Last year I made a narrative box for a dear friend living in Hawaii. It was a gift for her partner in celebration of her 2nd year of sobriety. We discussed a lot of imagery and finally came up with crashing waves on the outside representing the chaos of alcoholism and the serenity of tranquil lily pads on the inside representing sobriety...the calm after the storm. The level vial is symbolic of seeking balance and the water that surrounds Hawaii. Inside, the two year coin rests on the steps which represent the 12 steps of the AA program. The door, with etched keys, opens to reveal the serenity prayer.
This box has handmade hinges...it was my first attempt and I had no idea how challenging making smooth working, non binding hinges would be.
Etching the waves was real tricky. I used a photo that my sister took on her last trip to Hawaii. Crashing waves are hard to photograph and etching them and trying to create movement often yields a result that is somewhat abstract. In this case I think the waves being abstract worked with the chaos theme.
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