Merry Meet, and Namaste!

Hi! I'm Sumi, Eclectic Master and Owner of Aberrant Moon, along with my husband Kevin. 
Allow me to introduce myself, and our family business!

A lifetime artist, I grew up doing art with my mom, participating in art shows, and finally started doing them on my own. In 2019 me and my husband decided to open up a 2nd hand bookshop in our hometown, Ruidoso, NM, which doubled as a brick and mortar location for my art, and blended both of our passions into a business. Its been wonderful so far! We have an estimated 15,000 some-odd books in our shop, all of which have been donated, rescued, or saved in some way shape or form, often keeping them from being recycled or straight up thrown in the trash.

As the old saying goes, Im a jack of all trades, master of some. Or something like that...
I've never been able to settle down into doing just this or just that; it took me quite some time to give up on trying to choose just one or 2 things and simply embrace and weave together ALL my passions and skills into the beautiful patchwork its become, and it continues to shape-shift and grow with time. Thus my title of Eclectic Master was born.

I don't feel that a paragraph of words can truly convey all that I am and all that I do, but I can at least give you a taste. I am an all around artist; I am:
  A painter, a jeweler, a ceramist, a crafter, a poet, a musician, a dancer( I dabble in belly dance and fire dancing), an aromatherapist/herbalist, a yogi (I'm a certified instructor), a tarot reader, versed in various forms of divination, and reader of symbols. I am a ghost hunter, and a living historian as well; I participate in living history events and re-enactments, and am in charge of Lincoln County Paranormal, the paranormal group me and my husband co-founded.

I am also very passionate about living like you love the planet, and do as much as I can in every way to live a sustainable life style. Earth is our mother, our home; and so, nearly all my creations are hand crafted from recycled materials, as much as possible. Typically, the only materials I purchase are what I cannot acquire recycled, such as paint, glue, connecting pieces, etc. Even then, I always try thrift stores, garage sales and such before I ever resort to big chain stores like walmart. I feel good about creating in this way; I'm continually challenged and inspired to find new uses for things otherwise deemed "useless"; I am saving materials from becoming trash in a landfill, I am supporting local community/people and stores over corporate chains, and setting an example/inspiring others (hopefully!) to look at "trash/junk" in a new light, and live more sustainably. I put meaning and purpose into every piece I create; my goal is not only to create beauty from trash, but for it to be functional, useful, in some way. This is the underlying value that strings all my arts and services together.


My style varies from gypsy to witchy, boho to steampunk, victorian to gothic, all around mystical and nerdy. My styles vary so much not just in an attempt to capture the wide variety of things I like and find passion in, but also in hopes of having a little something for everyone to connect with. Every art work is unique and one of a kind, even pieces that use very basic templates or patterns are original in their own ways.

Sumi Ayame

~the meaning behind the name~

Sumi: (pronounced soo-me)
Japanese:

Noun: a type of black Japanese ink prepared in solid sticks and used for painting and writing. Meaning literally ‘ink, blacking’.

Ayame: (pronounced ah-yah-meh)
Japanese:
Noun: name for the flower Iris

IRIS was the rainbow goddess and messenger of the Greek gods. Many believe that the flower is named after her. Most works of art depict her either in the form of a beautiful rainbow, or as a lovely maiden. Many ancient Greeks considered Iris one of the most beautiful goddesses. The ancient Greeks described her as “swift footed”, suggesting she could respond rapidly to requests. She wore wings on her shoulders and usually carried a pitcher in one hand. Her name combined the Greek words for “messenger” and “the rainbow” to signify her dual role. The ancient Greeks considered Iris the female counterpart of Hermes. Many Greeks viewed Iris as an important link between mortals and the realm of the gods as well as the underworld. In legends, she carries symbolic associations with messages and communication. She would use her pitcher to scoop up water from the ocean and carry it into the clouds. Some legends also told she used her pitcher to collect water from the River Styx, the shadowy river separating the world of human beings from the underworld. Legends differ about her life as an adult. Some stories describe her as unmarried and primarily a messenger for the Olympian gods. In other accounts, she fell in love with Zephyros, the god of the West Wind. They had a son named Pothos, who personified Desire.

Bonus tie-in: In spanish, the word for rainbow is arco-iris. See! There she is again!

Put them together: sumi ayame = the inked iris. (my personal translation)

This is my preferred, self chosen name. Think of it like a pen name, or nickname. How did this name come to be? Why Japanese? No, I don’t have any Japanese blood that i know of, but part of my heart is in Japan. Im just a xenophile. Xenophile definition: a person who is attracted to foreign peoples, cultures, or customs. Fun fact, I considered becoming a linguist in high school; Japanese is probably my favorite language of all the ones I have studied and dabbled in. At first Ayame was just the name of one of my favorite anime characters (a wolf girl; wolves being one of my totem animals). I decided to use it as my online name to remain at least somewhat anonymous. Then I found out her name meant iris, my favorite flower, which are often a rich dark purple, and happens to be my favorite color. THEN I found out that iris was the greek goddess of the rainbow, and rainbows have had a long time significance to me. I’ve always loved color, and even my style of art is rich in color. Also the fact that Iris is a messenger goddess has struck a deep chord in me, full of significance to my purpose and desire to share feeling and knowledge through my arts. I read once somewhere that Iris is also associated with hummingbirds, and the hummingbird is my spirit animal! So many significant tie-ins!

Then came sumi. I like to say this part was more gifted to me during my search for a second part to my name. Being a Libra I have always held close the symbol of the yin yang, and the concepts of equilibrium and balance. During my explorations of life’s polarities, (white/black dark/light male/female) I fell in love with the concept of naming both halves of me. Sumi seemed perfect for the second, darker half (black ink) to the light and colorful ayame, bringing my love of the color black to my love of color. Being an artist I write and draw alooot, so ink has been a major tool in my self expression, and I love it. Then I fell in love with a tattoo artist and tattoos, and the best tattoo ink brand is called sumi, so that fell in perfectly also! Haha.

I like telling the story of my names, not just because I’ve had so much fun and self discovery with it, but also I feel (and hope) that in sharing people will get a deeper insight into who I am and what moves me.