Bandanas of Love
a secret carrot for me!
Friendship is the absolute BEST! I was getting ready for my opening of Winter’s Spring: An Ältere Garten and I had seen my friend Katherine popping in on some of my Instagram Live videos (a rocky start with those- so thankful for a few friends that keep sticking it out with me!) and liking my posts about my upcoming show. So, I was thrilled to find out that she was coming with one of her friends (now mine too!) to my opening all the way from Tennessee! I have known her since 2016 but I think of her as one of my ‘gold” friends (Do you know the song?)
They came up a day early on HER birthday- a 12-hour drive.in one day! I couldn’t believe that I would get to spend it with Katherine and that she would travel that far to celebrate with me during the installation of my show. Pretty dreamy. I am one of five sisters and the camaraderie of my girlfriends is something that I cherish.
I figured out how to manage a cake and candles for all of us but to my absolute surprise she had a gift for me! . I closed my eyes and felt the weight of soft fabric. She placed in my arms a whole stack of bandanas she specially designed to celebrate my show. She brought ME a gift on her birthday. As a graphic designer she had secretly created the design using my line art. But that’s only part of the story.
Her husband is one of the most in-demand specialty bandana creators in the country. His process blows me away. The design is actually ingrained and dyed into the very fabric of the bandana - it feels like my vintage 1980’s red one that I still have. Earlier during the beginning of Covid I sent some of my handsewn masks to her and she sent a couple test Social Distortion bandanas to me for my husband (one of his favorite bands). I made him a mask out of one and another bandana is displayed in his music room.
Realizing they made this pile of bandanas together just blew me away. A collaboration full of love and friendship.
I remember I kept saying to her “What did you do?!” The shock of such a surprise- the joyous gift of these bandanas practically tastes like love. In one of my studies of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Father Antony has a saying that “Food is God’s Love made edible” For me these bandanas are God’s love made wearable.
I had some extra made… and invite you to partake!
Me and my friend Holly sporting fresh bandanas!