Six months ago, I decided to try something new: I offered to make custom pieces based on my entire back catalog of unique designs. Your response ignited an exciting exchange of ideas that has given this quarantine a shared creative quality.
This is the visual result of our collaboration. Thank you for trusting me to recreate your favorite jewelry!
I now return to my workbench inspired to explore new ideas.
Six Months of Commissions
Your Favorite Piece
Today I celebrate that it’s been 11 years since I made my first jewelry collection. Throughout this time, I have focused on making one of a kind pieces that I do not repeat.
This month will be different: I would like to make you your favorite piece(s) from any of my past collections.
There are options: if I no longer have the same gemstone, I will show you other gemstones to choose from; A ring can become a pendant, or vice versa; I can make a smaller version of (almost) any design; I can offer design variations on the piece you choose.
Visit the Gallery Section of my website’s main menu to see every piece I’ve ever made. There are 7 Galleries and over 1,000 designs to choose from.
Please contact me here to place your order.
Finger Tape
Painting Sketchbook
Ideas from my painting sketchbook (that could also be made into quilts or rugs).
Etsy Design Awards
“No matter what you are doing, keep the undercurrent of happiness. Learn to be secretly happy within your heart in spite of all circumstances.”
I created this necklace as my entry for the 2019 Etsy Design Awards.
The Undercurrent pendant will live in my Etsy shop until the contest is over in September. Please do not purchase it, or I will be disqualified. Thank you!
Good luck to all of the participating Etsy sellers!
Work Bench
Where ideas come to life.
Velázquez Series
On weekends I visit a park called Los Viveros de Coyoacán. At the heart is a tree nursery, surrounded by a 1.5 mile track filled with people, young and old. When I join them, I feel I enter the river of life. We all move at our own pace: some run, others hobble, a few push stollers down the gravel path. I feel exhilerated as I walk and observe those around me, we all seem so different, yet so alike in our humanity. We all know love, joy, sorrow and discovery. We all have to let go of so much during our lifetime, and we can all connect to the beauty of each moment. This is how I feel as I rejoin you here after many months of introspection.
My life used to be all about work and productivity, my sense of worth was based on it, but much has changed this year, and today I feel blessed just to be here, with the warm Spring air on my skin, as I look at the birds through my window. I now paint, and I enjoy it immensely, but what I value most is that I feel alive.
I hope that one day I can describe in words what I experienced this year, but for now I offer my art as a visual diary. It’s the best way I’ve found to express who I am.
My paintings are inspired by the past; from textiles, sculptures and buildings created by ancient cultures. Like them, I am attracted to all that inhabits this earth, but more so to our experience of life, and how it translates into symbols within our subconscious.
For this series, I used antique art books as a canvas. I painted lightly over the printed image, leaving it visible enough to contrast with my drawings. The first series I will show you, was made on a book of paintings by the 17th century Spanish artist, Diego Velázquez. I named each piece with the title of his original painting. There are more to come.
Paintings from top to bottom, left to right:
Philip IV as a Hunter; Master of the Hunt; The Forge of Vulcan; Portrait of a Man; Portrait of Philip IV; Christ in the House of Martha; The Triumph of Bacchus.
All are 12” by 9.25” (30.5 cm by 23.5 cm).
Acrylic on paper, 2019.
Return
It has been six months of absence.
Musibatty has gone through a process of profound transformation. As an artist, as a woman and as a human being I have had to go down to the depths of my roots and rethink fundamental aspects of myself.
This life is a journey of discovery, not only of the world, but of ourselves. And this last part is, perhaps, the most difficult, because it confronts us with our broken and wounded parts. We all have the option of making that trip to the dark side of our mind, but few are willing to do so. It is understandable, because it hurts. But for some of us, especially those who insist on making art, it is indispensable.
The subject of art is the very essence of the artist. There is no other way to do it. And if, as an artist, I want to offer the world something authentic, something valuable, something that aspires to be called real art, nobody could save me these months of introspection.
Because of that, I have had to be absent. But also for that, now I must return.
Musibatty returns, but no longer as a signature for ornamental art, but as a signature of deep art. Of the kind of art that aims to show us the most intimate twists and turns of a person's soul. That is my commitment with myself and with you, to create art that opens doors to a different appreciation of the world. At least, that will be my intent.
I hope that this road, this life, this work will offer you and me new visions, new symbols, new interpretations of what life is and what we are in this changing and surprising world that we have inherited from the hands of the cosmos.
Welcome back to the Musibatty experience. Thanks for still being here, I'm glad we can meet again.
Pause
I’m taking a break to focus on a new project. I’ll be back soon with new ideas!
Toros
Drawing ideas for my next series.
Fish
I've been working on my next series...
I tried to take a picture of my drawings against the studio floor, but Muna wouldn't let me.
Taking Shape
The cutouts I shared yesterday are starting to take shape...
Experiment
I use sheets of sterling silver to create most of my jewelry. At the end of each month, I am left with cuttings that are usually too small to work with.
Normally, I would melt these pieces to make larger sheets that I can easily re-use, but this time, I decided to use them for my next series.
I have no idea what they will become...
Cats!
I rarely make commissions, but when I was asked to make a cat ring a few weeks ago, I couldn't resist.
I always had a cat when I was little. First there was Soot (black and cuddly), then Miffy (who abandoned us to become the neighborhood's wild cat), then Chiquis-Chiquis (who had purple eyes and rattled when she tried to meow). I loved their independent and contemplative nature (once they stopped being kittens!).
Now that I live in a large apartment –and before my mothering instincts make me adopt a boyfriend– I've been looking for a cat to share my space with. Until I find the right match, I have been drawing lots of felines, some of which will soon become jewelry.
Magnets
I bought these calavera magnets for the Day of the Dead. After the festivities, I almost removed them, but decided to play with them instead.
Now, whenever I need a break, I stand in front of the fridge and wonder if there's another way to arrange them.
I share this with you, because this is how I create my jewelry. I look at what I've just made, and ask: what else can I do with this?
Alive
I began this painting a few weeks ago.
Then I went to see a healer.
She told me to use bigger brushes, to seek expression, and let my sexual energy do the painting. She said the cathartic process would heal me.
Here's the result.
Viva.
Acrylic on wood panel.
39" by 55" (1 m by 1.40 cm).
Blank Canvas
I am fortunate to meet wonderful people through my jewelry business. One of them has just commissioned a painting for her home.
I am honored that she wants my work on her entrance wall, and thrilled to let my imagination create on a large format.
Claim
I finally attached my wooden logo to the patio wall.
Every time I place an object in my home, I feel I add my energy to the place.
I believe that this primal impulse, to make a mark and claim a space, states that our time here matters, and that we are part of nature's creative force.
Growth
I was recently asked to what I attribute the growth of my business.
I think I was fortunate from the start. I have loving and encouraging parents who are artists and self-starters. They taught me to follow my own path, to be organized and disciplined, and to treat others with respect. They created a harmonious home and provided me with an excellent bi-cultural education.
I was also lucky to be born in one of the most culturally rich countries in the world. Mexico feeds my imagination in many ways, from the diversity of its architecture, to its variety of culinary and artistic traditions, to the joyfulness of its people. This is a country that improvises. You do what you can with what you have, and in that process you become creative.
Throughout my life I’ve had teachers who inspired me to study the history of art and the work of other artists. I did so in college, and afterwards in museums and galleries across the world. Now that I am more sedentary, I continue my education through art books. This has broadened my vision and has made me want to be part of the ongoing conversation.
My impulse to create comes from a deep need for personal expression rather than as a way to make money. I only make pieces that stir my imagination. This keeps me away from trends and gives my work an emotional connection.
As an artist, I’ve had to believe in myself in order to do what I love and share my work with others. I am perseverant and experiment constantly. I learn and grow from everything I do: when I draw, construct a piece of jewelry, style, model, take pictures, build a website, write blog posts, and interact with those of you who appreciate my work.
I have been blessed to meet generous and kind people who supported my work from the start, and continue to do so today. I cherish these relationships and hold them close to my heart.
Origami Totem
I recently had the pleasure to read the interview Elizabeth Gilbert gave Tom Waits for GQ Magazine.
In my favorite part, Tom Waits talks about how his children have enriched his creative process, and recalls a time when his daughter helped him write a song.
"We were on a bus coming to L.A. and it was really cold outside. There was this transgender person –to be politically correct– standing on a corner wearing a short little top with a lot of midriff showing, a lot of heavy eye makeup and dyed hair, and a really short skirt. And this guy, or girl, was dancing all by himself. And my little girl saw it and said, "It must be really hard to dance like that when you're so cold and there's no music."
Origami Totem.
Handmade with labradorite and 100% recycled sterling silver.
Soon in my online shop.