A most amazing Gift from my dear friend Margot Potter

This dragonfly symbol, looking so lovely here, above, is Margot's iconic symbol --I hope what I just wrote is how she would express it. I said that, she did not! Margot, correct me if I am wrong! It represents her in a most profound way, for a number of reasons. Some of you know why. If you don't, and would like to know, go to her blog http://margotpotter.blogspot.com/ , and maybe she will explain if you ask! I bet she will!

Here is a saucy and gypsy-like petite section from this fantastic pocketbook, which is a gift from Margot to me. The Ace of Hearts, pulled from the deck of Destiny, with Swarovski flatbacks in bloom around the edges in tanzanite and fuchsia, so representative of how life can change in the blink of an eye, at the flip of a card. The bottom of the purse has dice for feet. A toss of the dice represents the same thing. We are all in the game and none of us understand what the rules are. That could be because often there are no rules. Or for some people, like Anais Nin, there is a conscious fight against rules which is fierce, brave and valiant.

In this photo above, do we see a name? Yes! It is Henry. and it is accompanied by a small but unusual signature. That would be sexy Henry Miller, I think, and his sexy sig. I believe that Anais was flat out wholeheartedly in love with him for ages and ages. They lived together although she was married. She was French! Zere you go! Here is some information from Wiki on her: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana%C3%AFs_Nin

Margot's completely lovely and expressive creation, (copyright Margot Potter) shown above in all its glory, is a precious gift to me. Above Anais' face is a quote. It goes as follows, "...for no one has ever loved an adventurous woman as they have loved adventurous men".

Read the quote and then look at her eyes. what do you see? I see great beauty in the terrible sadness, and I sense that it was worth it all, anyway.

I asked Margot why she made the pocketbook and here is what she said:

"Here is the story:
A while back I came up with the idea of making a series of purses that celebrated important women from history. Particularly women who went against the flow or were in some sense scandalous or cutting edge in their respective time periods. The first purse I made was of Lana Turner. This is the second, Anais Nin. In my twenties, I spent a fair amount of time in the library because it was great free entertainment and I have always loved reading. I happened upon the diaries of Anais Nin quite by accident and reading them changed my life. It was like meeting a kindred soul from another time and place and feeling an instant visceral connection. I knew her and she knew me and her diaries spoke to the deepest recesses of my soul. So, I chose her for my second purse. I have become more and more intrigued with mixed media art and I like using a larger canvas than I can use when making jewelry. In a Freudian sense, the purse is the vessel. It is the woman in her deepest most primal sexual and spiritual nature. Think about how much we guard our purses and ask any man who ever made the mistake of reaching into his woman's purse without permission what transpired! So the purse for me is a wonderful mysterious celebration of the divine female...that and it's a fun medium for creating great art. When I finished, I knew immediately it was meant for my friend Jean Yates. Because Jean is a writer and a woman of substance and she is far more interesting and complex than most people know. I knew she'd get it. So I gave it to her. The end."

I love this purse, in all its beauty, sadness fierceness and black and whiteness. And no one is allowed to see what I will carry inside it, because, like Margot, I believe that is a holy part of who I am .

Thank you Margot, I love you, too!