Heaven in a field

Those of us who live in the northeast have access to one of the best antique shows in the country, the Brimfield Antique Fair. This show takes over the small town of Brimfield and features hundreds of dealers. I have been faithfully attending with my "Not this Time" crew for over 15 years. Our name stems from this little treasure, an old doll that was missing an arm and a leg. My friends were incredulous that I was interested in a piece that was so ...broken. I had a vision for her, a collage that was going to represent the gulf between the realities of most women and the idealized version that we see everywhere; in movies, magazines, and playing in our heads. It is those unrealistic images that break us, in the end. With passion, and most likely a bit of heat stroke as the summer show is brutally hot I whirled around to my friends and stated vehemently, "I have talked myself out of beautiful tables, folk art, and my grandmother's china patterned plates. Not this time, not this time. I am taking her with me." They were bemused and concerned, as good friends will often be. Sadly, she was no match for my then 5 year old daughter, who promptly broke her head off. Now things were dire, indeed. Still, she represented something. I took her image and had tshirts made for us that state "Not this time". She has become a talisman for me. Brimfield is like that. You go to pick up a fragile, delicate antique and end up with something that transcends itself. I will make the collage somebody with my daughter who, after all, established which piece was the most important.