Deborah French Artist

Odd photo

2012-01-26T22:58:00.000+13:00

This photo is posted for no other reason than it is a quirky accident. It reminds me that beauty can be found in the unexpected. I was taking photos on the farm of reflections. I took this one looking into the trough with the slime at the bottom. But it wasn't till I looked at the photos later on the computer, that I saw the ballcock that looked like a sun. Although it must have been obvious at the time I took the photo. Just shows...you often only see what you expect to see.

Recycled deck-chairs@twist

2012-01-26T22:47:00.001+13:00

There has been a lack of blogging lately due to 'dodgy' Internet connections. Rural living has its pitfalls. Although I would have to say I have been pushed to the limit waiting for things to load ...it has reminded me how much of an instant gratification world we have become and how patience, the ability to observe and empathise are becoming a lost art. ANYWAY... I have been buying old deckchairs from the hospice and other junk shops and using test pots to vent my feelings on things. This chair is very comfy and is called the 'I AM so over you chair'. (Inspired by 'discussions' with my teenage daughter). All the chairs start with the 'I AM' statement. If you are not from New Zealand you may not get the reference to Colin McCahon's 'I AM' paintings. Do google his work. It is very cool. I have a series of these chairs on the go...for no other purpose than a bit of fun! (and to send 'snaky' messages.)

Very blessed

2012-01-03T07:34:00.000+13:00

I feel very blessed to live up in the ranges on the edge of the national park. It is peaceful and the bird life is amazing. Something interesting is always happening in nature. Down the road is a great beach that the dog loves walking on, the kids can have adventures and make constructions, skim rocks....and when I get the courage I will take my horse down for a ride! I am so blessed to live in such a beautiful place.

Creatures

2012-01-03T07:27:00.000+13:00

This is one of a series of creatures I have been experimenting with..fish,dogs, rats, cats. They are appearing on posts all around the farm...hiding in gardens. Silently watching the farm comings and goings. Like little guardians. The heads are like a bowl so a small tea light candle can go inside at night. I have started experimenting more with combining glazes and wiping glazes back and layering.

A blast from the past!

2011-12-30T08:29:00.000+13:00

I was having a tidy up in the studio and found this painting I did about eight years ago. I used to be into painting groups of people 'out and about'....like riding London buses, walking in the park, at cafes, walking the foreshore etc. It was fun doing the people...each time I was out I would watch one person closely and then bring them home (in my head) to put in the painting that night.

Proximate Accessit!

2011-11-21T21:51:00.001+13:00

I am so proud of Millie. She so deserves it! And it is nice to see recognition for a student doing all 'art' subjects. She had her last exam today. She has been doing scholarship. I am filled with sadness too. It is the end of an era. My first born baby is about to leave home. I will miss her but am excited to hear about her adventures on the next stage of her life.

More considering spaces

2011-11-03T22:01:00.000+13:00

Here is another shot considering spaces. This time it is the hall way before we moved in and now. And over time I am sure it will 'morph' and change again. It is fascinating how we as humans use the space we live in...and how function is often not the most over riding factor.

Jess and the hose.

2011-10-24T20:48:00.000+13:00

Wa hoo! Millie got into Elam! I don't care if she changes her mind and doesn't want to go... it is the getting in that counts! I love this photo she took of our dog Jess. Millie is very clever with her photography. I love how she can capture the essence of the subject.

The 'project' and thinking about spaces.

2011-10-17T22:26:00.000+13:00

Lately I have been considering the spaces we live in and how we use them. Here are four photos. Each are part of a pair. (Before and after). Before we moved in and now we are here in this place. I tried to take them from the same angle as the first photo. Both these are of the dining room. It is interesting to consider how we as humans use the space we live in. Also how spaces change over time and with fashion. These photos of the same room are taken 18 months apart. There are many changes to make still. The initial changes on the house have been cosmetic... recycling and upcycling where possible.

New Rats or are they 'Foxies'?

2011-10-12T07:15:00.000+13:00

This rat is in 'Kina'. (A craft and design store in town). It hasn't sold yet. Sonja who works there rang and said people don't like the idea of rats....and suggested I change the name to 'foxies'. I resisted because these rats came about in memory to the rat that died in our ceiling. (See an older post). When I have more work to drop in I will pick him up and bring him home. He can keep me company in the studio.

Aunty's row boat.

2011-10-12T07:09:00.000+13:00

My Aunty has always had a thing for row boats. I have done chalk drawings for her of them and a few years ago made this row boat. It was one of the first things I made in clay. The wood tech teacher where I worked helped me fashion the oars. I like it now. I like it's imperfections.

Caravans for fun!

2011-10-12T07:04:00.000+13:00

As my dilemmas continue about the caravan 'do-up'.....I found another couple of pictures that tickled my fancy. Have you ever heard of the saying 'Trailer Trash'? It is a saying that has always made me giggle! ANYWAY....I have decided to leave the Elk baby pretty original. Easy to change my mind later but not so easy to go back if I have painted etc. We are going away in the new year for a week in her. That should help us resolve what to do. I have sewn new curtains out of some 1970's tea towels.

Moving stuff on!

2011-10-12T06:57:00.000+13:00

Sometimes it is good to clear out stuff and move it on !? Make room for the new. Due to way too little time to create lately and the need to put work in a local exhibition I have had to look again at work I have up around the house that could be used. I have got so used to some of the work that I don't really notice them anymore. I have had to step back and try to see them in a more critical light. Up to now I have tried to keep one work from each stage I have gone through. The exhibition is timed to be on during world cup games and is called 'The Blue Line'. I like this title. It is called this due the the blue line our local council has painted along the footpath to led visitors for the world cup from the centre of town to the stadium. A distance of about three kilometres. Quirky little idea!

More snow Photos!

2011-10-11T22:34:00.000+13:00

Worth putting here for the family record! A once in a life time event. SOOOO 'cool' and wet and cold...

The Big snow.

2011-10-11T22:29:00.001+13:00

A few weeks back we had the once in 50 years snow fall. AMAZING. It suddenly started about 6.30 a.m and we were guttered to have to head off to work around 7.30 a.m. We all desperately hoped it would still be snowing when we got home late afternoon.....but it wasn't. In the morning it just covered the fields for miles and miles around. The bit I liked the most was the eiree silence that accompanied it. And it was so pretty.
A few weeks on, I am cursing how it has killed all my plants that had just started getting their spring growth. The Taro, Canna lillies and Puka trees have been especially hard hit.
On, what shall now be forever called the 'snow morning', I did curse and hiss alot. It was bitterly cold in the early morning trying to get covers on the horses with the snow being driven in horizontally in the dark...trying to do the cattle etc, get to school/work and get my class of new entrants on a trip to the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery by 9.00 a.m AND then discovering me and my daughter had head lice as we left home (for the 20 minute drive into town)! Oh the perils of teaching!

Caravans

2011-10-02T08:24:00.001+13:00

I am about to get the caravan out and spruce it up. Do I leave it as it is... or do I fancy it up? Such a dilemma. Last year I took these photos of caravans. The top image I took in Arrow town and the bottom one in Wellington. Our Caravan is a 1976 Elk/Sprite. It has yellow upholstery and cream vinyl. The exterior is baby blue. I love the caravan.

Knowing where they have gone.

2011-09-30T22:33:00.002+13:00

It is always really cool to know where your work ends up. This chap sold at 'Kina' last week. He was brought by a fashion designer who was visiting here. He went back on the plane as hand luggage to Sydney. He was going back as a 21 st present for the son of the person who brought him. Chuffed!

Posters

2011-09-16T20:35:00.009+12:00

Recently I painted this poster for the New Plymouth Potters annual exhibition.

Vessels

2011-08-30T05:58:00.001+12:00

Lately I have been making cylinders to hold pencils, toothbrushes, paintbrushes, flowers etc etc...in fact just about everything. Much like the candlesticks, the decoration involves drawing onto the surface. With the candlesticks the design is painted on. With the vessels the design is scratched into the surface with an old dentists tool. It makes for fantastic texture but is unforgiving if you are not sure of hand! It is tricky to photograph a round object. The words say 'Koru' and 'Aroha'. I like the idea of the history of primitive vessels and the part they have played in social interaction throughout human existence. Deep.

Postscript-These two have sold at Kina.

Candlesticks

2011-08-30T05:24:00.000+12:00

Going one step further with the idea of using 'doodles' from old diaries and sketchbooks to decorate a surface. I have also made some brightly coloured ones but do not know if the idea works so well with the use of colour. I have been using one of these at home and it throws out a lovely light at night.

Puppy dog.

2011-08-27T23:48:00.002+12:00

A puppy dog. I really enjoyed working with the big ears! The Keanes Raku is still causing issues with the clear glaze over top during firing. Will resolve next firing. But I am feeling much happier with how the puppy feet are going during construction and firing. Small things amuse small minds!

Post script- Sold at Kina.

Virtual Tarts @home

2011-08-27T23:21:00.003+12:00

Dale Copeland (who I admire SO much) has just made a book about the artists who feature on her virtual tart web site. There are about 50 Taranaki artists on the site and the book is a visual delight. I am so proud to be a part of it. Recently she had a party at her place at Puniho. Great fun. This photo came from the party and has one of my favourite artists in the front left. Alby Carter...you rock!

Tonight we have just got back from driving to Elam art school in Auckland. We drove up yesterday and back tonight. Knackered. 5 to 6 hours each way. Then a whole day at the varsity today before driving back. My eldest daughter wants to go to art school next year. We drove up for the open day. Long drive....Have I mentioned how knackered we are tonight? She so much wants to go to Elam and I know how talented she is. She so deserves it. BUT there are 400 applicants and 120 places. Hmm. AND they seem to only look at the 12 portfolio photos of their work not their academic stuff as well. It is doing my head in tonight as I so want her to be able to do what she wants. Best go to bed now...tiredness makes for crazy thoughts!

Doggy bookends.

2011-08-26T23:13:00.002+12:00

What a learning curve this little chappy was! The big discovery was that slabs 'warp' during firing and that next time I would have the front feet separate from the slab part...more stand alone from the body....to provide more support. Despite this, I am still using the 'doggy ends' to support my sketchbooks in the studio and they are working well. I am looking forward to making more soon.

French bull dog

2011-08-19T23:05:00.008+12:00

I am really happy with the last lot of dogs that came out of the kiln. I am not so happy about how the underglaze and clear glaze went over the Keane Raku clay. A bit gritty and some serious explosions in the kiln! All part of the learning curve?

Prints

2011-07-21T18:31:00.000+12:00

The kiln 'blast' has made me revisit other loves! Printmaking...such fun...here are some woodcuts and etchings drying. Maybe I should go back to printmaking!

I wish!

2011-07-21T18:17:00.000+12:00

If I had my time again...as a woman in my twenties (rather than late 40's) this would be the look I would go for. Recently we had an 80's fashion day at the school I work for. I went punk and so loved it! Such fun. Like the previous 'Ruby' entry...I have no idea where I got the picture but I keep it in my dressing table and it gives me inspiration. She reminds me of the daughter in the 'Californication' programme on T.V.

Scratch!

2011-07-21T18:13:00.000+12:00

More work around the theme of doodles.

Flax flowers and winter rain.

2011-07-21T17:01:00.001+12:00

A simple picture from the farm last summer. It is giving me hope that the rain, cold and wind will stop! We are away visiting one of our favourite places (Raglan)...and we have discovered it is not just us who are having lots of rain and mud at the moment. On the beach at the headland today I was shocked at the 'drifts' of dead sea birds. I have read about it in the paper (all along the west coast) but nothing prepared me for the sheer number of dead seabirds who have died from the storms (exhaustion etc) over the last few months. So sad. I was very disturbed by it.

Road trip!

2011-07-21T10:48:00.001+12:00

A few weeks ago Millie and I went on a road trip. We took all right turns on the road and stopped randomly where and when we felt like it! One of our stops was at a farm 22 kilometres off the main road up by Tauranga. They breed miniature ponies. 'Windsong' farm I think it was called. We had a great time looking around the ponies and the crystal garden. I was so impressed by their friendliness. We spent ages looking at the crystal garden and the discussing the various properties of the crystals with the owners. It was one of those pivotal moments in life when you realize that life events have taken you over and you have become a person who is a long way from who you thought you were. Millie and I stopped at the beach at Awakino on the way home and took lots of photos of shadows. I really like this photo Millie took of me. The photography she is doing is amazing. One day I hope she will let me share some here.

A couple of strange ones that didn't work.

2011-07-21T10:35:00.000+12:00

Don't really like either of these. But still fun to make and they now live in the outer reaches of the garden on the farmlet. Aspects of them I will use in future works.

Pretty blue bowls.

2011-07-21T10:30:00.000+12:00

I really like the low fire alkaline glazes. These are over a range of white clay bodies. The firing temp was pushed to cone 3 (should have been 03). Interesting pulling effects occurred.

Mouse man

2011-07-21T09:16:00.000+12:00

Is it a mouse? Is it a dog? I really am not sure. But he is friendly, affectionate and loving. He is also very loyal and non-judgemental.

Begging dog

2011-07-21T09:06:00.000+12:00

This little chappy has sold at Kina. Dogs are such fun to make. I have noticed that I have started talking to them at a certain point in the 'creation' process. That is the moment of them coming to 'life' for me. If they break after that, then I do feel a sense of loss.

New models?!

2011-07-21T09:00:00.000+12:00

I am working on a series of bull dogs at the moment. Research on the internet turned up this picture! Just had to share.

Back at full time work...

2011-07-21T08:16:00.001+12:00

I enjoyed working part time for the first half of this year. Making labels for the garden, bottling the surplus fruit from the orchards, making art, developing the garden.... etc. I felt like a real woman/mother! It was such a change from being full on teaching. I never really had time off with the kids when they were little. I was focussed on the teaching and career path. The last five years or so I have had a shift in thinking. I am no longer career focussed. I don't think it has made my teaching any worse...it has just made me more balanced about what is important. It was nice to be able to be fully 'there' for them the last 6 months...able to listen..not saying 'Hurry up' all the time. Being back full time teaching is pretty full on but it is nice to have my own class again. They are new entrants. I love seeing how they change so much over the first few weeks at school.

The new man in my life!

2011-07-21T08:03:00.002+12:00

This is the new man in my life! He is an ex trotter and looks very scruffy at the moment with his winter coat on. His name is Waaka Knight. But for reasons unknown to me he was nicknamed Bud. He is a gentleman. He is 17.

This little pony

2011-07-21T07:47:00.001+12:00

Well we moved to the farmlet...and did the 'old MacDonald' thing....chickens, goat, cattle, pukekos, tui, wood pidgeons, puppy etc etc. Got Ella a pony. He is called Taffy and is very strong willed. This little pony started another whole string of changes in my life. New car...pony club...float...

But most of all he has made me face some things from my childhood that scare me. I used to ride alot but due to events in my middle teens I got too scared to do stuff. I became very self protective and self contained. I decided to buy myself a horse too and face those fears. Has it worked? Yes...but not cured.... I love him to bits but only spend a few minutes on him at a time before I panic. But I have decided that probably that is the point...take it easy, don't go too fast and just enjoy the moment (the ride) for what it is. Wow...time to stop being so deep and meaningful.

Rat's revenge!

2011-07-21T07:33:00.002+12:00

Well, opening the kiln this time I got more than I bargained for! An explosion of legs arms and heads! Never happened before! 'Fright' the cat certainly got one and there wasn't much left of the rat (see front right of the picture above). I didn't know whether to laugh or cry! Certainly the irony of many late, frosty and wet nights in the studio to work on this firing was not lost on me. Think I will go with the laugh option.

So now I am left pondering why?

Firing temp? Clay body (Keanes white Raku)? Joins? It was two sculptural pieces on two different shelves that took out the others...the Rat and the cat.

A happy ending?

Not sure! But it has made me not have any expectations about the glaze firing this weekend. I have slapped on oxides and other chemical concoctions...dribbled glazes and I have no doubt now that when I open the kiln next week, it will be a complete surprise...just like Christmas used to be!

More images from the next firing...

2011-07-21T07:18:00.000+12:00

'Fright' and various candlestick holders in the Kiln waiting for the 'on' switch!

Another image from the kiln loading.

Loaded and ready to go!

2011-07-21T07:10:00.002+12:00

Next firing in the kiln and ready to go. 'Fright' the cat at the top certainly looks worried. 'Happy dog' at the bottom looks excited!

A close up of 'happy dog',rat and candlestick cat.

POSTSCRIPT>>>Rat (bottom) and 'fright' (Top) blew up in the kiln. Rest in peace

New Plymouth Potters Exhibition

2011-07-21T07:01:00.001+12:00

Just finished this poster and and invite that will be posted for the Annual New Plymouth potters exhibition. They should be appearing around town about now!

The 'Bach' break

2011-07-14T22:47:00.000+12:00

Recently, for a wee mid-winter break we took the kids and the dog to stay at this Bach about an hours drive from where we live. It is very original and potentially 'romantic'. It has been in a friends family for many years and it really is like staying in a little time capsule. It was her parents who have passed away. I was wanting to get the teenagers away from electronica for a few days....no T.V....no cell phone..playing old fashioned family games like monopoly etc etc. Get the idea? ANYWAY....by Sunday afternoon both the older two children (what is the best 'term' for teenagers?) were ready to repeatedly bang their heads on the table with boredom. The 17 year old had been bitten on the face by a white tail spider and was very swollen and sore. It had rained a lot, we had all argued a lot and a number of family games had been played. The dog was over being inside or tied up. Both nights she had slept stretched out between Clyde and I in the bed like a third human. We had very little sleep due to her constantly licking our face. At home she is a farm dog and lives solely outside or in the laundry...so she was in heaven.

What is the point of this post/reflection? Hmmm. I think it is that although it was a tough little break and we were all ready to tear each other apart by the time we got home .....it will be one of those experiences that we will all remember and will contribute to the shared memories and shaping of our family. Often it not just the cheerful happy times that 'make' a family. Those times that are challenging and difficult are just as powerful in contributing to the building of the family.

P.S The white tail bite became infected. She needed to go on antibiotics AND it was just before the school ball. That is another story!

Vessels

2011-06-29T21:44:00.000+12:00

More recent work around the idea of 'doodling' from old diaries and meeting notes. I have made quite a number of these now. At home I use them for pens, paintbrushes and even in the bathroom for toothpaste and toothbrush holders. I am really enjoying using black and white to decorate at the moment. The negative and positive in image making has always been fascinating.

Blue wonky bowls..31,32,33

2011-06-21T23:03:00.002+12:00

Three more wonky bowls...31, 32, and 33. I don't know why I didn't start numbering them earlier! It is such an easy way to categorize them. This time I used a blue low fire alkaline glaze. (Greg Daly) Although I pushed it to cone 3, they turned out nice. Rough around the edges...but nice. I do not like work that is too perfect. I like it to look handmade. The glaze pooled in the centre of the bowls. Melting glass/marbles as part of the glaze process is something I would like to try in the future.

Chalk Millie

2011-06-20T23:06:00.000+12:00

In a recent studio clean up I found this chalk drawing of my daughter. When I was art teaching at Highlands Intermediate she would come to my classroom after school and take lots of pictures of herself in different poses looking into the computer using 'photo booth'. (This was five years ago). It used to make me feel really cross. This drawing is from one of the photo booth photos. Today she took delivery of her very own mac book for her to take to university next year. This drawing appeals to me... not only because she is my daughter and she is very cool...everything a Mum could want...BUT also because my favourite all time movie is 'Amelie'. In this movie the main character is involved in a situation around photo booths in the french city she lives in.

I love the energy of working fast and furious in chalk. It is dusty and rough around the edges. I like to see the energy of 'mark making' in artworks.

I like how she looks sneaky and 'caught out'..but only I know why......until now!

Ash, volcanoes and earthquakes.

2011-06-19T22:07:00.000+12:00

Well. It has all been happening lately! Eruptions, earthquakes in Christchurch and many other natural disasters around the world. This is the ash around our mountain from the Chilean eruption, over the last week. As we live on the mountain ranges to the right, it has made for interesting sunsets etc. Along with that the planes have been unable to fly over New Zealand due to the ash. Hmm, natural disasters galore. Then we keep getting the Jehovah witness crowd turning up to the farm each month wanting to engage me in conversation about the coming 'rapture'. I believe in being the best person I can be, religion or not. I don't always get it right. But I try and live by the motto 'harm none' and seek opportunity to contribute positively. Does that mean I will not be taken 'on high' in the impending 'rapture' event...because I am not with an 'affiliated' religion? My head hurts when I think about the state of the world at present, but even more so when I consider the philospical 'scaremongering' that is going on that makes it difficult for our children to grow up secure, focussed in the 'present' and being the best they can be. There is way too much doom and gloom around at the moment to make for a healthy society.

more wonky bowls..

2011-06-15T23:29:00.000+12:00

The 'wonky bowl' project is up to thirty now. Seventy to go! These ones are in the late teens. The photos don't do the patterns justice. Nice to have the studio filling up with work.

Ruby

2011-06-15T23:22:00.000+12:00

Man, I love this picture. I found it on the net a while back. The artist 'reworks'/'up-cycles' second hand clothes. I SO want to make a dress like this! I feel a project coming on! The artist was called Ruby...but that is all the detail I can remember. I remember looking at her site and being awestruck with the exciting clothing. However I misplaced the details about how to get to the site. Will have to do some sleuthing and track her down !

Doodling patterns.

2011-06-12T21:59:00.001+12:00

I have been continuing the theme of using old 'doodling' patterns from diaries and sketchbooks to decorate my clay work. Not alot to say about it. Just a bit of whimsy. The candlestick has been in use for about a month now and is working really well. I would like to try making one of those Jewish candelabra things with the seven candles...or may be it is five they have? I will have to do some research around candelabras on the internet.

Woolly sheep.

2011-06-12T21:28:00.001+12:00

I am sitting on the couch reflecting on the wild night outside. Lightening and crashing thunder overhead. The whole works! Bit worried about the horses out in this. Went to the studio tonight and the heat gun blew up! It must have sensed the coming storm and that I am stressed about going back to work full time for 6 months and therefore have the 'impending dooms'! In this damp and rain it is hard to get work to dry....will have to get another one when I am in town next week.

This sheep has just sold at KINA. I did this piece at a weekend course last year with potter Fiona Tunnicliffe. I was so impressed by how she would stamp and then rip the clay into strips...and also build her works from the bottom up. Usually I build from the head down. Much more stability is gained from starting at the bottom and working up. Also I loved how she used a butane torch to dry and strengthen the clay as she worked. The flame was very exciting and effective, but too much for me. I have stuck to my heat gun but admire her methods.

Initially I did not like this sheep. It is very different to other works I have done. However after glazing I have decided I like the contrast between the oxides and the Abbots white glaze. Also I like how the Abbots clear went a bit green, I presume due to the oxides. I also like how the teeth worked out in the sheep. Funny wee creatures.

The big black dog.

2011-06-11T09:11:00.000+12:00

The kiln firing has been done! I was very pleased with how all the critters came out. After much discussion with fellow potters, I fired to cone 3 and it worked well with the underglazes and the abbotts clear. I even tossed in some low fire alkaline glazed pieces and they did okay too. Big thanks to Suzanne, Cecily and Barbara for all their advice. I am still having trouble with finding a good intense red but think I may have that resolved for the next firing.

This is a big black dog. The markings came from my big black dog on our farmlet. She is called Jess. I am doing a lot of dogs at the moment. Winston Churchill used to refer to the 'black dog' of depression that chased him. The idea for the current series came from his words. I have been having a few issues with 'feeling down'/'blue' lately. I tend to call it the 'creative curse'. I believe all creative types have the depressive streak to their personality.

The dogs are my response to this.

This dog sold with in a few days of being in a local art and design store (called KINA). I was sorry to see him go but also excited as he is the first pottery work I have sold. He represents a shift for me from being a painter to a potter. With pottery I feel like I have 'come home'...it feels natural.

Twisted toys...etc....

2011-06-10T21:19:00.002+12:00

Oh my lordy, there has been a lack of blogging lately! It is not because I haven't been creating. I have ALOT. So much so, that getting time to update the blog has been tricky....the creating has been varied...... clay, home, farm (buying horses, cars and floats), finishing the studio, painting, making business cards, setting up classrooms (I am going back to work full time for 6 months)......DO YOU GET THE IDEA? Here I am trying to simplify things and this place is making our lives even crazier!

I have a love/hate relationship with the farmlet. It is very time consuming developing this place and being up on the side of a mountain range does make for a lot of rain and dampness and mud. Tonight I was feeding the horses and dealing with the mud from the rolling frenzy they had engaged in during the two hours without covers on...but the worse bit was dealing with the mud trying to suck me in (and underground) via my gumboots. It truely had me in a hold and was not going to give up!

But back to the picture above. I like to get toys from the hospice that were previously loved... and add to them. I add bits and cut bits off...paint new bits (like faces) and add them on. Last year victim support complained about what I was doing. This bothered me as I feel that it is not harming the toy...just helping them be 'loved' again.

HOWEVER, this has raised issues in my mind about do we have to be fresh and 'new' to be loved/desired/wanted? Does being older and a bit craggy around the edges make us less desirable.

Hey...I suspect this is too big a discussion, for this forum, here and now!

P.S- The dog has taken a fancy to 'snatching' these toys from the studio and tearing them to shreds when I am not looking. Holy hell! What is that about!?

More work waiting to go in the kiln

2011-03-23T12:44:00.000+13:00

It is piling up around the place waiting for firing in the next 6 weeks or so! This will all come out shiny and pretty. For an idea compare the spiny paper weight that has been fired and glazed in the top image with the unfired and glazed one in the bottom image. The other day the wind got all the 'post -it- notes' and scattered them to the four corners of the shed! It really was a nightmare trying to match up all the notes with the work. Hope I got it right or I could have a few disasters in the kiln!

When your number is up.....

2011-03-23T12:27:00.000+13:00

Lately I have been pondering the purpose of it all. With so much uncertainty in the world at present (Christchurch and Japan earthquakes...Libya etc etc) and the fact we live on the side of a volcano it makes sense at this time to reflect on life. This wonky bowl will fire black and white. It has numbers scratched in the under glaze. It will have a scraffito effect when fired. On the legs I have used old school rubber stamps of the numbers to 100.... the ones we used before photocopiers... and got ink all over our fingers when we stamped the grid in the maths books. (now my age is showing!) The numbers on the legs are not clear in the photo but will fire well I think.

When will my number be up? Who knows but I am guessing I just have to get on with life and enjoy it.

Hey! I also think there is something sort of wacky about how the bowl will be fired with flame in a gas kiln and that we live on a volcano........

A few more wonky bowls.

2011-03-23T12:15:00.001+13:00

A few more bowls in various stages of creation. The under glaze is never true to colour till it is fired.. so it will change dramatically.

The top bowls will be left- lime green, cornflower blue legs with black spots. right-black body with white inside and white legs.

The bottom bowls will be dipped in bright cobalt blue, low fire Alkaline glaze.

Twenty wonky bowls done. Eighty to go!

The painting corner.

2011-03-23T12:06:00.001+13:00

Lining the studio continues. Soon we will paint the walls all white and polish the concrete floors. It has come along way from the farm shed. We (My husband and his Dad...awesome men) have taken out roller doors, put in new windows, lighting, gardens etc. It has become a light and airy place to work. I have set up camp in one corner to start painting again. The shed is bigger than the house. An elephant would have room to rattle around inside it! There is the pottery studio part and the print making part and the sewing part and the printing part. I have even parked up the caravan inside to work on over winter AND still have stacks of room! How lucky am I? Now I just need to create! HOWEVER the farmlet is in 'do up' phase... so there is always something to do urgently here.

Baby, light my fire!

2011-03-23T11:56:00.000+13:00

Sshhhh! It's a secret! This is my new kiln and I am scared of it. It is gas. I am living in fear and excitement about the first firing. Luckily I have a very skilled potter and friend down the road who will help me start the critter up for the first time. Thank goodness for Suzanne. It is very definitely not a programme and walk away job! But that is exciting....?

The girl in the hat.

2011-03-23T09:34:00.000+13:00

Another little dry point print. I have been combining media lately and especially enjoying sewing over drawings and prints.

Kina and other dead and decaying stuff.

2011-03-23T09:31:00.000+13:00

Lately there have been bucket loads of Kina on the beach....The studio has become quite 'ripe' with smell of them and the crabs legs I have been bringing home from the beach. (The seagulls get the bodies). My oldest daughter asked me why I have this thing about bringing home beach debris/dead stuff. Good question as I am always one for self-reflection and navel gazing! (Too much so). But I really don't know the answer to that one. So I will just continue to bring them home. The patterns in Kina are so satisfying.

waiting...waiting

2011-03-23T09:23:00.000+13:00

Well...the new kiln is in and ready to go....just need to get the gas regulator. These little chaps have been waiting a while to reach the end of their creation process. They will fire black and white with strong reds and browns. The process of firing and glazing never ceases to amaze me. I love how you can 'under glaze' (like is on these guys) and the colours change so much in the firing process.

wonky bowls..life isn't perfect and neither are we!

2011-03-23T09:11:00.001+13:00

Still working on the '100 wonky bowls'. (Could be for a while actually). This one was a very sandy clay and blue and white glaze. Initially I didn't like the way the glaze pulled out from the clay body during firing to expose the clay. But now I like it.

Kaitake ranges-Davies track

2011-03-23T09:07:00.001+13:00

This is the view from the hill behind our house. Actually it is an old volcano that last erupted 500,000 years ago. In the holidays the girls and I climbed the track that leaves at our gate and goes to the Trig station at the top. It was a way harder walk than I expected but we had a great time. Fully recommend it! Our farmlet is at the bottom of the ridge and from our place it drops steeply down to the sea. The bush on the way up was fantastic...all vines...like something from a Harry Potter movie. Great place for some future sketching.

Doodle bowls

2011-03-23T09:00:00.001+13:00

To teach myself to be a better potter, I am making 100 wonky bowls. They are decorated in different ways and it is giving me the chance to experiment with decoration techniques and clay bodies whilst keeping the form essentially the same. The idea from these came from two places. The Asian restaurant in town called the 'noodle bowl'. I liked the sound of it...and from some doodle drawings I made once during a staff meeting.......I plan to go back to a few old diaries and school planning books and hunt out other doodles. I like the unplanned, unconscious sprawling nature of them. I wonder if out there in the world is someone who has a job working with analysing peoples doodle drawings!

The Gardener

2011-03-23T08:48:00.002+13:00

Funny how you look back on work and think 'OH MY GOODNESS!'. This painting is one of those. The handling of the face seems clumsy now...But I still relate to the symbolism it contains. I painted it about 12 years ago. It is of me holding flowers in the garden just after my Dad died of cancer. The painting itself is very large. About 1 metre by 2 metres. It was more of a contemplation about life and how life 'morph's' and changes in subtle ways over our life time. The sunflowers were reminiscent of my time with my first husband. I have strong memories of riding through central Turkey on mopeds amongst vast fields of sunflowers. I remember feeling a sense of freedom and promise that I could achieve whatever I wanted with my life. The Necklace was given to me by my second husband. I loved the way it felt on my skin....wire and cold stones. I liked how it encircled me and sat near my throat...symbolising how he was giving me 'voice' to be who I wanted to be. The foxgloves are a beautiful flower but contain deadly poisons ....so all is not pretty below the surface in the garden.

Dad struggled all his life with trusting in his creativity and I think in the end his lack of faith in himself consumed him. The foxgloves symbolize to me that double edged sword of creativity...it can be a very positive trait or a negative trait.

pigtails woodcut

2011-03-23T08:30:00.001+13:00

I have been sorting out things around the studio and came across this woodcut. It reminded me of a series of 20 woodcuts that I did, that didn't really do it for me...but after a while I painted over parts of them and really liked the effect of the shiny ink showing through the acrylic paint. In some places I painted thickly and in others I just did a wash over the image. The chunky paint and the subtle textures haven't shown up in the photo. I ended up framing six of these prints in a row, in one frame, and have been very pleased with how it looks. The prints are a range of colours and some look happy and others moody. They remind me of the range of moods and 'dramas' that I encounter in the playground when I am on duty at lunchtime.

Emelia and the Hula Hoop

2011-03-05T17:14:00.000+13:00

This is still one of the favourite paintings I have done. The photo is pre-digital and as a result this is not a fantastic reproduction. In real life the colours are very intense. It is of Emelia (Millie) and her little flappy plaits doing the 'Hula' hoop which was very popular in the late 1990's. The grass bit at the bottom is not part of the painting.... rather just where I had to take the photo for light at the time with the old SLR..outside and against the white wall. I have always been really pleased this painting has not sold. I love the detail and the technical bits that are lost in the reproduction. I like to lie in bed and run my eyes over it. It satisfies me.

The southern Alps....

2011-03-05T16:51:00.001+13:00

Just found this photo from last year. I was flying back from Queenstown and the pilot was doing all sorts of detours to show us stuff... glaciers..... mountain passes ... and peaks.... (we were ahead of time). I was struck by the enormity of the southern alps and the rugged beauty of the South Island. Often we don't notice the beauty in our own back yard.

Selena- the shoprite girl

2011-02-04T16:50:00.002+13:00

Lately I have been consolidating old images of completed works and getting them into digital format. It has been taking me down memory lane or is it a highway!?

Selena worked at the local supermarket in the small town we lived in at the time. She didn't know it but each day I would look at her carefully as I brought the bread, milk etc. I was on maternity leave so would walk up to the shop with the pram each day to get Ella off to sleep. Then rush home to put the details I had observed into the painting. Selena did not have jewelery on. I added the necklace and earrings that Clyde had brought me and also an egyptian moon ring that I had brought with my first husband when I was in India. Adding the packets detail was easy to fit in around a new born baby and her sleep patterns. I have fond memories of this painting....... which has been long ago sold. When the painting was completed I went to Selena and told her what I had been doing and gave her a photo of the painting. The painting is in gouache and ink on 300 gsm watercolour paper.

The log flume commission.

2011-01-29T22:36:00.000+13:00

Recently a couple in Tauranga contacted me via email and asked me to do a commission based on this photo. The photo was taken in the 1970's (I think) on a family holiday to America. The photo was of their children on the log flume at Knott's berry farm. The finished painting is the top image. Having had a bit of distance from the painting, I have decided I am now okay with it. It was very hard to do. I think this was because of not having an emotional connection with the figures I was painting... so it was hard to capture their mannerisms. I really wanted it to be successful for the couple as well. They sent me a note saying it was just what they wanted.....I felt relieved. The painting certainly raised the 'ugly head' of philosophical debate about commissions again for me. Usually I don't like them during the process and am reluctant to take them on...but they really do make me think and work through ideas carefully in the planning stages. There is an element of creative discipline about them which is rewarding.

Always good to know you are on the right track?

2011-01-23T22:32:00.003+13:00

Nice feed back on my classroom! Click here to read the article.

Recently Bruce Hammonds, an education consultant, visited my classroom. He wrote this article on his website. I was very flattered. Thank-you Bruce! High praise from a person whose opinions I highly value.

Busy times!

2011-01-23T22:21:00.002+13:00

Wow! There has been a lack of blogging lately. It has been pretty intense the last 6 months. It was great being back teaching little tackers (7 and 8 year olds) and teaching the whole curriculum instead of just art. The lack of blogs reflect a lack of my own creative work as I threw myself into teaching and into sorting the farmlet out. Vege gardens are in... pony brought.... kiln brought.... studio nearly finished....

This year I am working two days a week teaching and spending the rest of the time developing the farm and studio. At times I think I am in heaven and at others times I wonder what the hell I am doing. Farmlet life has huge highs and lows-(for example, the first walnuts dropped today... way too early due to the wind and we think the dog mauled the neighbours chickens)...

At the end of last year I did a unit with my class called 'inside out'. It was great fun.... we took apart dead things (respectfully) and undertook all sorts of interesting studies. I loved the detailed drawings the students did of skeletons prior to the study (to record their prior Knowledge).

Frocks on bikes

2010-11-25T21:56:00.001+13:00

I just designed this poster for "Frocks on bikes". We meet once a month over summer and dress up real pretty in dresses and ride through town in elegant 'european style' with baskets of produce and flowers. Last ride, we had high tea under the wistera in Pukekura Park. So nice.....love it.....so much fun, for no real reason in particular but to raise the profile of cycling and enjoying being womanly! Join us!

Frocks on Bikes!

2010-11-25T21:52:00.000+13:00

This is Jen and Davina. We three are organizing a local 'Frocks on Bikes' group. It is a wonderful feeling riding a bike all dressed up and pretty! Some of the rides in Wellington have over a hundred people. We have a facebook page for the local group here.....'Taranaki Frocks on bikes'. I have just designed a poster advertising the event.

Blanket boys

2010-10-25T07:40:00.000+13:00

A couple more dolls made from recycled blankets. Parihaka is down the road so I used the white feathers of peace for one doll. The other has a Tiki face. Probably these dolls are meaningless unless you are from New Zealand?! I love turning stuff into other stuff....(but I'll let you into a secret....sometimes I do wonder at the point of it all.....)

Rabbit

2010-10-25T07:33:00.000+13:00

We are plagued with rabbits! So cute....well I think so. They drive Clyde insane! The dog (Jess) has started catching them and bringing them home to devour on the front lawn. I still have the image from yesterday in my head of the dog at the back door with a rabbits bottom and legs hanging out her mouth...one leg on each side and the fluffy tail in the middle. With one or two chomps it was gone! Jess has also started catching birds. Her and the cat seem to be going through some weird role reversal thing. Walking down Surrey Hill Road yesterday Clyde and I saw eight rabbits in a small stretch of road.....running around bold as brass....even stopping to check us out! Also saw the quail family. They are slightly suicidal and run across the road each morning in front of the car as I go to work.

The rabbit above makes a change from making dogs anyway.

Mutant soft toys

2010-10-25T07:24:00.000+13:00

More mutant soft toys. The only one I like in this picture is the chicken at the front. Chickadee worked...not too much bling and added on bits. I am trying to follow the 'less is best idea' at the moment......the back two are 'over the top'. I wonder if clay faces could work?

'Sneaky' Drypoint print

2010-10-25T07:14:00.001+13:00

I found this little drypoint print when I was unpacking another box the other day. The press is up and going again now after the move. I am excited!

Another Dog !

2010-10-25T07:03:00.001+13:00

This little chappy is on the rack waiting for the first firing of the new kiln. It is a big kiln so it could be there a while! I am particularly enjoying making critters with their mouths open at the moment so that I can see their tongues. My husband asked me the other day did I think I would ever make something other than animals? So I tried a bowl. I didn't like it. When this little man is fired and glazed I will pop his picture on here.

Blowing out the candles

2010-10-10T22:15:00.002+13:00

This painting was based around my daughter Emelia's 5th birthday. She wore her hair in tiny wee plaits for a long time. Her cake was actually a teletubby cake but I liked the idea of the chocolate one with 'smarties' (M and M's) on it better as a visual statement. This painting was made into a greeting card that was sold as a hospice fundraiser about 12 years ago. My Dad who was a local sign writer had just died. The hospice was amazing in the care they gave him. They afforded him a dignity and sense of peace that I don't think he had in life. He was waiting until retirement to get into his art... but died shortly after retirement of cancer. Emelia (Millie) is 17 now. This painting represented a major change in style for me.... I was trying to work out how far can you 'prune' down detail and still have a painting that tells a story and reflects some of the character of the subject. It was part of a solo exhibition I had at Kina. Painting generally has moved on a lot since I painted this. I now view it as a bit clumsy but I like the moment it captured in my family.

I Love Caravans!

2010-10-10T22:00:00.000+13:00

These pictures are posted for fun! Found them recently when I was looking for ideas to help me 'do up' the little sprite elk 400 that I have got. At the hospice shop yesterday I got 20 brand spanking new Australian souvenir tea towels from the 1970's...going to make those little beauties into curtains for the 'van'! Maybe I can park up at Womad this year and sleep in it with the kids!

Surrey Hill Road and 'Twist' studio

2010-10-10T21:50:00.000+13:00

Last March for my Husband's birthday I

got him a helicopter flight over the new farmlet we had just purchased.

He took this photo from the helicopter of the house, orchard and the potential studio space. The house is up the top and looks like a cross. The studio is the long skinny building that is at the front of the photo. It is scary having a studio space that will be as big as the house! I hope I can produce work in there worthy of all the effort he is going to, to make it a cool space for me!..There are new demolition windows in the end near the house. Some of the trees at the end by the house are gone (nothing too radical) and there is a door there now. The walls are lined and I have new lighting....I am so excited!

The windows over look the citrus orchard and the chook run.

"Artist- in- Residence"

2010-10-10T07:51:00.001+13:00

This painting was one I did a few years ago. I was 'artist- in -residence' at Woodleigh school for a term. This is not the full painting just detail from a section. All up in size, it was about a metre by a metre and a bit. It is in gouache and ink. Currently it hangs in the Principals office. The school was developing its 'outdoor classroom' area in the bush adjacent to the school. Classes would often go over there to read. I painted this painting during the 'artist -in -residence' time, based on the outdoor classroom. Pupils at the school posed as models. I worked in the library and as classes visited the library during their regular library time they could watch me work. I found it disconcerting being watched and as I like solitude when I paint, it was interesting to try to work with a large group watching and discussing the painting with the 'up frontness' that children have!

No dogs!

2010-10-09T22:46:00.000+13:00

This sign could well be for me, as I am over our new dog at the moment! I love her dearly BUT... She is a one man destruction machine! She chews everything including my large plastic pink flamingoes that were in the garden. I found her munching them on the front lawn the other morning. Her poo has had pink plastic bits in it for the last few days....gross. Just as well we live on a farmlet, because I must have looked a sight chasing the dog around the outside of the house in my scruffy pajamas, yelling "bad girl!" and waving the remains of a large pink plastic flamingo in the air!

However, I was asked to do a series of signs for Woodleigh Primary School. I love doing signs. My Dad was a signwriter before computers took over a lot of that work. I used to love watching him work and admired his steady hand and skill with lettering.

This is the first in a series I am doing for the school.

The art room

2010-10-03T23:32:00.002+13:00

My kiln arrived today and I was clearing out 'stuff' and found this picture from last term when I was still art teaching. Giving up art teaching was one of the hardest things I have done. I miss it but know that it was the right thing to do. I am SO loving focussing on my own work again.

The flower seller.

2010-09-19T07:03:00.003+12:00

Way back when I was living in London I used to watch people and 'collect' them to put in paintings. Each day on the way to work I would gather my information about the person or scene..observing small details and then at night I would pop those details into the painting. This flower selller was outside Marylebone Station. I bought alot of fresh flowers in London. I needed them to get over being homesick! I loved the contrast of the flowers so carefully wrapped and colourful against the bricks...the greys and browns of London. This painting sold many years ago. I wonder how it is holding up to the ravages of time. It was painted in ink and gouache on canvas.

Urban knitters

2010-09-18T22:14:00.001+12:00

Recently there was an 'urban knitting' thing at the Govett Brewster art gallery. A massive scarf was knitted, all in white wool, in a variety of textures. It was made by who-ever was passing and wanted to add a row...or two...or three.... It was then auctioned off. My ten year old, Ella, was very excited about adding her part to the scarf on a wet Sunday afternoon. We spent ages there while she added her row (80 stitches across).

The gallery also had an urban knitting/graffiti knitting afternoon, where people came and knitted around/over parking meters, fences, doorhandles, lamp-posts etc. That part of town is a pleasure to travel through at the moment...the knitted flowers in the wire fences and the small odd parts of knitting you find in unexpected places are just a delight and make my day!

A weekend of play with clay- Part two

2010-09-13T20:54:00.001+12:00

Just to add to the weekend away at a course extending my hand building skills with Fiona Tunnicliffe. She rocked!!! I love the quick and furious way she worked and the character of the creatures that she made. It was fascinating watching how she built her creatures and how nearly every rule I knew about adding slip and worrying about air bubbles and wedging throughly...got broken in the creation of these crazy creatures. We experimented with adding texture and handbuilding using slabs and pinch pots in totally new ways.

A weekend of play with clay.

2010-09-13T20:41:00.000+12:00

Last weekend I went to a pottery workshop on hand building with Fiona Tunnicliffe. It was such an eye opener! I loved experimenting with different ways of joining and attaching. I also joined the local potters society and now have a key to the rooms. It is so exciting and frustrating!....I have 15 weeks of major working to go in my teaching job.... That and the farm and studio development doesn't leave much time for anything else like actually making art.. I am so looking forward to next year when my major focus is the studio and farm. The critter below is a sort of lamb in a reptilian coat. I don't like how it reminds me of chinese mass produced ceramic dogs. BUT I do like the face, ears and neck part. I will have to be careful with moving it to the Kiln room and next stages of the firing. It is the most complex thing I have made. The next problem is what to glaze it in so that it doesn't look like a chinese ceramic dog. That is not a put down...I am wanting to avoid the mass produced ceramic look.

Jess

2010-08-28T20:47:00.012+12:00

This is Jess! My daughter Emelia took this photo. She has a new camera and is taking lots of photos. I particularly like this one she took of Jess.... she looks all expectant and trusting. I want to do a painting based on this photo. Just black and white and in a washy style...with paint dribbling and loose. May be more than the table in the lounge can handle right now! May have to wait until the studio is in a more rational state.

Te whare kuri

2010-08-28T20:40:00.005+12:00

Clyde's dad just made a new kennel for Jess. When it arrived on the back of the ute we all thought it looked like a whare. So I painted it up with Kowhaiwhai patterns and called it "Te whare kuri". In Maori "kuri" is dog and "whare" is house. Within a week, she has trashed her whare... chewing at the roof and constantly dragging out the blanket. The chickens have taken a shine to it and are constantly popping in and out. There is a bit of a battle going on between the dog and the chickens at the moment. Jess is very keen to spend her day rounding them up... they look like they are over her antics... but I sense this is one story that has not been played out fully yet. I like making signs, they satisfy me. I love well labelled things... My dad was a 'sign writer' and I may have got that from him. Sorry Jess. (But I hope you still like it!)

Breakfast with Millie

2010-08-25T21:34:00.002+12:00

This gouache painting is of me at home having breakfast with Millie when she was 5. This painting has sold long ago. It is filled with little things that were important to me at the time. (Millie is 16 now). The 'Elmo' toy on the table, Millie's favourite heart gumboots, the stain glass window Clyde made, the daffodils from our garden, Millie's drawings, a kauri table I brought with my first husband, a variety of ceramics from local potters 'eyecon', the morning black coffee....the spiral key ring Clyde brought me. I have been thinking about returning to this style of painting. It is almost a documentary...a historical record of a time and place....

2010-08-24T06:29:00.001+12:00

Here is another one from London pushing out the 'London bus' idea from a previous post. I was not that happy with the composition but had great fun spotting the people on the way to work and then adding them into the painting when I got home! Painted in gouache on paper. The reason for revisiting these paintings is that I have been asked to do a commission which I am doing in this older style/technique. I have had to look back at some of my older works to remember how I worked then. It has been an interesting exercise.

London Buses

2010-08-23T06:27:00.003+12:00

I hope the quality of this image is okay. It was taken along time ago when I did not have a digital camera. I no longer have the painting.
A few years ago when I lived in London I did a series of paintings about London buses. Originally they were in response to a painting I had seen at the Tate Gallery. Each morning on the way to work I would watch someone I saw and examine them closely. At night I would put them in the painting. I was always in the paintings. Usually I was carrying the leather satchel that I had brought in Greece. I was so in love with that bag! In the end the series numbered about 10 paintings. Most were painted with gouache on paper. Back in New Zealand I did a couple of Acrylic versions as well. All have sold now.

A better picture of the baby!

2010-08-10T05:58:00.000+12:00

The baby caravan out on the lawn. A 10 foot beauty! Can't wait to get onto the interior in spring and have some fun with the Retro outfit!

Decay and mould!

2010-08-10T05:53:00.001+12:00

Must be onto a new theme here! (decay/winter/depressing mud)... It is not a new or original idea....but I have had fun lately experimenting with small projects that can be done around the studio overhaul. I have been collecting plates from the hospice and painting new images over the old. 'HELP' and 'decay' have been added over the spring tulips. I hope the link with a previous post is obvious! BRING ON SPRING!

Bottle top bag

2010-08-10T05:48:00.000+12:00

A few years back I made a series of bags from old bottles tops that I found in a school I was teaching at. The tops had been used for counting in maths. I loved how the tops were worn by all those years of being used and treasured by the little hands of the young students. They reminded me of my own childhood and a time when things were simpler and less complicated. The bag was selected to be part of an exhibition that toured New Zealand and Australia for several years and featured on a calender, that was sold in galleries during the tour, of work by artists who work with 'recycled/upcycled' materials. I was very proud of this bag at the time as it was all lined and damn fiddly to make.

Will spring ever come?

2010-08-10T05:30:00.001+12:00

Just for fun. The courtyard on a sunny day. I am missing the garden at the last house and feel impatient for spring to arrive here. It is a whole different climate up here on the side of the mountain compared to down by the sea at the other place. Since we have moved we leave for work in the dark and get home in the dark. HOWEVER I did notice the daffodils are starting to flower here, so that has to be a good sign! I imagine spring will bring a whole new feel to the place as the plants spring into action and we discover what is here! I am excited!

Falling into place...the new baby!

2010-07-10T09:16:00.002+12:00

Finally life has settled down enough to start blogging regularly again. The blog will be slighty changed in focus and will be a diary of sorts about the developments at the farm and studio. We plan to develop the studio so we can open twice a year. So many new starts happening.... new farm, new job, new studio AND the long awaited (far from new) caravan. For years I have wanted a caravan to "retro up". I have even been collecting bits and pieces from the hospice shop for the last ten years and packaging them up into boxes labelled caravan. Recently we saw on 'Trade Me' the long awaited 'ONE'...a sprite 400/Elk. It coincided with a Polish caravaning magazine contacting me to see if they could use the caravan painting series on my blog for their magazine and on their website. I had a look at the web site the other day and the work is there but it is all in Polish! So I have no idea what it says.

I have started work on the caravan....but it has rained here for about 8 weeks solid. Mud city. Here is a photo of the 'baby' just home from Tauranga. Untouched as yet.

The Bunny's Secret

2010-06-06T09:23:00.000+12:00

I have started work again on a series from last year. The work above has been sold and is now in Europe. This series was a reaction to the death of an elderly neighbour (Marion Squire) who always sat in her front room reading as I walked past. We never met formally... and I don't think I ever saw her outside in three years.... but I always noticed her there and was interested in the stories she must have had about her life. She was in her nineties. I often pondered her life, as I knew her family owned the land our suburb was on many years ago... it had been the family farm. The street behind us was named after her family name-'Squire Place'. She had been the midwife of a local maternity home for over 20 years and was well known amongst older people out Inglewood way. She passed away last year. She had no children of her own and had not married. Her home was sold and many rubbish 'skips' were filled with the contents of her home.... her diaries, craft work (she made lace), photos, travel bits and pieces... just everything went into the skip. The people in the small cul-de-sac where we lived were horrified but powerless to do anything to even rescue some things for the local museum. The local museum even has a page in their archives about her -search 'pukeariki+marion squire' (It is called "A midwife's story). Anyway, I did undercover of darkness, rescue a children's book with delightful 1950's illustrations. it reminded me of the old 'Janet and John' children's books from the 1940's and 1950's. I have used the pictures and text to make a series of banners as a tribute to her. They are about innocence/youth/naivety but also about betrayal by the people we love/undertones of relationships....I wish I had been braver and gone and met her.

Big changes!

2010-05-27T21:47:00.001+12:00

What a ride the last few months have been! Sold the house... sold the farm..... brought a new farm....moved the studio ....and resigned from my job as an art teacher! Going to a teaching job for two terms...teaching little tackers again! (8 and 9 year olds). First time I will have been in a non permanent job since I started teaching in 1986. I am looking forward to teaching topic, handwriting, maths, writing etc.....
Art teaching can be a bit like eating 'McDonalds' at every meal. Nice at first...but the novelty starts to wear off and you crave variety.

Anyway...the new studio is about to be lined with plywood and white washed. We are going to polish the concrete floor- and I know it will look cool. BUT at the moment it looks like this. AND yes....I AM having issues with it. Today I moved my table into the house until the studio is done. It has rained most of the last 7 weeks here. The house is cosy...so I can work up here and be in denial about the rats and grime in the studio/shed.