, but is especially associated with the sacral, solar plexus, and crown chakras. Working with this stone at the third chakra (solar plexus) supports alignment with Divine will and personal purpose.
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| Golden Healer Pendant - Tessin Habit |
Golden healers are often associated with confidence, vitality, happiness, and a sense of adventure. Paler yellow stones are commonly used when uplift, cheerfulness, and enthusiasm are needed, while deeper golden hues are believed to enhance manifestation, self-assurance, and leadership qualities. Yellow quartz is traditionally linked with sun energy and all zodiac signs, and is sometimes associated with higher states of consciousness, including what is referred to as “Christ consciousness,” “divine consciousness,” or the “Golden Ray.”
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| Golden Healer with Amphibloe (Tremolite) - Tessin Habit |
Tangerine quartz shares a similar color range, but differs in that its orange or yellow coloration is caused by iron staining on the outside of the crystal, rather than being trapped internally as in golden healer quartz.
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| Golden Healers with Tremolite (Right - Tessin Habit) |
Most golden healers are light yellow in color, though specimens with intense golden tones are occasionally found, like those shown in some of my photos. These deeper-colored crystals sometimes contain visible amphibole hairs, typically tremolite or oxidized actinolite.
 |
| Golden Healer Quartz Pendant |
The horizontal striations visible on some specimens, known as macromosaic structure, are commonly associated with Lemurian-style growth. Especially rare are crystals that taper dramatically toward the termination, displaying the tessin habit, sometimes referred to as diamantina laser quartz. Tessin and Lemurian-style points focus energy into a narrow, concentrated beam, making them useful in energetic work aimed at clearing blockages, breaking up densities, and releasing cords or attachments from the auric field.
 |
| Golden Healer Cluster |
Amphibole inclusions (such as tremolite), goethite, limonite, and other iron-bearing minerals contribute to the complex mineral “cocktail” responsible for the yellow coloration of these crystals. Because the mineral composition varies from specimen to specimen, each golden healer is energetically unique.
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| Golden Healer With Amphibole - Tessin Habit |
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| Tourmalinated Tangerine Quartz Pendant |
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| All of These Are Golden Healers Except Upper Left Which is Iron-Stained |
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| Upper Left is Iron-Stained, Others are Deeply Saturated Golden Healers with Amphibole |
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| Tangerine Quartz |
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| Tangerine Quartz |
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| Golden Healer with Tremolite or Oxidized Actinolite |
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| Golden Healer with Tremolite or Oxidized Actinolite Fibers |
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| Golden Healer With Tremolite or Oxidized Actinolite |
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| Golden Healer With Tremolite |
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| Golden Healer |
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| Golden Healer Cluster |
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| Golden Healer - Tessin Habit |
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| Unusual Golden Healer with White Mineral (The Mineral on Outside is Water-Soluble.) |
I ADORE her website, though some of the pictures on this page are of tangerine quartz:
This site carries a nice collection of beautiful pieces, plus a good metaphysical properties guide that is different from mine:
You might also like these other related articles I have written:
Carnelian Metaphysical Properties and Gemstone Information
Black Tourmaline (Schorl) Metaphysical Properties and Gemstone Information
©Jennifer Shipley
The content of this article is the intellectual property of Jennifer Shipley. Please do not quote without crediting me and linking to my post.
The content of this article is the intellectual property of Jennifer Shipley. Please do not quote without crediting me and linking to my post.
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Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Natural Hand-Dyed Paper
Dying paper at home is an easy and inexpensive project you can complete in one work session. Your hand-dyed paper can be used for card-making, gift tags, bookmarks, soap and gift packaging, scrapbooking, paper maché, collages, magnets…anything you can think of. I have been using my hand-dyed paper to make gift tags, which I give out with each pendant purchase in my etsy store.
The finished gift tags/bookmarks you see here I made using paper that I dyed with coffee, tea, turmeric and cinnamon. Simmering the natural ingredients found in my kitchen gave my tags not only a rich, earthy yellow ochre hue, but also a nearly edible aroma.
For my most recent batches, I used the water left over from boiling beets that we ate for dinner and a combination of hand-torn watercolor paper and die-cut manila tags from the office supply store.
First I used the beet juice alone to die a few batches as I slowly reheated the liquid in a sauce pan on the stove. I dipped both sides of my paper in the beet juice, then soaked them until they sank (about 5 minutes.) You can dye multiple pieces at once.
After spreading crumpled aluminum foil on a cookie sheet, I set my papers out to dry in the oven on about 185 °f. You do not need the aluminum foil. I used it to create a splotchy texture. It helps to have two cookie sheets going at one time so you can stagger your work – while one pan is drying, fill the other pan with your next batch of paper.
After I dyed all the paper that I wanted to have pink, I kept the beet water just under boil and added powdered turmeric and a black tea bag. This time I did smaller batches because I wanted my paper to have darker red splotches on one side.
To get these splotches I soaked the papers on low heat just long enough for the ones floating on top to dry partially. If they soak too long they will sink to the bottom and the splotches will be lost. You can use a fork to pull the papers out of the pan, or the string (or wire) that comes attached to your tags.
Drying the papers on the crumpled aluminum foil leaves a very interesting random texture and drying them directly on the oven rack or a cookie cooling rack leaves interesting stripes.
For a smoother color, try drying them directly on a cookie sheet, but I recommend testing a sample of each paper type first to assure that your batches won’t stick to the cookie sheet after they are dry.
After paper has dried, press them under heavy, hard-cover books to flatten them out. A thick layer of scratch paper or a felt pad placed below the books on top of equal sized small dyed paper stacks will help you press more paper at one time.
For the artwork on my tags, I used a combination of store bought and hand-carved rubber stamps, with various inks, including water-based pigment pads, solvent-based dye pads and Dick Blick relief printing inks rolled out with a brayer directly onto the stamps.
Next, I decorated my tags with cut paper and hand-dyed sand. For my final touches, I stamped or brushed color around the edges and looped ribbon through the holes.
Combine any medium you want to create your artwork, but keep in mind that these vegetable dyes are not completely colorfast, so consider that when using wet media.
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Saturday, July 30, 2011
Milky Quartz Crystal: A Powerful Gemstone Healer - Gemstone Information and Metaphysical Properties
Milky Quartz, also known as snow quartz or white quartz, has a Mohs hardness of 7. The milky white color is created by microscopic fluid inclusions trapped inside the crystal during its formation. These fluid inclusions affect the crystal habit, changing the way it grows.
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| Iron Stained Milky Quartz Pendant SOLD at DoodlepunkArt |
Energetically, milky quartz helps you observe life from a fresh, childlike place of innocence and wonder instead of a cynical or biased perspective. It is considered a powerful healer and can be programmed for a variety of specific functions. Milky quartz releases energy gradually or holds it until it is needed. It can be used in combination with emerald, spinel, and pearl or shell to balance polarities.
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| Iron-Stained Milky Quartz SOLD |
The polished specimen in this handmade silver pendant shown above is iron-stained milky quartz. Chevron amethyst is a combination of purple amethyst and milky quartz. An example can be seen in the pendant below.
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| Chevron Amethyst Pendant |
For more information on milky quartz go to http://www.quartzpage.de/milky.html
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