LADY OF THE LABYRINTH COLLAGE

LADY OF THE LABYRINTH COLLAGE

Lady of the Labyrinth collage

The poem I have attached to this particular collage comes straight from my book, Layers. In Layers, I have written a story that starts out slowly. It is about a girl around 12 years of age. She and her friend find a mysterious book. It is a book that changes both of their lives forever. The story at first makes y ou think it is about each girl becoming a woman. Later, you find that what is happening is not what you thought. This book is a celebration of women. I will probably never be able to achieve in another book what I have in Layers. It comes from my heart and aims to reach the hearts of women in all walks of life.

Here is the poem:

Lady of the Labyrinth

Her soul cries out for the sacred walk.
for the pilgrimage.
As she moves through the narrow passage
toward the center, she opens her heart for
the journey.
The discipline of the steps gently placed on
the path, one after the other, footprints to
understanding..slowly begin to reveal the
gifts of the spirit.
With each step, she sheds layer after layer
of unresolved pain. As her body moves
Inward, her quiet mind opens, surrendering
the passioned images. There is an emptying,
challenging, yet ever allowing, ever centering
and finally, a release.
The sacred labyrinth of times long past calls
her to begin her spiral. To weave together the
psyche and the soul.
She emerges from her sojourn with a keener
eye and a lightened heart.

~Cheryl Dolby~

Close-up of hardware

I was over at Happy’s, my local flea market, and saw a woman that I usually buy a lot of jewelry from for my work. I didn’t quite make it to her booth though. She looked over and said, “Cheryl, what are you picking up from the ground? What is down there?” I had found the best treasure…beer bottle caps. These weren’t just any old beer bottle caps though. These particular caps had been run over repeatedly by the many trucks and cars that come through the market. They were rustic and ancient looking, just the look that I often times try to achieve. I took my small treasures home just knowing I’d find an application. Sure enough, as I started working on my labyrinth piece, these gems just fell into place. I attached them to her hair with encaustic wax and added gold highlights to them. I used a metal labyrinth that I had on hand plus old rusted tools. Perfect. I do like the way the piece turned out and will build upon the theme.

close-up of beer caps

"Lady of the Labyrinth" as well as the book Layers are available through etsy using Paypal. Alternately, you can view them on etsy and purchase directly from me via my e-mail. I take all the standard credit cards including Visa, MC, AX and Discover.

View from the bottom of painting