November 2016 - week 3 creativity

November 2016 - week 3 creativity

November 14th - 21st

 It's that time of the year again - Pohutukawa time.

I've heard that if the trees flower before December

then it's going to be a hot, dry summer.

 I love the aroma of the pohutukawa flowers

and they have healing medicinal properties 

which is why I use them in my products.

 Processing the flower in olive oil

 This mixture will be used for salve-making.

I'll let it seep for a couple weeks to extract 

all the goodness from the flowers.

 More forging - this time for totara Again, I use 

this in my soap and salves.It has anti-microbial

anti-oxidant and anti-inflammation properties

 Podocarpus Totara is another New Zealand

 native tree with medicinal properties.

Harvesting/Forging and Preparing Plant Material - 2 hours

RICKY TIME

Planter Box Construction

 With my supervision and encouragement Ricky 

drilled holes in the base of the planter box.

 We measured and marked where to drill the holes.

 Last one!

 Then it's on to sanding....

 ...just a light sand was all that was needed.

 Ricky is using a tin of paint that was in the sales bin 

but as the lid was difficult to remove we got it for free!

Incidentally, the paint is called "Conifer" 

and a lovely rich dark green colour.

Ricky time: 3 hours

(teaching/encouraging/construction)

POTTERY TIME

Wendy Cunliff who is a potter at the Firebirds Pottery Group is currently running beginner pottery classes. Unfortunately I can not attend due to other commitments but she said she was happy to show me what she taught and this weeks class is Making a Pinch Pot 

 Rolling two equal pieces of clay into a ball, patting to remove air etc

Each piece gets "pinched" that is, thumb pressed

 down into the clay ball and the edges gradually

 thinned as one pinches the clay. The top rim is 

"roughened" with a fork and moistened ready 

for joining the two halves together to make one.

 The two halves joined together, smoothing with a little 

water around the join and carefully patting as you turn it.

Then dry the clay off a little with  heat from a hair 

dryer so you can make cuts in the hollow ball of clay.

 My first attempt went wrong (trying too hard!)

so I had to start the above steps from scratch again.

This time I just play with the shape..

 ..and let whatever was going to happen, happen...

 ..and this is what I ended up with.

Pottery time - 4 hours (5-9 pm)

EXHIBITIONS/ART GALLERIES

Reyburn House Art Gallery holds exhibitons of artist's work. I happened to be passing when I was distracted by some colourful paintings visible to the passerby. I popped in to have a coler look.

The artist was of dutch descent and invited me to

 come and have a look at her work. Turns out it

 was the opening of her exhibition.

Margriet chatting with some folks.

The colourful painting on the left

 is the one that "caught my eye"

I didn't stay long and ask if it was ok to take a few photos.

Exhibitions/Art Galleries - 1 hour

ARTISANS MARKET 

 Whangarei Canopy Bridge Market

On Saturday the 19th I ran a second market to confirm my feelings and yes, I have learned a lot about myself. I have come to realise I don't enjoy being in public eye and I get stressed being asked questions about my product, This has been really clarifying for me and positive.

I sold soaps wrapped in handmade papers.

All made from forging and home grown plant 

materials

Handmade soap with pottery leaf dish.

My "Soap'n Salve" ketes, which also contain a handknitted 

cotton face cloth and NZ pumice. I've designed and sewn

the kete (baskets) as well, with material using

New Zealand designs and hessian.

I'm considering having a "sales assistant" for the next market. One of the artisans said her mum might be keen. This will mean I can maintain my public profile whilst focusing on the creation of my soaps rather than public interaction.

 Market Preparation - 12 hours

Market setup - 1.5 hours

Market 9 am to 1.30 pm - 4.5 hours

Market pack-down - 1.5 hours

TOTAL: 19 hours