Welcome to the Mosaic Cottage of Michelle Legler
Hello!
It's been a minute, right?!
For those of you who don't know me, here's a short introduction:
My name is Michelle Legler. I am a wife, mother and grandmother; I am a maker of mosaics from the discarded, which means I break old plates and use a little of this and that, throw in a little bit of magic, and give new life to those items that were once used and/or loved, but now are no longer wanted - a rebirth of sorts; I'm a aplantaholic who LOVES my garden (Plant Flowers!) and I also grow my own food; I'm a lover of color! No beige for me please; I am an upcycler of everything (cue Fred Sanford song); I am a builder of many projects for my home and garden (with the help of my husband sometimes); I am a costume maker - because I live on the outskirts of New Orleans (Hello Mardi Gras!); and lastly, the resident/owner (+husband and animals) of the little house I call, the Mosaic Cottage (a work in progress).
Alrighty then, do you have your beverage of choice? Are you settled in and ready to catch up a bit? Let's do this.
Like I said above, It's been a minute, right?!
My excuse??
I'm going to blame it on the BLAH of the world over the last few years. It's been downright tough for most of us. Am I right??
There have been days (weeks, months, years(?)) when I have felt like my soul has been crushed so hard and sucked so dry, I wasn't sure I'd find my way back to HOPE.
When I find myself in times such as these, I tend to withdraw, pull back, and embrace solitude with all of it's wonderful glory (I like it too much....like way too much) (Michelle likes hermiting). I will then begin to NEST a LOT (like hardcore NEST), which entails creating the environment/bubble that I NEED to stay sane. Think happy colors painted everywhere, art all about, and my GARDEN (sigh), y'all know I LOVE my garden and all of the creatures who inhabit it....the squirrels and the rats are a challenge however.
Anyway, another tool I use for holding onto my sanity is exercise (nope, I don't like it). Usually 30 min a day on my elliptical. The only way I can get through that 30 min is to watch movies or a series. Lately, I've been watching, The Witcher, on Netflix. It's very entertaining!
On one of the episodes, I was struck by something that Geralt of Rivia says to Ciri.
He said:
The world outside these walls is a dangerous place.
But times are changing....even here.
Nowhere is safe now.
You can't run from the world.
You can't hide from it.
But you can find power and purpose.
The chance to survive the horror.
This continent was meant for no one.
All you have to do is keep your sword close and keep moving.
Now, it may be dramatic, but those words resonated with me.
You can't run or hide from the world, but you can find power and purpose. Keep your sword close and keep moving.
I don't know why those words spoke to me at that moment, but they stopped me dead in my elliptical pumping tracks and I said, Yes, Gerault of Rivia!!! You are so RIGHT!!!
Art is my sword and I need to start using it. And not just for me, but for everyone! Art Saves!
So, it has begun.
I've completed my first piece.
And here is where the inspiration came from:
Last Spring I stumbled upon a Luna Moth in my garden. It was my first encounter with one and it was exquisite! So Beautiful! So much so, I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I decided to sketch it into my journal. This is something I do when an image, idea, words, phrases, keep looping and looping and looping through my brain. Once I put them on paper, I can think clearly again.
My next step was to do a bit of research on Luna Moths. They are very interesting! The name is derived from Luna, the Roman moon goddess. Luna moths live approximately one week after emerging from the cocoon. During this time, males can fly long distances to mate with females if necessary. Once females lay eggs, they die.
Like most moths, Luna moths are predominately active at night (nocturnal), but sightings during daylight hours do occur. The one I saw was in the daylight, but it was hiding.
Luna moths are not an endangered species, but fewer sightings are apparent in some areas. Trending issues that may contribute to the rarity of Luna moths include
Habitat degradation and fragmentation
Light pollution (potentially disrupts mating behavior)
Accumulation of pesticides in the environment
Y'all, stop with the pesticides PLEASE!!!
If you want to read a lovely spiritual writing about Luna Moths, I recommend this article by Chloe Rain. It is beautiful.
I'll end this lengthy post by introducing you to my Luna Moth creation.
Her name is:
*Light Seeker*
She measures 26x10.5x1
and is created with upcycled broken plates, old jewelry, pearls, clay, beads on a wood base.
I created her on a heart, as I felt the world could use more hearts and also because I just really love hearts
I hope you love her!!!
Oh, and hey, thanks for being here with me! I'm doing my best to dip my toes back into the water. More mosaic art for y'all is already in process.
Peace & Plant Flowers,
Michelle
p.s. I had to move to a new website as I didn't find wordpress to be user friendly for me. Oye!
p.s. If you want to stay in the loop and also be first to see and purchase new work, make sure you subscribe from my Home Page :-)
Your house is so cute!!