Playing with paverpol

Had a play day with my daughter and we made diva's.   Well that's what they looked to me :-).

Materials -  Timber, wire and alfoil armature, interlock body, lace and braids all stiffened with tinted Paverpol.

On the passing of a good friend and making blue birds

Life has been just too busy - I find it hard to really believe it has been so long since I posted - though I know that it is three months since I met with the groups I belong to.

I have been making and stitching sporadically. Short trips to the studio have left me with a number of birds like the ones above. They seem to grow in my hands and I love making them. Bandaged birds I call them – they are made by wrapping Paverpol soaked strips of fabric around a polystyrene ball which is shaped with alfoil. Some of them are covered with gauze bandage as well which gives a lovely surface texture.
But, mostly I have been caught up worrying and trying to help an unwell friend who lived quite a distance away - my divided time between her, paid work and family.

Grace passed away on the 18th August and her service was last Friday. I will miss her. She was a great champion and encouraged me in all my art endeveours.
This poem is for Grace:

What the Living Do

Marie Howe

Johnny, the kitchen sink has been clogged for days, some utensil probably fell down there.
And the Drano won’t work but smells dangerous, and the crusty dishes have piled up
 
waiting for the plumber I still haven’t called. This is the everyday we spoke of.
It’s winter again: the sky’s a deep, headstrong blue, and the sunlight pours through
 
the open living-room windows because the heat’s on too high in here and I can’t turn it off.
For weeks now, driving, or dropping a bag of groceries in the street, the bag breaking,
 
I’ve been thinking: This is what the living do. And yesterday, hurrying along those
wobbly bricks in the Cambridge sidewalk, spilling my coffee down my wrist and sleeve,
 
I thought it again, and again later, when buying a hairbrush: This is it.
Parking. Slamming the car door shut in the cold. What you called that yearning.
 
What you finally gave up. We want the spring to come and the winter to pass. We want
whoever to call or not call, a letter, a kiss—we want more and more and then more of it.
 
But there are moments, walking, when I catch a glimpse of myself in the window glass,
say, the window of the corner video store, and I’m gripped by a cherishing so deep
 
for my own blowing hair, chapped face, and unbuttoned coat that I’m speechless:
I am living. I remember you.

From What the Living Do, copyright © 1998 by Marie Howe.

Pop Up Exhibition

Form #1

I spent the day moving between my Garden Art stall and my exhibition space at the Croydon Park Street Fair on Saturday.   The statue above was one of the pieces in the exhibition space.   I had smaller pieces were on the stall.

It was a beautiful day and I got sun burnt standing at in the sun listening to music, chatting to happy people and making small Pot People.  My idea of heaven really.   I gave away more than I sold.  The pot people were a hit and easy to make on the spot.

I was a in a good spot as I was able to direct people to the art space where there were 13 other artists whose work covered a wide spectrum and it made for a high quality varied and interesting exhibition.   I didn't take any happy snaps of the exhibition as it was a little dark inside.

I learnt a couple of lessons from the day - especially in terms of exhibiting.   I had a selection of works in different sorts of media including a couple of art quilts, some embroidered works and my fabric sculptures.  I think I confused viewers and should I be invited to exhibit again will restrain myself and show only one 'type' of work.   Family members manned the space and reported back about what took peoples interest .  It seems that it was fairly well divided between the sculptures and the embroideries.

PS - for those of you  interested in making a Pot Person I will post a photo and instructions shortly. 

Garden Art Workshop at Azures Den, Concord NSW

I am rather excited - I have been asked to facilitate a Garden Art Workshop at Azures Den, Cabrabrita Road, Concord.

Azures Den is a cafe, gift shop and art gallery venue which carries (and sold :-)) some of my garden art.

I will be teaching a statute based on this little fellow on Sunday  2 November 2014.

The Garden Guardian stands approximately 45 cms tall.


Art and afternoon tea!  It couldn't get much better in my view.

The workshop starts at 1.00 pm and you will leave at the end of the day with your very own garden statue.    The workshop size will be limited to about ten people so you get the most from your afternoon.

If you want to learn how to make a garden statute this fun worshop is the one for you.

You can find out more details and book your place by contacting Azures Den directly on 02 9736 3358 or online here.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Donna

fabric garden statue and lace for indoors :-)

I had fun creating this little statue for my garden.  She is made with a wire armature and built up with fabric stiffened with a product called paverpol.   

Her components came from Paverpol in a kit form.  

There is sufficient space in her arms to put a small pot and I was thinking of doing this and filling it with babies tears which would grow/flow over the edges.   In the interim her arms are full of dried bouganvillea.

I have been framing the lace collages I have been working on and when I finally get a decent photo I will put them up. :-)