A big mask

I tend to jump a fair bit between scale. After a while making smaller pieces, I get the urge to make a bigger, more complex piece. I’d had the idea for a big wall-hung mask floating around for a while and was time to make it happen!

While I’d been making smaller masks, I’d been turning the idea around in my head, imagining the technicalities of joining things together and how big I could get with it still holding its shape. I thought to make the mask shape first and then add the extensions.

I knew I’d be using a lot of wire for the extensions, and as there will be a tendency for the wire to droop with the weight of the clay, I thought to join some of the wires together to minimize this. The air-dry clay is pretty light, but the amount I’ll be using will add a bit of weight.

Beginnings of the big mask.

I must say, the middle of a cold Dunedin winter, is a great time to get a lot of work done! Not too many outside distractions pulling me away. I tend to do it all on the kitchen bench, nice and warm, good space and light. Maybe also a hangover from my thrifty Scottish ancestors, in only heating the main living area of the house!

I decided to make the extensions in a circular shape attached to the mask at the front, then work outwards with the clay, creating leaves and flowers.

The wire extensions attached to the front of the mask.

Very time consuming!

I very much enjoy the texture of the air-dry clay, and unpainted, the snowy white has its own appeal! This stage is fairly time-consuming though, and I was glad to finally reach the end.

Once I had finished waiting impatiently for it to dry, I began the next time-consuming process of painting, beginning with the base coat! It’s amazing how many nooks and crannies hide in these things, I think it’s finished, look it at on another angle to discover yet more unpainted (and repeat again and again). I listen to podcasts, and You Tube while I’m working, I figure I can multi-task and train the brain at the same time. Favorite at the moment is Carolyn Myss (spirituality and mysticism), I’ve read her books years ago and was stoked to find her stuff online a while back.

Not feeling especially wise or spiritual yet but I’m sure its accumulating in the deep recesses of my brain.

I had a bit of fun videoing snippets of the process and editing into short clips.

There are 5 stages to these larger pieces, the structural stuff (where a lot of the thinking happens), the clay, underpainting, topcoats and finishing. At each stage I’m visualizing the finished piece, hazy at first and at each stage the choices I make change and sharpen that picture in my head. It’s that process I find so engaging, I’m exploring the idea while working on it.

It’s really taking shape when I get to the topcoats and I start to get excited to get to the end.

After the topcoat, time for some pearls and sparkles, and a bit of gluing fingers together. Super glue can be tricky!

Studying it up on the wall, I made a few alterations to the main face to help it fit better with the extensions, and I’m using a bit of interference paint which adds a nice subtle sheen. I had it up for a few days making small adjustments until I was happy, Max seemed pretty happy with it too, although it could have been the cozy spot underneath the heat pump.

This one sparked a few ideas for another big one and I may yet put some padding and fixings on the back and work out a way it could be worn.

I’ve got a few hazy ideas about taking photos with someone wearing it in interesting locations, though I’ve a feeling that would lead to a whole-body costume. Food for thought though….

A red necklace

Some of my pieces I create and then hunt amongst my now impressive collection of jewellery bits, and with some I can almost see the finished artwork with a certain piece of jewellery on it. Well, I’ve had this red necklace in my collection for a while just waiting…….

So, I wanted to make a larger work for an upcoming exhibition with the Otago Art Society so, putting away my toy cars and other distractions I thought about that necklace. When I first spied it in a secondhand shop, I already had a hazy idea about what I was going to do with it. Something elegant and graceful with an ornate carriage on its back. Maybe a rich chestnut kind of animal, maybe pearly white.

The red necklace

So, I sprang into action. The Otago Art Society has a group of members that come in on a Thursday to work together, so feeling the need for some arty company, I gathered up my wire, cutters, clay and all the associated bits and pieces (I don’t travel lightly, I just know the tool I forget is the very one I will want)

It’s a nice atmosphere, a warm spacious gallery, some good conversation and if we’re lucky someone has been in the mood for baking and brought in a cake.

Firstly, I modelled the main body part over the wire armature bulked out with foil, leaving the thinner pieces for later. It’s a good few hours modelling this, getting the shape just right, I’ve found it helps heaps to spend the time getting the foil the right shape underneath.

The Otago Art Society, nice atmosphere for a work session! Getting the main shape worked up.

Then off home, a bit more working and shaping the polymer clay before popping it into the oven. The beauty of using a pasta machine to condition the clay means I have a fairly uniform thickness so the clay cooks evenly, the wire that will form the carriage and antlers are folded down (ovens are only so big!)

The next session was spent rearranging the wire and the shaping the air-dry clay over this. I start to get impatient here and can’t wait to start the painting, although I always love the clean white look. After playing a bit with colour, I decided on a white and bronze look that should look a bit ‘Royal’. I want to paint up a flag for the back of the carriage too.

I decided on a white and bronze look

The hazy beginnings of an idea is firming up!

So, while waiting for things to dry and move on to the next stage, I discovered I was out of clay, so I thought it was about time I started another painting. Inspired by the few remaining Dianthus flowers struggling along at the end of Autumn, in particular one called Raspberry parfait (I think). It is a name that sounds as yummy as the flowers looked! Well, it ended up taking weeks and they ended up looking more like petunias so I’m thinking of calling it Raspberry Parfait instead of Dianthus. Just as well I’m not too fussed about accuracy, though I have a huge admiration for artists who can capture the delicacy and luminosity of flowers as well as the actual species.

Painting in progress

Painting flowers is hard!

Anyway, back to the main story! Getting the jewellery and ‘extra’ characters sorted is one of the things I love most, it’s where all the bits finally come together. I decided to create a little basket for the smaller figure and a removable flag in bronze and red colours in line with the overall look.

In line with the choice of a red flower flag I’ll call this one ‘Raspberry Parfait” and the painting, given its softer pink tones “Strawberry parfait”. The main animal turned out a bit cute rather than ‘regal’ (sometimes the works take on their own character that is different from my original vision, well- I should say-almost always!)

The final look turned out a little ‘busy’ on top and maybe takes away from the elegance of the animal, but, hey, once I reach perfection, I’ll be able to stop compulsively making art!

The Auckland Art Show

Flights booked. accommodation booked, courier sorted, lists written, artwork packed and ready to roll! Off to the big city! Well, that’s a bit how it felt, I’m not sure how I got to this age without ever having been in Auckland, except to fly out of the airport!

I’ve done a few of these art show in the last couple of years and always come away invigorated and inspired. Being surrounded for a weekend by people who believe in the importance of art, who treat art as an essential part of life is a wonderful feeling. Tips and ideas are shared between artists, but it’s more the feeling that we are in this together, and everyone is sharing a similar story.

Kate, John and the team at Art Shows Across Aotearoa do a fantastic job of organizing and promoting the events they run in 4 different cities in New Zealand. As I get to know more of the artists and supporters of these events I find there is a real community feel to them.

An earlier show. 2018 Dunedin, with my Paper mâché works

I was surprised how well my works travelled. I couriered two packages and the rest I packed into two hard-covered suitcases to go on the plane. Plenty of bubble wrap was used, and I packed them in firmly so there was no slopping around. The only mishap was a slightly bent toe, which was easily rectified. The work, being made from wire and polymer clay with a flexible air-dry clay is fairly robust though!

Al my trusty art assistant flew up with me and we set up Friday Afternoon. No setup is without its problems though! Because my work is quite fine it tends to disappear into the charcoal-grey panels so at the previous show I tried white fabric attached to the panels, with white shelves. It looked Ok, but I wasn’t satisfied with the look, still looked a bit drapey and tended to crinkle. I had what I thought was a genius idea to use bug netting, which was white, wouldn’t crinkle like fabric and would travel easily.

Only problem was… in reality it looked cheap and nasty……and it took me rearranging everything at least twice before I came to that conclusion. I was fixated by the fact that the shelves were white and didn’t actually step back and look properly until it was all set up! funny how you get stuck on an idea!

Al my trusty assistant was very patient while I had a small meltdown, simply took the shelves off and put them on again (several times) without saying a word.

Setting up Wellington 2024, where I used white fabric as a background.

The white mesh looked horrible! Approaching meltdown here!

Once I realized the white shelves looked fine against the black, it didn’t take too long to get finished.

I should also mention that all the tools and drill bits were scattered randomly throughout the bags and the one bit we needed we didn’t find until the end of setup, having had to borrow one. Why I packed the tools like a crazy person, who knows! It has led to Al’s suggestion of a tool bag for future shows.

Once I decided the white shelves would be fine, we got set up!

Getting sorted

All go for opening night.

The artists around me were lovely to talk to, we shared heaps of ideas and kept an eye on each other’s spaces. Showing off your work to the public is only part of the benefits of doing these shows, the sharing of ideas about presentation, work practices and the sense of support amongst artists is awesome. Amongst the ideas I discovered that I can easily get a QR code generated and printed on the back of my business card. Something I didn’t know I could do!

The public were great, I love that people came in, asked questions about the works, and enjoyed people smiling when they looked at the quirkier pieces. ‘Goodnight Spider’ came along as a piece the kids (and adults) to play with. Most art is ‘look don’t touch’ so it’s nice to include a touchable piece. (Goodnight Spider is made over a music box that plays ‘Stairway to Heaven”). It’s so ingrained to ‘not touch’ in art that when adults are intrigued by the materials, I really have to convince them that it’s ok to touch and see what it feels like.

‘Goodnight Spider’ came along as a playful addition.

Now, I don’t generally mind people taking photos of my work, I kind of figure if I have a website with images and social media, my work is out in the public arena anyway, but there were a couple that threw me a bit.

Breezing past me and slowly videoing up close everything in my booth….. I thought that was a bit off, so wandered over and said “Hello”….”Oh good…..the artist…..can you stand over here so I can get a picture?’ So, I dutifully go over and stand behind my work on a plinth. “Just over a bit please…..that’s good it blocks the background clutter”. Somewhere out there is a nice photo of artwork with my clutter-blocking torso.

Approaching people is a fine art,, a few times I walked over when the person was really focused on the art, and gave them a huge fright when I suddenly said ‘Hello” Or I start to make my approach and they start walking away, apparently timing is everything.

Had a great time and looking forward to the Queenstown show in October!

A busy few weeks

I seem to be having a frantic creative burst at the moment. A lot of ideas seem to be whirling around in my head lately waiting their turn to be made real. Now I don’t tend to sketch out my ideas before making but sometimes it’s necessary to jot down or sketch out a wee reminder in my little sketchbook/diary in case they flit out of my head never to be seen again.

I use my little sketchbook for a lot! It’s a diary, work organizer (I’m constantly writing to-do lists) and of course idea notes and sketches.

A few quick sketches to remind me!

There’s nothing more frustrating than an idea that escapes, it sits just on the edges of my mind alongside the money I put in a ‘safe place’, the name of that person I just met and the numerous pairs of glasses I’ve lost.

I’ve been preparing for the Auckland Art Show coming up on the last weekend of June, I had a great time at the shows I did last year. I had a couple of masks I wanted to create to take up, so that’s done! It’ll be the first time I’ve gone up to Auckland for it and there’s a bit of cost involved with the added cost of airfares and couriers so hopefully goes OK.

I have decided though that I need to start getting into these things and take a few chances. I’ve been working hard to make sure I’ve got a good selection of works sorted, so just the final bits to sort, pack them up and get myself and the work up there.to pack them up and get myself and the work up there!

I had a couple of masks I wanted to create for the Auckland Art Show

The Otago Art Society also has their annual exhibition coming up, so I’ve been making sure I have a couple of works ready to put in that. I’ve been a part of the OAS for many years and always like to support the shows. I think it’s so important for artists to form supportive communities, no-one understands the need to make art like other artists!

Working on a piece for the OAS annual show

I’ve also put together some plans for a workshop and demonstrations coming up in August, which should be fun. I always have a lot of questions about how I make my work, and I do love to be able to share how I create it. Sometimes just a small tip can get someone started, I know I’ve always come away from other artist’s talks fizzed up and inspired, even if it’s just another way of looking at something.

An artist’s talk during last year’s Demonstration week at the OAS

Given that the weather has been a bit rubbish it’s a good thing I’ve got a lot of creative stuff happening. I always find I get a lot done in the winter as there’s just more time to focus. No tramping, gardening or summer holidays distracting me. ( ahhh, Summer, I fondly remember the sunshine…)

Alongside the ‘Wheelies’, I’ve been making more of my animals with little structure on their backs, there’s still more happening in this theme, and I want to make another larger one with a carriage. Also, I’m getting a glimmer of an idea around Buba Yaga (always like the idea of a house on chicken legs!)

I’m also still fired up about playing around with stop motion video and getting better with editing these little fun movies. Bit by bit I’m learning how to make these better!

So, with all this going on I decided to finish a painting I’d started a year or so ago and then started another! Well, it actually happened because I ran out of clay and was waiting for an order to arrive, while still in a frantic creative groove.

A work that has been waiting patiently to be finished

I was inspired by the last of my Dianthus flowers before the rain and lack of sun destroyed them, so hey, let’s pop out a painting! More so the colour, they were called ‘Strawberry Parfait’ (well, either strawberry or raspberry), and looked as yummy as the name. The flowers turned out nothing like dianthus flowers, but hey, I’ve never let being botanically (or anatomically) correct hold me back!

Work inspired by dianthus flowers

I find when the crazy creative gods visit it’s best to just run with it and simply enjoy the inspiration and get some mad making in. I do my best to tuck away some of the ideas for those times when I am struggling to get moving creatively.

It hits now and then, and I find instead of hurried sketches of ideas, I’m busy using my little sketchbook/diary for whining about how uninspired I feel. Sometimes there’s a lot of whining in my special little book!

The side quest

A ‘side quest’ sounds much more exciting than ‘getting off task and distracted’, a ‘quest’ sound meaningful, magical even. ‘Side quest’ even implies that there is a ‘main quest’ which gives a sense of purposeful direction to my art meanderings.

The problem with making weird stuff is that the weirdness becomes normalized and I don’t always recognize that I’ve moved from slightly weird to really weird. Actually, my main aim is to pursue a kind of ‘Creepy elegant beauty’, but sometimes I wander down a path that takes me into simply strange and weird.

These little side quests sometimes have a wee hook to them that takes me further, or sometimes it’s an adventure into a dead end. I decided long ago to trust the journey and give myself wholeheartedly to wherever my art takes me, I have a fairly loose hand on the wheel.

‘Pirates’ has the kind of ‘Creepy elegance’ I’m chasing

I have a love of the ‘side quest’ when out walking in the bush too. ‘What’s down that track?’ can lead to a charming 20-minute meander beside a lovely creek or a 4-hour slog through knee-deep mud with darkness fast approaching. I love not knowing where a track will take me, my family and friends - not so much.

I walk alone a lot.

I love not knowing where a track will take me

One of the things that set me off on this latest side quest is making the smaller characters or ‘riders’ on these larger animal’s movable. I found I had so much fun arranging these characters that I wanted to build some interactive artworks. After making quite a few animals with elaborate structures on their backs, I wanted to make some larger pieces and thought to make carriages. This really opened up the scope for multi-piece works.

In ‘Travellers’, some of the little characters are hard at work, climbing around the carriage, some are stuffing around doing nothing and there’s a driver who appears to be the only one doing any actual work. (Just like a real workplace!)

‘Travellers’, polymer/air-dry clay with possum fur and recycled jewelry.

‘Travellers’ (detail)

‘Travellers’ detail

The second thing that sent me off in this exploration was the fun I was having with stop-motion animation. With static animal sculptures the legs don’t move so any movement is from the smaller characters climbing around.

I had a play with AI videos making the animals move (quite addictive by the way!), but didn’t like the liberties that the AI took with the image. I could probably have ironed out some of the issues, but didn’t really see it as more than a bit of fun and a novelty. I’ll probably play with it a bit more, but the more hands-on approach of stop motion has more appeal.

All of this (and the fact that I was playing with grandkids and toy cars) led to this idea of building structures over old cars, and the ‘Wheelies’ were born! With wheels, things move naturally when playing with stop-motion video, cars can spin, race and the extra bonus is having rearrangeable small figures ‘driving’ them! I’d like to pursue this idea a little more, creating little stories around the artworks.

‘Vroom”, one of the pieces I call ‘Wheelies’ air-dry clay, recycled jewelry and possum fur made over the top of a toy car.

After making some of these small ‘Wheelies’, I’ve been getting more elaborate with larger, more complex boat shapes with a bit of a fantasy Viking Mad Max vibe. I love the silliness of a boat on wheels that could never float. I’ve been playing a bit with sails and flags too. I don’t know where these characters travelling in their boat cars are going or where they’ve come from, seems they need a story.

‘All aboard’, air-dry clay with recycled jewelry and possum for over a toy car.

‘Hoist the sail’, with sail up

‘Hoist the sail’, sail down

I’ve no idea whether this is an idea that will stay a while to be elaborated on or flit off to wherever ideas live when they’re not being made real. I’ve a few more ideas to make along this theme, then, who knows where the track will take me.

Having a 'wheely' good time

It’s been a busy start to the year, and I’ve taken a bit to get into the art flow. (I say that as if I have already but I’m still a bit chaotic and disorganized!) Away for weekends in the caravan, tramping, the arrival of a new grandbaby has all combined to put the squeeze on my artmaking but in the best possible way! Though doing the things I enjoy and spending time with the people I love best is OK by me!

I’ve been working on carriages as an extension of the ‘riders’ who were sitting on elaborate structures on the backs of animals and I started to think ‘wheels, so I raided the toybox for small cars and started creating structures around them.

“Racer’ 200 × 120 × 170mm

These ‘racers’ were something that was kind of fermenting over the Christmas period. They are the ideal project when time is short and disrupted, much like the quirky little birds I make, they are small (fit in the palm of my hand) so don’t take the brainpower and focus of the bigger pieces. Did I mention fun! There’s nothing serious about them, they came out with a bit of a futuristic fantasy vibe, making me think of Mad Max vehicles, with nothing making sense on them. There’s also ideas of merry-go-round animals too with the carriages having animal or bird heads.

‘Speedy’ 190 × 80 × 190mm

As I am very much enjoying the rearranging aspect of my artworks lately, I made the characters unfixed so they can be moved to different positions. There’s a bit of fiddling to get them right.

‘Vroom’ 170 × 130 × 120mm

Another inspiration feeding into this was my interest in stop-motion video, I need to get them racing! I’ve realized that, with grandkids, I’ve spent a lot of time over the last 10 years playing imaginary games with dinosaurs, Duplo and toy cars so it’s not surprising I’ve been influenced by toys.

2024 recap

2024 was a year of healing and recalibration on a personal level. The previous 2 years were a time of emotional difficulty with the loss of my parents, the time leading up to it, and a realization of my own emotional vulnerability. Prior to this I didn’t really grasp how difficult life can get at times as most of life’s difficulties and upsets I managed with relative ease.

The impact of this has been massive although the upside of going through difficult times is that I feel more rounded and empathetic with others having hard times and felt a heightened sense of the warmth and importance of family, friends and celebrations of good things happening.

Art-wise I feel I have made some great progress, gaining more skills in my chosen medium and creating works that match my vision. I began to make some bigger, more elaborate pieces as I worked out how to construct them. The modelling has become more refined as I’ve gained more skill with the clays. There are no short-cuts with gaining skill except to make, make more and yet more. I always say, ‘Make the ugly works, and lots of them!’, the ugly works that don’t quite match your vision are the only way into the great works.

Some of the smaller works in progress.

After making a lot of works with elaborate structures on their backs I began to investigate animals pulling carriages. This led on to larger pieces and the addition of lots of smaller characters driving the carriages and interacting. I had so much fun arranging these small humanish animals that I decided to leave these unfixed so that they can be rearranged in different configurations.

Well one thing always leads to another! To have these rearrangeable I had to make the figures similar enough to either sit or stand in various places, this led on to making little ‘handholds’ from wire so they wouldn’t annoyingly fall off at the slightest breath of wind. I did some experimenting with magnets, shelved for now but something I may come back to. The scale was important also, they had to be small enough to make the primary ‘steed’ pulling the cart look big. I discovered the frustration of making small things with fingers that are too big!

I made some artworks with elaborate structures on their backs.

I began making carriages with movable characters.

When I’m working out stuff like this and chasing an idea to make it real, this is the happy place I like to be! Solving technical problems to bring an artwork to life, chasing an idea and look that I can’t put into words, it’s something that’s not even clear in my mind’s eye, like catching a dream.

I also began creating works over toy cars. I like the idea of a movable piece, and they came out with a kind of ‘Mad Max’ feel to them.

I enjoyed the ‘Mad Max’ feel to these ones.

In between bigger pieces I made a lot of smaller ‘floofs’, dogs, cats and had a lot of fun with making short humorous videos. I feel I’ve learnt a lot about photography and video, with still much more to learn.

I took part in two art shows in Christchurch and Wellington, which I thoroughly enjoyed. So great to mix with art lovers and buyers, and I made some new arty friends! I’m intending on taking part in another couple this year also.

Really enjoyed the art shows!

I got hacked and lost all my social media accounts which was extremely frustrating. I have since got my Instagram account back which is good. The above image was sent around to all my contacts as an advertisement for bitcoin, not a great look for an artist trying to create a solid online presence. On the positive, it got me out of my comfort zone and led me to U Tube and experimenting with video.

So all in all, it was a very busy year with a lot happening in a lot of different areas. My website has been somewhat neglected, so I intend to spend a bit of time over the next few months giving it some love, and I need to get updating more regularly. We’ve already rolled into 2025 so I better get moving!

Social media frustrations

Well, I got hacked!!!

I was happily working away trying to get a couple of figurines painted, trying busily to get them finished for a show when my phone started binging. A while later, having, in my distracted state, given the hacker all the information they needed, I was frantically trying to access my account while the hacker was sending adverts for Bitcoin to all my contacts.

Some of my lovely friends emailed me warning of the dangers of investing in bitcoin, others suggesting that unless I had a really good investment to offer them it looked like I’d been hacked. Page was reported and I was left in the cold world of communication without social media and messenger.

The figurines turned out good though!

‘Travelling on”

‘Treetail’

It made me aware of just how much time I was spending mindlessly scrolling whenever I had a spare moment and how reliant I was on social media for communication and self-promotion of my art. We are very vulnerable to the whims of social media companies!

Well, that was only the start of the saga……

I had no luck reinstating the accounts, decided to cut my losses and start all over again. With some help I made a new Facebook account, new Facebook page and Instagram. Spent some time convincing doubtful friends and family that yes, this one is legit, the real me, was hard at work building up the art pages again, when……..

Facebook decided my new page was impersonating my old page and shut me out of all my accounts again! I have spent many hours wallowing in the unhelpful help pages, doing video selfies, frustratingly going around in circles.

In my efforts to outwit Facebook I now seem to have created three profiles, which both makes me appear dodgy and which I cannot access. My new Instagram is also inaccessible, but randomly, my old Instagram account was given back.

Wow!!! how to make a mess and then make it even bigger!

Silver Linings

Well, after some hair pulling, then a good amount of time spent sulking, I thought ‘stuff you Facebook… what about YouTube?” (Apparently, I can’t survive without some sort of social arty interaction) I started a YouTube channel and started playing around with video.

Video led on to a lot of learning! I downloaded iMovie for editing and spent a lot of time on handy YouTube finding out how to use the app and how to move videos from here to there and back again. I learnt until my brain hurt and then learnt some more!

There is always a silver lining when something goes sideways, sometimes it’s hard to see when I’m in the middle of it and feelings are ranging from mildly irked to severely agitated. Even with some of life’s bigger challenges when I’ve been completely devastated, there is another side, in which case the silver lining can merely be that I’ve become stronger and learnt something about myself and the world.

Unfortunately, sometimes it takes months, even years to find that silver lining with life’s bigger challenges and I’ve taken to sometimes whining to the universe that maybe I didn’t want to be a stronger person or learn about the world, maybe I was happy in my delusions.

Anyway, after my first attempts, I discovered Stop motion animation, downloaded the app, figured out how to use it and got completely sidetracked playing with my wee critters and the magic of making them appear to move.

Its funny how one thing can lead on to another! I found it a great way to learn about editing, having fun is one of the best ways to learn!

YouTube shorts are a great way to become familiar with the platform and editing. Not too scary either because only my hands are in some of the videos. Ultimately, I want to focus on inspiring and educational arty content, and I’ll need to speak in front of the camera, which brings up a whole lot of insecurities.

I have been practicing, making and deleting really crappy, awkward videos in my efforts to become more natural when speaking to a camera. I figure if I do it enough it’ll get better……we’ll see.

How many hours was the magic formula to become an expert at something? Haha, hope I haven’t left my run too late; I need to fit in some awesome art too!

Little surprises

One of the things I love best about creating artworks is the little surprises and accidental discoveries. There are always new tricks to find!

Artmaking is an ongoing journey and sometimes the smallest of discoveries can lead you in exciting new directions and open up possibilities, sometimes straight away, sometimes much later on. I always think there are no mistakes really, some things discovered during the less successful (ok, I’ll say it…’Disasterous”) artworks can prove to be useful later on.

I remember playing our beloved Spiro game on the PlayStation. (going back a bit here!) Discovering tricks to get to the next level and unlocking jewels led on to all sorts of exciting adventures. It took huge amount of determination and perseverance to keep trying again and again after failing time after time before finally succeeding, sometimes accidentally!

Much like life in general really, except no-one showers you in jewels every time you reach another level.

One of my accidental discoveries was buying an iridescent white instead of a plain white and ending up with a silvery sheen. I adored this effect and have used it again with some other artworks.

‘Silver Shadow’, using the iridescent white over a blueish grey.

‘Siver Shadow’ detail

Recently I put an iridescent white with a bronze and ended up with a gorgeous shimmery Palamino colour. Perfect for a couple of deer-like creatures I had just made.

Much of my artwork has moved along in a direction influenced by these little ‘discoveries’, I see my role in the making process as guiding and using these little surprises, I suppose, just being open to allowing the creative process to unfold.

I like the idea of a creative Daemon. The word coming from the Ancient Greek ‘Daimon’, which was a generic term for minor gods or spirits. I read an intriguing idea describing a creative Daemon, though can’t remember the source of this wonderful idea. (Inside the vast filing room inside my head I have stacks of folders with inspirational material gained from a lot of reading, unfortunately most of the labels have peeled off and are now lying in a corner yellowed and dusty.)

It went a little like this: There are creative spirits or ideas searching for an artist to make real. The artist’s job is to remove their doubts and insecurities and be open to receiving them. Best to humble up also because the ideas are not yours, you are merely helping them to be made real.

Love this idea! The thought that there are creative ideas floating around on the breeze looking for someone to make them real has a huge appeal.

Nice 'Palomino' colour.

Loved this colour so used it again on this wee guy.

Also works the other way, if your idea was not genius but actually a bit crappy, you just had a dodgy Daemon.

Demonstration week 2024

The Otago Art Society demonstration week is always a great experience. Some artists join for a few days, others for the full week of chatting, laughing and getting a bit of work done.

As most of us work alone in our studios, kitchen bench or spare room that has been taken over for the cause, it’s nice to share ideas with other artists and visitors. It’s always fascinating finding out how other artists make their work, their ideas about art and even more practical discussions around sourcing materials, framing and printing.

Some artist’s work I had been admiring for years but hadn’t met, so it was great to put a face to the work.

Demo week underway.

There was a bit of reshuffling as artists came and went. I moved from a wall space to space in the middle of the room, my wall-hung pieces can be displayed flat, so I left the wall space for artists with paintings.

The gallery was alive with chatter as we all got to know each other better. As proof that artists spend their time working hard and not out frolicking in nature or whatever else people think artists do, I discovered most of us suffer from some sort of upper back problems.

The result - a roomful of artists sharing their favorite stretches looking more like an exercise class than an artist demo, with a side helping of massage.

Haven’t needed it yet, but I ever damage my quads while making art, I’ll know how to stretch it out!

To balance out the stretches and exercises there was some yummy baking brought in. Scones, muffins, cakes and pikelets and cream, all the good stuff necessary for better artmaking.

This year we had artist talks as well. We all supported each other’s talks which took away the worry of putting on a talk and no-one turning up, it also made it a little less scary as we had already been chatting to each other.

A group of artists make a really good audience, as most already have an understanding in general of materials and how their own artwork is constructed, there are some really insightful questions. It’s great practice to talk about your art to a group of friends who understand the basics and are genuinely interested in the process and thinking behind it.

I find it fascinating how other artists work and the backstories - wow! When some of these wonderful people started sharing their histories I was spellbound as normally you get to know someone in a very limited context, a small slice of their life.

Artist talk - great fun

Sunday afternoon was pack down time, everyone chipping in to put things away. I lugged all my stuff inside to unpack later, tired but happy.

The power of colour

June was a busy making month for me. The winter months are great for creating, with the weather cold outside and no distractions calling from my neglected garden or a stunning day too good to spend inside. I’ve been expanding on my work with a series of ‘travellers’, figurines with structures and riders going who-knows-where, alongside some wall-hung lizards.

I’ve been expanding on the theme of Travellers

I’ve been making some quite elaborate figurines, re-introducing some possum fur on some, which changes the look and feel significantly and also playing a bit more with colour. When making a fantasy animal, I’m aiming for something believable and colour is a big part of it. With the figurine above, I wanted a stony grey to help project a strong powerful animal.

I’ve given some thought to when I decide the colour of a piece and it seems to come during the making, not definite, but a hazy start of an idea as the piece is taking shape. I don’t tend to plan ahead with drawings, but there is a loose picture in my head I’m working to.

At this stage I’m forming some ideas about colours.

My preference is for darker colours but I love the clean white when shaping the piece. There are some rules when trying to make a fantasy animal and keeping some believable aspects to it. In thinking about what I do and trying to explain it I’ve realized I do work to some inner rules, and not as carefree as I thought I was!

Reptile-type critters and birds can be almost any colour and pull it off, but I’ve found more natural colours work better on the horse-cat-bull creatures. I think it’s to do with my brain making sense of a piece, I can head towards reds with these, but a green would look odd. Of course there’s always exceptions, as in my circus-themed piece (a horse can be blue when it’s a circus horse). I may be making random rules but they make sense to me. Chagall had awesome green horses and blue goats so he clearly had some different rules.

A circus-themed horse

I thought I needed to try a white animal and ended up with a completely different feel. I love how a work that starts out as a hazy idea gradually solidifies into something real, often surprising me. This happened with' ‘The search’, I wanted to make a white piece which seemed to call for a finer-built animal. I also popped a pearly white in the mix, painted over a darker undercoat. The pearl doesn’t show up as well in photos but just adds a gentle sheen.

‘The Search’

White, so often associated with purity, innocence and goodness added another element to the piece. These Travellers are on some sort of quest for the greater good. White does seem to bring a mystical, ethereal quality to the mix.

While on a white theme I thought about a wall-hung lizard and the effect was different again. Most of my wall-hung lizards are darker, in shades of green. The white looks completely different, somehow more solid against the wall.

most my wall-hung lizards are in shades of green.

Colour has endless possibilities for changing the feel of an artwork and has endless associations for us, personal, emotive and cultural. If I think of any word, lawn, moss, sea, sky, cloud, rug, chair and a picture will form in my head with colour and feeling.

Good friends and inspirations.

In the busyness in getting ready for the Wellington art show, I didnt get around to writing up my Featured Artist week at the Otago Art Society. I was working alongside Lorna Allan, good friend and fellow artist. As artists, we are polar opposites, Lorna’s work evokes a sense of peace, tranquility and calm, whereas mine exudes an imaginative sometimes frantic energy.

What binds us is our love of nature and our belief in the importance of art. We are both firm believers in freely sharing information about ideas, techniques and materials.

I think it’s very healthy to be around art and artists that are different from yourself, it opens you up to new ideas.

It was delightful watching Lorna engage with visitors, how she finds a point of connection and before long someone will shyly pull a phone out and share an artwork they have been working on. As the visitor invariably says something depreciating like “Oh… I’m not a real artist”, she gently encourages them and assures them that yes, they are.

Sometimes a visitor will say something like “I’m not artistic” and they are encouraged to reveal what they are good at.

Lorna Allan with her beautiful landscapes.

Our work is quite different.

Art is just one of the tools we can use to share stories and experiences. I think I learn as much as any visitor I engage with, it’s fascinating discovering what things are important to people.

Every interaction leaves a mark, disinterest or a cruel word can crush someone, while a genuine interest and engagement can leave someone feeling heard and empowered.

I love how sometimes a brief chat with a complete stranger can leave me feeling light, and we could do with more "lightness” in this world.

I have always thought that one inportant role that artists play is to inspire. I have had this piece of writing on my studio wall for many years and find it as empowering now as when I first read it.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Attributed to Nelson Mandela and authored by Marianne Williamson on pages 190-191 of her book A RETURN TO LOVE

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The Wellington art show

Writing lists, packing, bookings, double checking bookings, all things complete to head off to the Wellington art show with my handy assistant Al. Did I mention double checking bookings? Yep, well more on that later…

We packed up the car and headed off Tuesday morning, about a 8-hour drive to Kaikoura, first stop on the journey. After an overnight stop, we completed the trip to Picton, stopping along the coast to admire the stunning scenery and seals galore!

Arriving at the ferry terminal nice and early for our 1.00 sailing, I handed over the tickets….and apparently, I had booked the ferry crossings the wrong way around! Fortunately, we were able to take a later one and had a couple of extra hours on Picton.

Finally got on the ferry!

Once off the ferry, and after a few wrong turns we arrived at our motel. (I was not great at navigation-apparently you can still stuff up with Google maps!)

The motel was ok except someone thought it was a great idea to make an ensuite almost entirely of frosted glass with a strip of clear glass from knee height down so you could view your partner’s silhouette and feet while in the shower and on the toilet.

Had a day spare before the show so checked out Weta Workshop. Fantastic finding out about how movie props are made, I discovered some new materials that I may have to give a whirl.

Weta Workshops, loved it!

Set up went very smoothly, it had been suggested that I try to display my work against a white background, so I brought up some heavy fabric and it did the trick.

Set up went very smoothly. No tantrums this time!

The white background made my work stand out more.

I loved chatting with people and loved how most people smiled when they saw my work. My arty neighbor Victoria on the panels beside me was lively and fun. We made a quirky and fun corner, had lots of laughs.

Victoria Dowall, my neighbor is to the right of Medusa.

One of my personal favorites ‘The quest’ headed off to a new home. (In the front)

The other artists were friendly, and the show very smoothly run. Some of my favorite pieces headed off to new homes and I had some wonderful conversations with art lovers. I love sharing ideas about art and mediums (can waffle on for hours when I get in a groove.)

I arrived home exhausted but very happy and inspired, with a few new art loving friends.

Facelifts and removable wings

Last week was quite busy. I had some work to do on my big girls, getting them ready for the Wellington art show. Birdwoman needed to have removable wings so she could better fit in the car, and I wanted to give her a new face and hair. I decided while I was at it to give Medusa a new head.

Papier Mache is still fun and messy!

Some work to do on the big girls.

I’ve fitted some pipe into Birdwoman’s back to slot the wings into.

While cutting off Medusa’s head I felt she was most displeased about my decision. I felt a bit like Perseus. Ended up with a cut on my arm from the craft knife so there may have been a curse involved. I could feel her eyes on me while working on the new head.

I could feel her watching……

Painting the black undercoat on big sculptures is a messy business, because I have it reasonably thin to get into all the nooks and crannies, it flicks…over me and everything in the immediate surroundings. The drop cloth never is quite big enough, so I spend a bit of time cleaning as well.

Classic trick is to stand on some wet paint and track it all over the kitchen……then wonder why I wasn’t doing it outside.

Wasn’t sure if I was happy with the new head and the decision to make the snake hair from air dry clay is one I won’t repeat. Tedious hours of work and still not quite sure if I was going to have to pull it all off and start again.

I could feel Medusa’s old head was watching gleefully as I slogged away.

Deciding to make snake hair out of air-dry clay was fairly time-consuming!

Birdwoman, not of the type to be vindictive, took her alterations gracefully. The idea I had for removable wings worked out without a hitch.

Birdwoman’s wings ready for alteration.

Good drying weather helped me to crack along at a good pace and I think even Medusa’s head would be happy with the result.

As for Medusa’s old head, I’ll keep her so she can keep an eye on things.

The Christchurch Art Show

On the 7th March, my helpful assistant/hubby Al and I packed up the ute, hooked up the caravan and headed off to the Christchurch Art Show. I’d been working hard to get work prepared for this so great to finally get there!

Friday was the setup day before the opening night, we found the load in area and got to work setting up.

Overconfident and full of unrealistic optimism as usual I said to Al ‘It’ll only take an hour and we’ll be off” Famous last words….

Three hours later I’m sweating, having a tantrum trying to peel off a piece of label that won’t separate from its backing and violently throwing it to the ground while my helpful assistant was staying at a safe distance of approximately three meters away and opting for a tactful silence.

Well, it’s most unsatisfying to throw a piece of paper, after watching it flutter gently to the ground, I realized I needed it and had to pick it up again anyway.

Busy at setup, almost done.

We then rushed back to the van, tidied up put on my show hat and went off to the opening, mood much improved.

The organization of the show was fantastic, it was very well planned and had a lovely friendly feel to it. It’s run by Art Shows Across Aotearoa.

The comradery was great, I caught up with some artist friends and art-lovers and made some new ones, chatting, supporting each other and sharing ideas.

All set to go on opening night.

There are tips and tricks to be discovered and it was great to be with such a wonderful bunch of people who have centered their lives around their art.

Talking to other artists and art-lovers was great.

Talking to visitors about my art was great too, it was well worth spending time clarifying my ideas (I have a diary/sketchbook so am constantly refining what I am doing, why I am doing it and my process).

I love sharing information with people, I always think if it helps with someone else’s creativity that can only be a good thing.

I enjoyed watching the reactions, how the humorous birds put a smile on people’s faces as they joked with each other ‘Looks like you in the morning”, or when a visitor steps in for a closer look and something in the piece connects with them.

A huge thanks to the visitors who stopped to look, chat and those who took a piece home with them. Your support and encouragement are fantastic and contributed to a brilliant weekend. I look forward to seeing you all again!

Busy Busy Busy

Busy is the word for the next couple of months. I’ve got a lot coming up. A couple of tramps exploring the amazing landscape of the South Island mountains, the Christchurch art show, a Featured artist stint at the Otago Art Society and the Wellington art show!

I was off tramping out of Glenorchy last week, home this week then off for another walk the following week. I find the tramping inspires and invigorates me.

I’ve never been and never will be a landscape painter, though I admire and appreciate many skilled landscape painters., its more for me, just admiring the beauty and magnificence of our amazing country.

Stunning vistas, even the pesky ragwort looks pretty as a sea of yellow in places.

I find it inspiring and invigorating to be out in nature.

As I knew I would not be getting too much artwork done during these couple of months I have had to be super organized in advance, making sure I will have enough artworks for the shows. Fortunately, the creativity gods were working in my favor and supplying me with heaps of inspiration and new ideas.

Busy putting together a couple of bird frames.

A few chairs drying on the left with a larger piece and some ‘floof’ bodies drying on the right.

Of course, there’s always a few extra opportunities to make something fun. I had a divert to make a few dragons and a piece for the Otago Art Society’s circus-themed show coming up in March, so it’s been good to have allowed enough time to comfortably get involved in things that perk my interest.

A piece in progress for a circus-themed show (propped up with a drill and containers until it dries) with a couple of dragons in progress in the background.

I now have my Christchurch Art Show stuff organized and packed up, carefully recording all the names and prices. I’m big on lists, so happily ticking everything off.

Some dragonish fun

I was asked if I would like to create a few hanging pieces for a space at the Otago Art Society gallery to celebrate the Year of the Dragon. Right up my alley! Previously I have made dragons from papier Mache, wire, cloth and glue. I wondered if the more flexible air-dry clay I’m working with currently would be up to the task. Nothing like a good wondering to get inspired!

I made the wings separate then joined them to the body

With the first dragon, I made the wings separately and joined them to the body, a bit of work thinking around how to allow for the wingspan and what thickness of wire to allow for the weight. The clay has a fair bit of flex but I figured there would be a bit of pressure where the wings join to the body.

For the wing covering I used thinly rolled out clay, allowing holes to develop.

All painted up

Made a row of spikes and ‘flowers’ down the back.

The first dragon had quite a big wingspan and they drooped a bit much. I fixed this by adding another point to hang from further along the wings.

The wings drooped a bit low, so I need to make another hanging point further out.

I thought I’d make another couple of different sizes, loved how the wings had a really leathery look to them. One thing I did discover was that it’s really hard to get a good photograph as they’re all odd angles and quite thin and long.

Dragon foot

Drangon 2, hard to get a good shot, lots of awkward angles.

I loved the leathery wing effect.

It was an overcast day, so they made quite a dramatic silhouette against the sky.

A new year

Well, 2023 was a difficult year for me, a year filled with grief, heartache and loss leaving me rather battered and bruised as I enter 2024. It was a year also filled with support, love and laughter from the people I love best and the arrival of a wonderful new baby.

I feel I’ve covered the whole range of human emotions in a very intense year indeed. I have discovered a vulnerability I didn’t know I had and also the strength to be found in close relationships.

I have been frozen and struggled to make art at times, and also frantically creative at other times. Interestingly my work, which tends to lean towards dark and creepy has been tending towards lighter and dare I say it….pretty at times. Wierd…. but who am I to question the creativity gods.

I made a lot of humorous birds.

I made some dragonflies and spent some time exploring the qualities and capabilities of air-dry clays. I love the shadow play with these wall-hung pieces.

I took the wall hung ideas further with some dragonish, lizard-like pieces.

There was a lot I wanted to achieve, get better at photography, up my computer skills and promote my work more, I made a half-hearted effort but now that’s been added to this year’s list.

There’s a comfort in the process of creating and I suppose it’s what I have turned to, the familiarity of planning and the physical process of making art. I’ve always thought of it as an almost meditative process, there is no room for thoughts and the outside work to intrude and the focus is on one thing.

I’ve made quite a few of fun little floofs..

I’ve made a lot of masks, refining ideas and techniques.

I’ve got a couple of art shows coming up this year, so I have been working towards them, and I’ve a few new ideas to explore as well so it’s feeling like a busy year coming up. No doubt the studio will need another tidy (I managed to make some floor space by shoving everything haphazardly in the cupboards so now still can’t find anything.) Oh, and I’ll be whipping off for a few tramps and a trip or two in the caravan too.

Camera play

I headed up to Naseby last week and thought I would take up some works and practice my photo taking skills in the surrounding forest. I know in my head the sort of photos I want, however getting them is a different story.

Because the camera can’t respond telepathically to what I want, (telepathic camera- love the idea!) I have to rely on learning how to do it and practice, practice, practice. Lots of things to consider, contrast, light, dark, in focus, fuzzy background or not.

Great fun experimenting and trying different moods and looks.

A few pieces lined up ready to go.

I love the idea of taking works into the natural environment. I’d like to talk someone in to being a model for my masks once I work up a look suitable and in sync with the environment. I love the works of ‘Mothmeister”, eerie, Victorian and otherworldly, and some others I’m following on social media. I’m not sure what exactly I want, but it’s an idea that’s fermenting away and I’ll refine at some stage.

After trying the masks hanging from branches, I tried them against a tree trunk with the textured bark. Quite a different look. The more elaborate one looked almost camouflaged.

This one looked almost camouflaged.

The birds, well, they’re a bit of fun, no serious art stuff with them, could be a little unnerving to see one hopping towards you though. I think they enjoyed the outing; I could tell by their expressions.

Dragonfly

Well, I decided to make a dragonfly. Associated with change, transformation, adaptability and self-realisation, these insects are some of the fastest insects on earth reaching speeds of 50km. Fierce predators, they can hover, fly sideways, upside down, backwards and spin 360 degrees on axis. Awesome critters!

I also had a fear of turning out something that looks tacky like butterflies on houses in the 70’s, along with flamingos on the front lawn. (Apparently kitsch is cool but tacky is not so if you love this look clearly, you’re into kitsch and not tacky art). I also did not want to make ‘pretty art’, so a bit of a challenge to get a feel I was satisfied with.

Why am I not soldering?

As I was putting the frame together, twisting wire for the body, legs and more delicate wings, the wire kept slipping and moving. I suddenly realised I should be soldering to tack this into place! I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before when making some of my more delicate pieces.

I decided a more fantasy style would be better, freeing me up from needing to follow anatomical rules of shape and proportion.

Ready for painting.

When using the clay, I flattened it out really thin over the wire in the wings so hopefully when the light catches it just right the translucency of the clay will show through. As I was making it I was also thinking about some interference paint for a bit of a shimmer.

Trying out blue interference paint.

I got to use some of my favorite colors, deep Prussian blue and rich turquoise.

A scaley effect on the body.

I went for a scale-like effect on the body to add a little bit of a prehistoric look, painted with dark colors underneath and brushed over with lighter color and the interference paint, which came out quite dramatic on the darker colors. When the wings are backlit there is some translucency as I had hoped.

I love the shadows patterns on the wall.

Love the shadows on the wall, might have to make another!