Summer Holiday Break - Jan 2018

Tapestry weaving - Community Project

Taking a break from my creative responsibilities over Christmas and the New Year was very beneficial. Not only did it enable my body to heal but it gave me the opportunity to reflect and ponder the direction i'm going in. (Not that I've really worked that out yet!)

In mid January I picked up the weaving bobbin and started work on the "water"

I'm sure I have undone as much as I have woven! I find myself often highly critical of my effects and the next day undone an area and redo it until I'm satisfied - this is tiring but I am choosing to view it as "ongoing exploration" of my textile creativity. At first I just used a technique calling hatching to blend colours but I also wanted to convey a sense of movement so reworked the colours building up the different colours to create "waves'

While working on the weaving, which if I rostered on with someone to mind the counter has also provided me with the opportunities to talk with visiting public who show interest in our tapestry. I think I am getting more confident in dealing with the public but sometimes I just clam up and can't say a thing!

Helping members of the public to try a little weaving is all part of this community project. Usually they say "No, I'm happy to watch" and when I feel brave enough I like to encourage people to have a go at something they've not done before and they came away from the experience happy that they have participated.

Often I stayed after work to do some weaving. Naoko the other weaver helping me (or is it me helping her??) went over to visit family in Japan towards to end of January and I said I would get the water/whales area complete before she returned mid February. Of course, I haven't as I have spent much of my time undoing/redoing my weaving!

Here's some close up photos of my weaving around the whales..

Some days I'm really pleased with my weaving contributions and other days I really dislike what I do*groans*  but I am learning to "let go" of my expectations and ideals and just be in the moment and try eanjoy the process and learn from my experiences in a non-critical way.

These words from a library book I have on loan reiterate the lessons I have been learning on this weaving journey. Learning what doesn't work is as valuable as what does. Being brave when experimenting is the springboard to  creative discovery. Mistakes aren't failures, they are opportunities to try different approaches. Undoing reinforces doing. Nothing is wasted!

Soap/salve making

After Christmas I completely sold out of Comfrey & Arnica Balm and also almost ran out of Pohutukawa Balm so spent an afternoon one weekend making more.

In mid-January I was approached by a family aquaintence to make 160 soaps for PACIFICA Inc, a national non government organisation for Pacific women living in New Zealand. Members throughout the country get together annually to conduct the main business of the organisation but also to celebrate being together. This time it was being held here in Whangarei and the hosting branch coordinator wanted locally made items for their conference bags.

After making all the soaps, of which I made 4 "flavours" Coconut and lime, Mango, Pohutukawa and Frangapani which I called my exotic range I then needed to individually package and label each one.

Did I mention it was during this time my printer went on the blink and I was constantly needing to replenish packaging materials as I grossly under-estimated what I'd need to wrap them all??

Wrapping, tying and labelling all the soaps took hours and I found I could only work for a few hours at a time before my wrists hurt and fingers tingled.

I was such a relief when I had them all done boxed up ready for collecting.  Next time I will not be so eager to say "yes" to a large order that requires individual packaging!

Ceramics

Pottery started up again in mid-Jan though I took an extended break until later in the month. 

 Even though my Nature number series was received by the committee members at the December 2017 meeting with mixed opinions I decided to continue making them. Wendy, who is the Firebirds Chairperson encouraged me to persevere with my ideas and submit them to the Reyburn Art Gallery, (She is closely involved with choosing what is sold in the shop).

I plan to under-paint a series before bisque firing inspired by two of my favourite artists, Klimt and Hundertwasser (see images below) NOTE: the image below are not my paintings!

 I have done some sketching but yet to photograph it.

[Image source:from the internet]

Photography

New Years evening produced the most stunning sunset here in Whangarei. I'd like to try painting this or do an art journal page recalling my thoughts and reflections as we started a New Year.

The reflections in my neighbour window caught my eye too. Did I mention I love reflections?? They fascinate me and I wish I knew why....

...and of course, my beloved cat and son, Cameron.
Again, I'm loving the reflection in the wind-screen and can you spot the upside-down photo??

November 2017

November has been a frustrating month. I injured myself doing the hedge which is over 10 metres long and had grown almost twice my height! I'm really regretting thinking I could do it as I'm not suffering - suffering with tingling, burning and numbness in my arms but particularly in my hands. I've been enforced to limit my activities as a result and this has been very frustrating creatively-speaking but it's also been distressing and had me in tears of anguish.

RICKY-TIME: Teaching/Encouraging

Ricky's glazed garlic pots, ready for firing.

Ricky said he enjoyed making them and often asks me when we are next going to do pottery.

We made up box-frames for concrete tiles (his mum needed them for the fireplace)

At the request of Ricky's Mum, we also attempted to make a mitred-cornered picture frame for a tapestry his sister had done. As I didn't have the proper tools I had to ask his Mum to get someone else to cut the mitred corners, which she did. 

I've done my best at gluing/stapling but then learned the backing board Ricky and I had stretched the tapestry around was too think once glass put into the frame so I've had to cut a second, thinner board up-cycled from an unwanted picture frame and re-stretch the tapestry.

PLANNING/ORGANISING

TLC Programme Support, Dane Devine has been helping me over the months to plan my week and then record my creative activities. I did have a Weekly Organiser pad but haven't been able to find it in my messy system so I went online and found some weekly organisers that are free and printable. My daughter Sarah who is at home studying too, offered to help me sort out my "Creative Spaces" - there is still much to do but she has helped me sort two areas. It's great to be able to find things again!

POTTERY

I haven't been able to do much pottery but did manage to make some plant makers. I thought they might sell well at The Bach Gallery. They are yet to be fired and glazed.

HARVESTING/FORAGING

With the longer days I've been making the effort to spend time outside in my garden again. I harvested more calendula for soap and salve making, along with comfrey and borage

The flax bush that I'd cut up for paper-making and had in water in the outdoors bath with starting to smell pretty bad! My daughter reluctantly, but graciously helped me get it out and lay it on the lawn for processing. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to cut it up mow though - what I really need is some sort of big munching machine that can cope with the fibrous nature of flax!


TAPESTRY WEAVING/COMMUNITY PROJECT:

Naoko and I discussed how we were going to work and weave the "water" - she suggested hatching and I suggested colour blending the yarns by splitting them in half and then re-plying them. We compromised by doing both. The process of doviding the 8 ply wool was a it tedious but over time I've adapted my technique and cut the dividing time in half. Nothing like a challenge to make one look for solutions!

SOAP-MAKING/SALVE-LABELING

I spent several days over the month having to make soap so I didn't run out of stock over Christmas/January. I had great plans of selling soaps and balms at The Artisan's Market but with my tingling and burning issue in my arms I just had to let that go. I'd even organised another marketeer to sell on behalf for me. Fortunately with putting my prices up and having some ceramic soap dishes for sale I did ok over December sales-wise. 

December 5 - 12 Creativity Catch-up

My plan for the week

Soap and salve-making - preparing for Christmas

 Soap curing in my laundry

Pohutukawa flowers - the trees everywhere are loaded!

I used some for making balms as well as for soap, both which sell well.

  Straining pohutukawa-infused oil..

..and measuring it out. Half a cup oil per 25 gm beeswax.

 Jars from Arthur Holmes - I needed to order some more
and was pleased when they arrived as I've been asked
 to supply the staff  Christmas presents this year.

First batch - Pohutukawa and Chamomile salve
Next on my list was Comfrey and Arnica - this has been
selling really well and great for body aches (like a sore
 neck/head ache) pain and for reducing bruising.

 Processing the plant materials....

..straining and measuring oil which then gets added to the melted bees wax.

 The filled jars...

..which get lidded once cooled and ten labelled
(which a designed on the computer myself)
I also made Kawakawa and Plantain Salve
 but didn't take any photos, sorry!
Soap and salve Making - 7 hours

Ricky Time: Teaching/Encouraging
Ricky started on a new project - making a backboard.

Painting the cut ply with blackboard paint

I have some picture frames which we'll re-purpose for the surrounds 

 Ricky also worked on this "tree" his mum wanted
him to do..and he finally got it completed. Yay!

Pottery

I was disappointed (but not surprised) my ceramic paper-clay
book covers cracked during firing. I experimented with adding
some handmade flax paper off-cuts to some clay .

 And it cracked. Not sure what to do with it now....

Wendy showed us how to so slab work

 She had lots of ideas to inspire as

 I really liked the leaf vase so had a go at making
something loosely based on the leaf vases.

 Preparing the base.

Rolling out the leaves on some clay.

 Cutting around each leaf.

 Then I added the leaves to the base.

 
Clay "slip" was used to stick

Inspiration Images

Raku Firing - Saturday 10th dec
When I first arrived (I was running late) the group had
 already loaded the kiln with the first pieces to be fired.

Unloading the kiln

The pieces go one-by-one into the bins fill with wood shavings

while more shredded material covered the items
then the bin was sealed with its lid for 10-15 mins.

Meanwhile, I glazed some of my bisqued pottery.

I had no ida what they'd look like after raku
 firing so experimented with several glazes.

The second load ready for the bins (reduction chamber)

It was pretty smokey!

Some of the pieces...including one of mine
(the vessel on the right)

Unfortunately it started to rain.

Mike, one of the potters showed me how
 to "clean up" each piece

My fired pieces - I'm keen to do another raku firing and

 experiment with pit firing some time in the future.

Time: 5 hours

Photography - road trip to pick up a microwave

After the raku firing workshop I took a drive out to 

Ngunguru to pick up a microwave I'd bid on 

and won on Trade Me.