Mysteria Arboris

This lace holds the tale of a magnificent tree, a story I must now bid farewell to my silent friend. Nearly every day, during my early morning walks through the wooded area near our home, I encountered this steadfast companion.

When I relocated to Florida, I was captivated by the enchanting trees that grace its landscapes.

Florida boasts an abundance of stunning trees and wooded areas, each emanating a powerful energy. However, it saddens me to acknowledge that as humans, we often fail to preserve the natural beauty that surrounds us. Unchecked development in Florida has exacted its toll; bulldozers have swept through, uprooting these majestic trees to make way for new housing developments. Consequently, Florida is gradually losing its charm, as its once-vibrant natural landscapes succumb to urbanization.

( my superviser) Beyond our village lay a picturesque parcel of land adorned with magnificent trees and abundant wildlife. Even bears would amble through this territory on their winter journeys to our village. However, one fateful day, the deafening roar of a bulldozer shattered the tranquility, and... you know the rest of the story.

When you traverse a wooded area daily, the trees begin to recognize you. You can engage in silent communion with them, meditating amidst their serene presence, listening to their ancient tales, and observing their gradual transformations through the seasons. Long before developers encroached, the trees seemed to sense the impending change. Certain areas gradually cleared, vegetation thinned, as if they were preparing for an inevitable future with quiet resignation.

This bobbin lace serves as my farewell to a cherished area, bidding adieu to a tree soon to be felled. This tree, with its branches forming nature's own intricate ornaments, held within its being a story waiting to be told. Regrettably, its impending demise marks the loss of yet another magical parcel of land, where mysteries linger and the spirits of ancient indigenous peoples reside, unbeknownst to those who tread upon its soil.

Summer extravaganza

This summer, I finally decided to embark on a project I had postponed for far too long: crafting bobbin lace hats using different materials. In my quest for the perfect material—one that was more stable, thicker, and available in a wide array of colors—I stumbled upon Raphia. The anticipation of its arrival was almost unbearable. Excitement coursed through me as I eagerly began crafting my first hat using this entirely new material. Working with Raphia proved to be a departure from my usual materials; it required more effort to keep it in place while weaving. Nevertheless, the resulting designs still retained that delicate lace-like quality. Upon completing my first piece, I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. I went on to create several hats with the intention of selling them, but something unexpected happened. I grew so fond of these creations that I couldn't leave home without wearing one. It was then that I began to understand why hats were immensely popular in the 1920s and 1930s; they instill a sense of elevated elegance in a woman. To my surprise, men often expressed admiration for my hats. While I expected compliments like "Oh, you look nice," what I frequently heard was, "Oh, you have a beautiful hat." Over time, I started to accept custom orders for hats, and witnessing the happiness on the faces of women when they received their unique headpieces was deeply satisfying. I've always adhered to a personal rule: I craft only one piece of each design. Why, you might ask? Firstly, who would want to wear something that someone else already possesses? A confident woman desires originality. Secondly, I relish the opportunity to explore new designs and avoid repetition, constantly pushing the boundaries of my creativity.

Soul woven in the threads

 This year my son celebrated his thirtieth Birthday and I wanted to give him a personal gift, something unique. You can go to the store and buy anything these days; hoewer, I wanted him to have something special, something that you can not buy.  

I have been contemplating his birthday gift a great deal, and then I came up with the idea to make his portrait Using his recent photo, I went to work. My first attempt was not good. I did not realize how small it was and the final product was just decorative. I starved for expression, I wanted his portrait to be talking to be expressive.I chose black threads with different thickness and just a few different stitches, which allowed me to create the illusion of shading . Of course when you take the piece down from the pillow it looks a little bit different. After all, the final product is a kind of fabric and fabric has its own life. But I was satisfied. This portrait captured my son's energy, his inner power, his kindness, and his positive outlook at life.

I stayed in the Czech Republic for six months and worked on my lace. I did not want to create larger pieces; therefore, I stayed with portraits. My next piece I did for my friend . She is a very kind, very spiritual person, and I thought she was a very quiet person until I started to work on her portrait.To make a portrait in lace is little bit different than to draw it or paint it. Actually it takes more energy, and I think this way you discover more and connect more with the person on a totally different level. While portraying my friend in lace, I discovered how much wild energy she has hidden inside her, how much passion she holds under her calm appearance.  

 I wanted to take my adventure a little bit farther. My father is a talented artist himself; his portraits are sensitive. I like his work very much and this was the reason why I asked him to work on a few portraits with me. It was very interesting to see how he sees the same person. I know it is impossible to compare bobbin lace and drawings, but still to collaborate and compare the two techniques in college was a very interesting venue for me.

This time I started to work with colors. I really like the result of using two contrast colors; it brought more life in the portrait and more closely corresponds with expression of this person. The second portrait I did with my father was our long-time friend . I hope I will be able to work on more projects with my father; it was fun and I learned a lot. 

My last two portraits are my father and my husband. For me it was very interesting to see that each portrait I had to do in different colors. I wanted to create a portrait of my husband in blue colors. I put blue thread on the bobbins, but I was unable to start. I saw orange and brown colors in my strong feelings and vision; therefore, I could not continue with blue. I had to start over with different colors.

I told my husband that I am making his portrait with orange color. He panicked asking " Am I some kind of clown?" No, I smiled. You are not but your soul is speaking in those colors. Yes, I understood his concern. Orange hair, yes, it is a little bit strange. But when lace developed a little bit farther, it was not orange that was so significant; it was an imprint of my husband's energy, his strong will to live, strong will to overcome any difficulties, his fighter spirit, but also his spiritual side, something magical, something archetypal inside him. Maybe I even saw a glimpse of his previous life.

When I did a portrait of my father. I had to use lighter colors. I was not sure if it was the right choice; hoewer, when I was finished, I realized how much this color composition reflects my father's kindness, his inner spiritual life and his stillness when it comes to matters in which he strongly believes .

These bobbin lace portraits are examples of how you can capture the essence of a friend or lover and have them come to life. I would appreciate your comments! 

If you are interested in having your own bobbin lace portrait made, or having a portrait made for someone special, please contact me danielabanatova@gmail.com

Tiamat Cosmic Dancer

By the old legend there is a cosmic dancer.

Dancer is consuming energy in order to move,

Dancer takes all energy , she needs to move , if she

would stop dancing she would die. She is not bad or good,

she just must dance,

When she moves to another plane, she leaves empty space, vacuum behind her

In this vacuum, something new,something precious can arise.

Not so long ago I come across slow-motion photos of dancers. I was mesmerized, I had to think about those pictures all the time .                                      ,https://www.pinterest.com/pin/438819557413981077/

I could not push them out of my mind . Especially photographs of Sufi dancers radiated very strong energy . These images capture incredible energy, incredible power, spiritual wisdom and the moment of transcendental changes . We can feel very same power from religious dances of Native Indians, ritual dances performed by African or Aboriginal and many others .

When you can watch those dancers from close distance, you are taken to the vortex of this strong cosmic energy.

Those slow motion images have been in my mind for sometime, they have been coming back during my mediation and I had to transform my feeling , my thoughts in the language of strings.My effort was to capture the movement, which also
its point of rest. Stopped in the whirl of flickering, this resting position is invisible to the human eye, we are not capable to notice it, yet in a hectic dance full of emotion and savagery we find a moment of sacred peace, which sows the seed of new creation.
Tiamat is the Sumerian goddess, the mother of God, the mother of all creation.
Very seldom I would use such a strong contrast like red, black and yellow color . This time I chose this combination, for me it is a combination of joy, strength, new birth, but also a symbol of the mystery of the ancient Maya, Aztecs and the original population of Australia. All of them are united by a similar legend about our creation. When I close my eyes I imagine how Tiamat danced through the cosmic plane, with powerful blows from her wings,stupefying breath, breathed life into her imagination and created beauty and pain at the same time. Tiamat created life .
Every artist has its own way how to express his / her , feelings , emotions, philosophy . For me colorful threads are helping me to reflect mine inner world.

Desert Rose

Desert Rose

 Inspiration for this lace I found in Cappadocia, magnificent rock

formation in Turkey . Since I was 16 I wanted to visit Cappadocia.

I learned about this corner of the world in the history of art

class and I was taken by its beauty , its mystery.I was studying  travel, historical and art books

about this

place and dreamed that once I will travel there

I dreamed about going there, touching, seeing and

inhaling the energy of this place .

Last year, when husband and I were wondering where we were

going this time, Stan said."Why not Capadocia?"

Coming here was like arriving to different planet, rock

formations with emmental look, it looked like each of the rock

was telling different story had its own life , its own story

The landscape has surpassed all my expectations and it is really

impossible to describe its beauty and atmosphere with words.

How to describe something that seems unreal,
emmental-like rocks,dust, the smell of desert grass,
the subtle shades of color that changes
every hour of the day. How to describe this
experience into imperfect words?

After all, even the best photograph will not capture the energy of
this place. We spent over a week in Goreme ( tourist center of Cappadocia).
We have been lucky, we could  sleep in a rock hotel,
our room was hollowed out in a rock. It was a very unusual
experience.
How people have lived here in earlier history; these hard
conditions, harsh winters, extremely hot summers,and incredibly strong
spiritual energy which radiates from nature here.
What were their lives, their stories? All this  you can
hear when you listen quietly , it is inscribed in this region.

How else could I convey my feelings, my experience, different
way than by weaving it into lace?

I chose the red tones because they best correspond to the energy
of Cappadocia. My intention was to capture the intersection
of spaces, 

The Desert Rose Lace is a reflection of all my feelings,
experiences and my spiritual knowledge of this mystical
landscape.

Silence of Consciousness

Everybody who knows me , knows how much I love to travel . Traveling is not just brightening my horizonts but also during my travels I am finding inspiration for my art work . I could say that all my artwork is reflexion on my travel .

8 years ago my husband and I discovered beauty of Vietnam . For me Vietnam is not natural beauty , but also I found purity in Vietnamese people . I always love to return there.

It is a very special place with deep spiritual energy . It is fantastic place for meditation . I love to swim during sunrise and sunset and  to watch changing colors of the sky and the sea at those moments . Those moments are very magical in spiritual sense .Mind can flow to the different world , it is very quiet moment , and in this moment I can feel strong connection to my inner self . In a sense I feel home here . This is my little paradise . I am finding here my inner balance , I feel my spiritual guidance .It is place like no other.  Still not polluted with big hotels chains and still has local character and charm . But I am afraid this is changing rapidly .One day we went for snorkeling . Have you ever tried that ? Is in it fantastic ?  World under the water has its own dimension.  It looks like underwater world has its own time , you sink in the deep silence . Did you ever watch corals ? They are alive, they are moving , they have so many colors . Fish living in this fantastic world are also so  colorful . And here I found inspiration for my lace Silence of Consciousness. Inspired by the colors which I saw around the corals I choose bluish green and yellow.For contrast my choice was black. I started to make drawings for actual lace  I wanted to capture beauty of corals, their lighthes a vibrant energy . I started to work first with yellow and black colors I wanted to get feeling of joy , lightness and then I continued with other colors combination.

 This time I had supervisor nd very useful helper. This is why it took so long to finish this piece . .   . 

Many people are traveling to India for spiritual enlightening . For me is Vietnam my spiritual place.  I have found  my inner guidance here . Every year we spend time in Phu Quoc, tropical island south of Sai Gon .