KDE DOMOV MUJ

When I travel, I like to find “things’ that I might be able to add to my art. While in Bohemia I ducked into a tiny antique shop and searched frantically for something to catch my eye, because the rest of the group was still trekking on. I spotted this pin and the price was reasonable, so I bought it and ran to catch up with the rest of the group. Again, while in the little village of Cesky Krumlov, there was a small craft show inside the walled courtyard of an old palace, and I sidetracked into there and discovered some hand carved wood cookie molds, and abstract shapes by an iron worker that intrigued me.

Eventually, I found myself in my studio, looking at the treasures I had brought home, and wondered what I was going to do with them. I started by molding little paper clay appliques from the wood molds. I was having so much fun, I started making molds from other shapes, and then I made a mold of the image of this pin. When I unmolded the replica of the pin, I was shocked to see writing on the pin, because it wasn’t visible to me. I copied the words, and on a whim, I googled them. You can only imagine my glee when they popped up on the internet telling a whole story about an old opera and a national anthem! (See the details below.)

The idea of Where is Home locked hold in my brain, and the story and work really began. Czechia has had a turbulent 1000-year history, with its borders and populations being reshuffled by every new government. Czechs were only an ethnic minority in The Austrian Empire in 1834 when this song was written for the opera Fidlovaka. I wanted to create an image that gave the feeling of a beautiful “home” being sought while not quite knowing where one was going.

While in Prague I had discovered the images of Art Nouveau painter, Alphonse Mucha, and knew that his “girls” had to be my lost souls.

The lyrics of Kde Dovov Muj:

Where is my homeland? Where is my homeland, where is my homeland? Waters murmur through the meadows, forests rustle all over the rocky hills, spring blossoms glitter in the orchards, paradise on earth to look at! This is a beautiful country, the Czech country, my homeland, the Czech country, my homeland!

The Story: In my work you will see a background of a forest of birch, with the Mucha images positioned over the trees. Are the forests rustling? The spring blossoms are glittering in the surrounding orchards. You will find the paper clay appliques adding a feeling of the classical antiquity of the palaces that are so prevalent in Czechia. The “treble clef” symbols were perfect to add as the music of the title. And you won’t miss the lock and key representing coming home.

The Mucha images were transferred onto the canvas on which the tree transfers had already been applied. There are several layers of molding paste creating a frame of sorts for the girls “lost in the woods”. The added glitz of the antique pins, give a sense of time gone by. And thus, Where is Home was created!

This is the antique pin that I found. The second time that I visited Prague, I found the pin in another shop and learned more. It represents the legend of the founding of Prague and revolves around Princess Libuše and a humble ploughman named Přemysl. It is one of the most famous Czech myths.

The Legend of Princess Libuše and Přemysl the Ploughman

Princess Libuše was the youngest and wisest of the three daughters of Krok, a mythical ruler of Bohemia. She was a gifted prophetess, known for her intelligence and fairness. She ruled the land from the stronghold of Vyšehrad, near modern-day Prague.

One day, Libuše had a vision. She stood on a rocky cliff above the Vltava River and proclaimed:
"I see a great city, whose glory will touch the stars. There, where a man is building the threshold (práh) of his house, a city shall rise, and it shall be called Prague (Praha)."

Her people followed her prophecy and discovered a man in the forest, cutting a threshold (práh) for his house. On this spot, they built the city of Prague.

Libuše and Přemysl: The Dynasty Begins

Despite her wisdom, the men of the tribe did not want to be ruled by a woman alone. They demanded that Libuše marry a strong man to govern with her. Libuše agreed and sent her horse to choose her husband. The horse led her messengers to Přemysl, a simple ploughman from the village of Stadice.

Přemysl was brought to Vyšehrad, where he married Libuše and became the first ruler of the Přemyslid dynasty, which ruled Bohemia for centuries.

This legend connects the mythical origins of Prague with the real historical dynasty that shaped the Czech lands.

The connection between the legend of Princess Libuše and the phrase "Kde domov můj" ("Where is my home?") lies in Czech national identity and cultural heritage.

While the original anthem was likely a poetic celebration of the land, its question "Where is my home?" gained deeper layers over time. For Czech people affected by border shifts, occupations, and political changes, it became a question of identity, belonging, and resilience.

"Kde domov můj" – The Czech National Anthem

"Kde domov můj" is the national anthem of the Czech Republic, originally written as a song in the 1834 play Fidlovačka aneb žádný hněv a žádná rvačka ("Fidlovačka, or No Anger and No Brawls") by Josef Kajetán Tyl, with music composed by František Škroup. The song expresses deep love for the Czech homeland, describing its beauty, nature, and peaceful spirit.

The Connection to Libuše and Prague

Libuše’s Prophecy: Just as Libuše had a vision of Prague as a great city whose "glory will touch the stars," the anthem celebrates the homeland, its rivers, forests, and peaceful nature—elements that Libuše’s vision symbolized.

In 2019, I worked for a month on this triptych piece I called, "Pleasures of a Chinese Garden." It's something I'd been thinking about for a long time. Years before, I had bought a small calendar at the Asian Art Museum and couldn't bear to toss it away at the end of the year. I knew that some day, I wanted to use it in a collage. This piece is mostly collage, with some paint and accoutrements. The background is an image transfer from Palace paintings (the Quinn dynasty) that are in the Boston Museum. These paintings are from the twelve that were in the calendar. (see above....I glued them to the back of the canvas.)

The colorful plants are, in part, from 3 little watercolors on silk that I bought in China in 2005, others I add with paint. I stamped the canvas with a design that looked Chinese so it wouldn't just be the Quinn images. I had to apply the image transfers in 2 parts due to size restraints of the computer! (That was sooooo time consuming to get it right!) Oh yes, those are jade cabochons in the center of a design on each 10"x10" canvas.

Chinese is read from right to left, and there should be a story in these pieces from right to left! Lo and behold, there is!! It's a love story! Can you see it?

Pleasures of a Chinese Garden 2019

Influenced by my art teacher in Santa Fe, Darlene McElroy, I wanted to do a collection of "beautiful women" transfers. I collected magazine photos for a couple of years. Sadly, this idea was only manifested into one art piece. September 2020 (from my FB post):

This is my newest creation. It's very different for me, because I have always used a lot of color. Lady in Lace is an image transfer/ paper collage and assemblage. The metal pieces came from a little antique mart in the Jewish Quarter in Krakow, Poland. The image is on a 12 x 12 boxed canvas...no frame needed!

Lady in Lace 2020

Where is Home 2018

In 2021, I took back my long term unfurnished rental house in Santa Fe to be a mid term furnished rental and spent the next two years and most of my money on that project. It was certainly the biggest art project that I've ever done!

In 2023, I toured Morocco and was completely dazzled by the art and architecture. In Santa Fe there was a "bonus room" downstairs by the garage, and I decided to make it into the "Moroccan Room".

The mood turns Moroccan! My first art project, besides my house, in two years were these assemblages that I put together for the wall in my Moroccan Room.

In 2024, I returned to Morocco and spent two weeks in Marrakech. Et Voila! I was a goner for all things Moroccan! I hauled the lamp on the ceiling( in the photo below) back in a box, along with a dozen other little things, and a year and a half later, the inspiration to do Hamsa Hands came to me in a thunderbolt!

My Mood Turns Moroccan