Sierra Velazquez

The Gathering of Lost Soles Sierra Velazquez

How the gathering began... One winter I noticed occasional pieces of firewood along the highway. A friend of ours needed some to keep her family warm, so I began to collect them whenever I saw any. Later, I began to notice bricks, but I guess no-one needed them, because that was a short-lived phenomenon. Too bad! I would love to have a house like Johnny Cash's Cadillac, built one piece at a time... But tha'ts another story. That spring, I began to see random shoes along the roads, and it came to me, lost soles! (Souls... See what I did there?) Funny, when I took an interest, they suddenly began to be everywhere! I began to collect them, and a friend carved the cross for me so I could take it to Cornerstone Festival that year to display outside our tent area. Of course, I wrote a poem to go with them! I wish I had thought to take the pictures where I found them, but when I did think of it I began to do so, and also to reenact some of them that I had missed. I am a persistent person, or this would not be a thing just now. Because for years, I tried to get the artwork done for this, a seemingly simple project. I lost pictures after photo shoot trips. My shoes housed a pack-rat in the shed for a season. I waited for help from too busy artist friends and family. Finally, I just decided it was up to me.... and Amazon/Kindle. Yesterday on the way home from a long day out, we spotted 10 shoes on the highways! Keep your eyes open! I don't recommend stopping on the highway to pick things up, as it is an inherently dangerous practice. I got it from my father who was a cross country truck driver. Once he came home with a canoe, which was painted by my sister and I and used on lakes and in streams. Once a suitcase with a diamond ring and other personal items, but now identifying info. My mom had the ring made into a necklace. For your purchase of this coffee table book, I will be donating a portion of the proceeds, as well as any good shoes I find, to George at www.shoeman.org . George collects shoes to provide shoes and water to kids in Africa! Check out his story at https: //www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/stcharles/news/the-shoeman-shares-his-story/article_8c7bfd09-df99-535b-9ff7-ea4e071f4a92.html