Ouroboros Clutch

The Ourboros is a symbol that dates back to Egypt, first referenced in the Book of the Netherworld:

it is illustrated as a snake eating its own tail, and its meaning is an explanation of cycles that begin as soon as they end.

The inspiration behind this clutch is a focus on birth and death both physical and psychological.

So many of my friends and family have been immersed in new beginnings, the seed of which lies in the quietus of a previous situation:

moving halfway across the country

finding kittens in the alley on the weekend before a beloved pet dies

resolving monetary debt and feeling grief where celebration was called for

death of a friend

new love

lost love

the acquisition of a new job

etc

e

t

c

...

.

Though there is no serpent, if you replace the lovely little daisy in the above circle with the word "is", you have an endless chain - each death is a rebirth is a death is a rebirth.

I purposefully chose a piece of copper (with the imprint of an actual pressed fallen leaf) because it oxidizes so quickly, and can be polished and oxidized over and over again, a cycle

that illustrates the very words that surround it...

From the skull of a sea bird,

a seed of hope for an artist

.

From the depth of a winter emerges spring, which will fold again into cold

and so it goes

and so it goes...

and if we remove fear from the equation, we can look upon these mortal mysteries not consumed with dread should they happen to us,

but with a sense of wonder that they happen at all.

As I build this piece, I just wanted to share its origin and inspiration

with you.

xo,

Allison