Hope...

Hope..., a photo by megan_n_smith_99 on Flickr.

This is another one of my little beaded pieces. I made it for a friend's birthday. It is, as you may have already guessed, inspired by the Emily Dickinson poem:

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.

I can't help noticing how much authors from the late 1800s loved to use dashes. I suppose it was a way of ornamenting the words, just like they covered everything else with trim, beads, ribbon, etc. Which makes this vintage-style frame appropriate for this piece as well.

I have a number of art ideas at the moment but am still getting over my cold - or what the Victorians probably would have called the vapors or something, so anyway I am going to get some more tea and go back to my book now.

Oh! I did pin some more paintings that inspired me, you may enjoy seeing them here.