Heart to Beat

When the Kintsugi name came to us, so did this Kintsugi heart* which became the inspiration for this project and would later bring all the initiatives together – hospitality, education, arts, retreat & training. To get a better understanding of the art of Kintsugi, we ordered beautiful bowls and Kintsugi repair kits – and got to work. We broke them and then bonded them together with a gold lacquer; allowing them to dry over a period of a few hours…You can truly feel the strength as each piece bonds back together and the beauty as the gold lacquer gels stands out above all else.

As we continued to explore the art of Kintsugi and how it shows up metaphorically and literally – in everyday life, we also decided to search for an artist who would help us design our own Kintsugi piece – one that would capture the essence of the Village and be a token that we share with our supporters, collaborators and friends. The requirements were simple: an artist who understood the art of Kintsugi and one who would get excited by what we’re doing. But the search was not so simple 🙂.

I started down a rabbit hole of looking for artists online – on Etsy and there were hundreds – all over the US and abroad. I talked to a few and after several email exchanges and calls, I met Annette & Brian Ohlsen. They live in Illinois. Annette is a graphic artist and Brian is a music teacher/band director and a Kintsugi artist by night. They loved the idea for the project and were willing to create something unique and special for us. As we continue to meet wonderful people on this journey – Brian and Annette fit perfectly! They were thoughtful, kind and willing to involve us in the creative process. We chatted about designs, sizes, colors – and laughed about the dynamics between them and why and how they do what they do. While I was only on the phone with them, I could sense their kindness and thoughtfulness.

We waited patiently for a couple of weeks as our Kintsugi heart prototypes arrived. While waiting, we were able to follow along how these pieces were created, fired, glazed and stamped.