When I am not making terracotta buildings or cute little plant accessories, I find myself gravitating to these tear shapes.

This particular concept began with the idea of “an ocean within a drop of water” and my first attempt was a large tear-shaped form filled with whales, coral and other undersea creatures (now owned by my whale-loving daughter). Since then I’ve played around with a number of different sea-themed tears and I just adore them.

A friend of mine queried the tear shape…in her mind, tears equal crying and the feeling evoked was melancholic.  My perspective couldn’t be more different.

Tears are not the source of pain, they are the antidote. They are medicine in its purest form, the body’s inbuilt mechanism for replenishment and healing. They are the road back from the brink, the storm before the calm.  Tears can quieten fears, comfort aches and ease our sorrows. They punctuate the largest emotions, our greatest achievements, our proudest moments, our hopes realised. 

When I think of tears, I picture them in my father’s eyes when we danced together at my wedding, and when he held my children when they were born. I picture my children laughing until the tears stream down their faces and there is nothing more beautiful than that.

When you really think about it, is there a form more worthy of celebration?

I cannot think of one.