I left last friday March 13 from Minneapolis and headed down to my friend and mentor Mark Lindquist’s studio in northern Florida. (www.lindquiststudios.com).
I have worked with Mark on many varied projects for the past decade and have been at times his assistant and apprentice and photographer. I am honored to have him among my closest friends.
When learning of Lindsey’s passing both he and his wife Cathy have been amazing in their care and support of me through this time of grief. A few weeks ago I suggested we collaborate on a vessel to hold Lindsey’s ashes and he offered to help.
I cannot go into details but Mark has had trouble with his health and has not been able to work much for the past few years in this beautiful studio home of his. I am humbled both at his offer and his courage to take on this noble effort to make something beautiful out of something so tragic.
We talked for the past few weeks and had a tentative plan for a new piece but the best laid plans sometime go awry and that happened here. Mark has embraced throughout his artistic life the notion of “the happy accident” and he has passed that gift along to me. I think in many ways it was a precursor to my embracing the possibility of Lindsey and I making a go of it. That is surely how I feel about the story that unfolded between me and Lindsey.
After that first full day here we started to understand our plan was not going to be realized, I suffered a bad bout of depression. I posted about that on Monday night. Tuesday brought brighter fortunes and we had a happy accident. Mark had passed by this piece on a shelf in one of his studio spaces countless times thru the years. His father was a giant in the world of Craft and many owe him a debt for his forward looking approach to both material and to process. I am sad that I never got to meet Mel but I am also sad that Mark never got to meet sweet Lindsey.
So a piece of Mel’s that lay unfinished and rough since 1999, Mark and I are completing his thoughts on and finishing. This beautiful piece will hold her ashes and be another piece of Mel’s work that will serve both utility and memorial.
Two loved ones will come together in death and be something to contemplate and bring joy to this life.
Thank you Mel, Mark and Cathy for joining me in this grieving and yet healing process.
Here is a link to a gallery of the beginnings of finishing this vessel. There is a wood piece on the bottom of it that will be removed. At present it has a metal fitting on it so we can manipulate it to get it completed.
Stop back often as I will be adding images to this gallery daily while I am here.
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