Sep 17, 2009

Spring pastels and Creation myths.

I found an unfinished tapestry of little spring birds for $2. All the boring bits had already been done. The cottons were still there , except white , but I'll have that somewhere in my yarn stash. I might use it for the front of a sweet handbag , at some later date. Cute and Sugary colours.
I have been doing an evening school course this year , and am on my third course already , in water painting and chalk pastels. These are some of my latest pastel drawings . The theme of this course is Creation myths. The teachers reads us a myth from around the world and then we interpret it on paper , however you like. This is from the Maori legend of how Earthmother and Skyfather were separated by one of their children pushing them away , and letting in a spark of light.
The teacher often brings something to inspire a colour exercise , and this is my interpretation of a camellia flower , which bloom here in the wintertime. I am pleased with how I did all these tiny petals in the middle. I love playing with pastels , you get to use your fingers to rub in the colours and you can go over the top again to saturate or to blend with other colours . It's deliciously mucky !!
Here we were told the Celtic creation myth . The part I liked the best is when the Goddess Brighid spread her silver mantle onto the chaos of destroyed monsters and primeval soup on the earth . It's edges spread with white flames across the surface , which turned into a silver mist healing the earth. And making it fertile land.
I am trying to get better at drawing human shapes , but I seem to be better at flowers. So they are just a general shape. Main thing is I am having fun doing it.
This is the beginning of a banner in felt. In one& 1/2 weeks time I'll be going to the southern hemisphere felters convergence in Masterton. It goes for 5 days and there will be about 170 other felters from mainly New Zealand and Australia , and an invited guest artist from the UK. People will be donating skills and knowledge every day and you can choose (which will be really difficult..!) from about 4 different demos and lectures 4 times a day , plus slide shows , our own fashion show , themed days , a bazaar afternoon. And to top it off , we'll be going to the Wearable Art Show in Wellington.
I will have to take lots of things , like pen and paper , camera , show-and-tell , a banner for selling to raise funds for the next time (see beginnings above ), oh and a pair of binoculars for the show. It will be nice to see old felting friends again , and to meet new ones.
Most years I go to a felter's retreat , to meet with about 45 others from around NZ, and make felt together. It usually goes for 3 days and is great for new ideas and methods and new contacts. A lot of fun is had. I go home refreshed and inspired.
As you can imagine I am getting quite exited!!

Sep 11, 2009

Comforting and familiar.

OH look at them...
You wouldn't think that usually there is this constant battle for supremacy going on. Fox the big red will chase fat De-ja-vous , when the black boy gets too uppity. De-ja-vous will take it out on little grey Dana , Fox's sister cat. And Fox will also box her around the ears , although usually he tolerates her. But , when the fire is roaring , and tummies are full , all those rules of war are forgotten , and much snoring is achieved.
A gorgeous sunset above our street , rather spectacular ! Little bonuses like this in your day make me feel very grateful to be alive. We do have an amazing amount of sky above us , and sometimes we look down too much and just don't notice the ordinary.
A few weeks ago at school where I work as a teacher-aide , we were talking about our earth in relation to the sun and how seasons come about. The children were very excited about the fact that we are , right now, traveling at astounding speed through space. Positively zooming!!
Right now....!
I think a lot of people forget , including me , that we are traveling through this vast universe , with countless other stars and planets , and countless other galaxies.
But we look down too much in our own little individual worlds and lives . And forget to see the big picture. Probably because we can't actually see it all the time , and because it does make us, as earth dwellers , feel rather tiny and insignificant....
And that can be a very overwhelming and uncomfortable thought.
I guess I have been very impressed with the latest hubble-telescope pictures in the news the last few days.
Yes , my first link!!! Click on the coloured word and you will go to the hubble news site.
I feel so techno-savvy right now.......


Something comfortable now. It is Spring here. My Father's lovely wife picked some flowers for me from Mum's garden , gorgeously scented freesias. She then gave me this vase from the cupboard to take them home in. This vase has Mum written all over it , for me. She used it a great deal , during my child hood . It's very 70's , and has Gouda printed on the bottom.
I thanked her very much for the vase , because it actually means a lot to me.

Sep 1, 2009

Violets and teacups.

Sometimes I find really pretty , but lonely teacups. Their saucers are not with them anymore. I know that I enter really dangerous ground ,when I buy them for 20 cents each ; because my grandmother was overly fond of collecting flowery porcelain cups and saucers , which never matched up. When she died ,the family had to sort through an immense amount of them spread all over her house. I always felt that she should have learned to do mosaics , so she could have made gorgeous things out of them.
So far I only have about 10 , and I've given one away. I grow new African violets from a leaf in my kitchen windowsill nursery. And then plant them in my pretty cups. It always works. I put a few pebbles in the bottom of the cup for drainage , and potting mix. They make pretty gifts.
Here are some leaves growing roots in a bit of water. I confess I sometimes steal a leaf from a plant in a shop....And from other people's violets.
I am still making Bushbabies , although the going is a bit slow at the moment. Just finished 2 fantail birds. This is my pincushion. A very traditional one. And I am not that happy with it. We have a leather couch , so I can't stick needles into the arm of it. And this pincushion keeps rolling away, and I need both hands to put a pin into it. I really need to make another one , bigger , softer , and with a wide , flat bottom. With vintage fabrics ,because I can .