When in Rome

I must confess I have a love affair with Italy, it's in my breed. My grandfather was Italian, when he passed away I inherited his key chain. Yes, a small trinket he brought back as a youngster from the Vatican in Rome. I carry this key chain with me everyday as a reminder  of what a great man he was. A small man, a cobbler by trade.  Hard working, he "never borrowed a dime." He embraced  the American dream of the early 20th century. He came from nothing and made something for himself and his family.  I think there is a lot of honor in that however humble it may be. Because of this key chain I have developed an obsession for  tarnished old religious metals . To me each one of them is full of history and carries a certain mystique. Enamored, I must go on and tell you of my treasures and how blessed I am to hold, cherish and work with such lovely things.  Here is a shot of the St Cristoforo Medal of my grandfathers on the other side is the Vatican.  I embellished   the key chain with some other bobbles and a walking fish.  The walking fish is african and is  a symbol of where I believe we came from the ocean. The walking fish, Darwin and the whole evolution thing will maybe have to come at a later date for now I will humbly try to attempt to express my obsession with metals.  From a sculptural stand point they really are tiny works of art, dedicated to the women and men of our past. The great benevolent people that went before us and who left  a profound impact on  mankind. When researching the Saints, almost always it is said what a simple and modest life they lead.  I wish at times I had more of a simple modest life, with less distractions, a life that doesn't put such an emphasis on the  material world.  In my heart of hearts I truly believe I would see the world differently and with more clarity. I would realize that LOVE is the most powerful thing of all. But for now, I will grub around gathering up metals and making pretty things  out of them:)