EASTER EGGS

Kids were hunting for eggs in the churchyard at St. Paul's this morning--pink sundresses and blue ties coated in confetti, their straw hats forgotten for baskets full of treasures. Despite all the fun new things at Mirth (Moroccan poufs and bright red slippers, yellow and pink Gerbera daisies), my eyes went straight to this little footed egg cup. These handy and elegant containers have been around for a long time. Archeologists have found silver egg cups that date all the way back to 74 BC, and collectors still hold egg cup conventions (yes, folks, those exist!).

The point is, hunting for cool, shiny, beautiful things isn't just for kids. Stop by and find your own piece of treasure at Mirth. If you happen to have on a bright pink sundress and straw hat with an enormous bow, all the better! It's pure spring in the store today.

-Claire for Mirth

THE BOTTLE OF MATCHES

My day at Mirth has included familiar faces, warm embraces and most importantly, food for thought. A friend who is visiting from California stopped by the shop for an afternoon berry spritzer. He was immediately attracted to an apothecary bottle full of matches designed by Jen Pearson.

He inquired, "What is this?"

I replied, "An old medicine bottle full of matches. You can strike the matches on the bottom of the bottle...to help with your fire-starting."

He corrected (in the most charming manner), "You should never describe these objects with verbs. When a customer asks what something is, simply tell them what it is. For instance, the object you called a doorstop is a heavy rock. You can do all sorts of things with a heavy rock."

Walking outside to photograph this little bottle of matches, a friendly Hotel Paisano guest engaged me in a conversation about the iPad camera. We agreed that the convenient piece of technology took nice photos and then he offered to hold the match bottle for me. I told him that I wanted to frame the object against the sky. 

The picture did not turn out as I imagined; there are trees popping over a horizon of rooftops and car parts. Nevertheless, we only took one. I like the idea that this stranger played a role in the composition of the photo above, a photo I intended to take alone. My friend is right...interpretations wilt with force and become more interesting given over to happenstance. 

This contemplation of objects, space and interpretation leads me back to Donald Judd's sentiments on specific objects and contemporary art's move from 2d to 3d space--actual space--which Judd believed to be more specific and therefore poignant. Perhaps my friend was unknowingly explicating a principle Judd stood for. We each come to an object with a unique potion of experience, life, knowledge and creativity. From now on, I will let the objects speak for themselves. 

-Jessica for Mirth

SPRING POEM

[Enjoy this pensive spring poem by Tu Fu, one of the greatest Chinese poets, writing during the Tang Dynasty of imperial China.]

A Spring View

Tu Fu (c. 750, trans. Witter Bynner, 1920)

Though a country be sundered, hills and rivers endure; And spring comes green again to trees and grasses Where petals have been shed like tears And lonely birds have sung their grief. ...After the war-fires of three months, One message from home is worth a ton of gold. ...I stroke my white hair. It has grown too thin To hold the hairpins any more.

HYDRANGEA & SYMBOL

Inspired by Mirth's newest additions--fresh-cut hydrangeas in a variety of blue and cream, I thought it might be fun to explore the symbolism and associations of these lovely flowers.

My grandmother Ruby had a heavenly blue-violet variety of hydrangeas growing in abundance below the wide windows of her Louisiana home when I was young. If I shut my eyes, I am immediately transported back to those warm, humid-soft days my sisters and I spent at her house in the summer; long blades of jewel green grass between our toes, finding shade beneath the leafy fingers of the old Spanish oak rooted in the front lawn. Hydrangea blooms bring games of  hide 'n' seek, ice cream trucks, and eating figs right off the tree. Yet, they are also a reminder of Ruby's southern elegance, her kindness, compassion, and fiery resolve. She is now gone, but I will always associate the flowers she tended so lovingly with her incredible spirit.

When seeking the traditional symbolism of hydrangeas, I found varied meanings. A cynical few suggest, due to its lavish beauty, the flower can imply vanity or boastfulness. However, most seem to regard its extraordinary clusters of small, star-shaped flowers as a symbol of bounty, gratitude, and friendship. The root is also said to have many magical properties, and has been used in witches' brews, elixirs, and alchemical potions (please don't try this at home).

Magic, beauty, and gratitude? This time of the year is a particularly profound one, whether you celebrate the Spring Equinox, Passover, or Easter (or all of them!), for sweeping away the dead and dusty things, cleaning out your cave, and sowing new seeds. Why not give a bouquet of hydrangeas to a friend or family member who has helped you out, or who is always there when you need him/her?

-Ariele for Mirth

HYDRANGEAS & GERBERA DAISIES

MAGIC CARPET

Photographed above are Mirth's tribal, wool-pile rugs from Afghanistan. The stunning, deep red and navy blue hues pop against the citronella wall. Today, inspired by the rugs, I regress to and reconnect with fond memories from my past.

As a child, I watched Aladdin. The enchanting animation filled me with ideas of romance, adventure and a longing to escape to the more exotic corners of the world. My siblings and I invented new games imagined on the oriental carpet placed in our living room. At the ages of 4, 5 and 6 we were mostly intrigued by the world Aladdin and Princess Jasmine shared, tangible in the imagination but abstract from reality and lodged centuries ago in history. It is acceptable and even encouraged to dwell in the imagination during childhood.

A decade later, the magic carpet returned to me in the backseat of my father's '87 Mercedes...twisting, floating and feeling our way through the beautiful Smoky Mountains, Steppenwolf's smash hit, "Magic Carpet Ride," blared from the speakers. "I like to dream, yes, yes. Right between the sound machine. On a cloud of sound I drift in the night. Any place it goes is right. Goes far, flies near to the stars away from here..." Steppenwolf's lyrics and catchy guitar melodies reached me in the same way Aladdin once had. In the backseat, window rolled down and wind in hair, I remember taking in the wetness of the woodsy, river air, thinking simultaneously of the adventures I would have in the future, the people I would meet, the loves I would share, the lovers I would enjoy and perhaps lose. My future was written in the stars and all I could do was wait; sixteen years old, still foggy from dreaming.

Another decade later, I am not so dreamy. Reality found me and life happened during the time I was waiting. The magic carpet, however, still embodies a special sentiment felt during my ride from childhood to adulthood... a sentiment worth revisiting and indulging from time to time. Today, I encourage you to rekindle the relationship with your inner child. Leave work early, play guitar, eat an ice cream cone, hold hands, be dramatic, express yourself! And if by chance, my heart-filled anecdote about the magic carpet doesn't touch you :), this Wooden Toy Top will?

-Jessica for Mirth

LIVING PRODUCTS

Fascinated by this brass bottle opener by Sakai, (doesn't it make you want to open up something cold and crisp?) So I looked up the designer, Oji Masanori, who says he designs "living products." I think the same phrase applies to the energy here at Mirth. When I look at the individual objects, I picture them in a bright kitchen or a cozy living room, or sitting atop a desk by a sunlit window. The small red-rimmed bowl is full of raspberries, and the blue glass ink well sharpener is full of shavings. Each object is also a poem, a picnic, a spot of light on a dinner table. Come and see the life in this lovely store. You'll find something new and beautiful.

--Claire for Mirth

EQUILIBRIUM

Leslie Wilkes, Equilibrium, oil on canvas

On this beautiful spring day, I'm pondering the equilibrium and joy derived from simple objects. Donald Judd, who championed the town of Marfa, crafted an essay entitled "Specific Objects" (1965) to explicate the migration from painting and sculpture to three-dimensional works. Judd wrote, "Three dimensions is real space...Actual space is intrinsically more powerful and specific than paint on a flat surface." His work speaks to the lifestyle he envisioned intertwining life, art and architecture interminably. Judd filled his world with objects that brought him peace, balance, value and joy. 

To leave you with another poignant thought, Matisse professed, "What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter-a soothing, calming influence on the mind, something like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue."

Mirth hopes Spring Break 2013 will bring all kindred spirits equilibrium of mind, body and heart--the very balance sought after by Judd and Matisse.

If you can't find it in an armchair, perhaps the perfect spoon or Japanese bottle opener will do the trick!

-Jessica for Mirth

SPRING IN MARFA

Hello, Mirthlings.
Happy Saturday to all!

Spring[break] has finally sprung in Marfa. Art openings, community-sized dinners, the return of Farm Stand, intimate concerts, golden days (followed by incredible sunsets), and a little West Texas wind, usher in a bright new season in the desert. 

One of my favorite things about the warmer months is dining outside, especially with friends on a backyard deck, or a picnic among the primroses on some isolated ranch road. Whether it's a table beautifully set, or blankets & a basket full of food with a bottle of wine, I encourage you, wherever you are, to slow down, enjoy a meal with friends, and embrace this season of growth, renewal, and sunshine, even if spring weather has not quite made it to your corner of the world. (It will soon! Unless you live in Australia; then welcome autumn!)

Mirth, love & wishes.

-Ariele for Mirth

MAIYA AND JESSICA

MIRTH IN MARFA

Mirth opened on the evening of March 1st. Like most Marfa days, the sky was bright blue, sprinkled with perfect cotton ball clouds and cloaked in rays of sunshine. Maiya, the owner and creative director of Mirth was busy as usual...making mango cupcakes, homemade samosas and tending to matters of business...matters made more interesting by the very nature of owning businesses in Marfa. In addition to Mirth, Maiya owns a specialty grocery called The Get Go and an upscale Italian restaurant called Maiya's. The comfort Maiya alone brings to our small community of roughly 2,400 is incomprehensible unless you too have lived in a remote West Texas town with five restaurants, one grocery store, two bars, one-thousand pick ups and three hundred airstreams.

The Marfa way of life is certainly unique to most and lacking certain comforts but it is my feeling that people stay here for the moments Marfa, and only Marfa, can provide. Moments of unadulterated mirth, the kind of happiness that bubbles out of a person and touches everyone within the mile-wide radius. We have chosen the objects in our store because they bring us mirth and it is our hope that the store and these beautiful objects will make you happy too!

-Jessica for Mirth