Kokedama part two

Again, not a tutorial, but this is how I made my first hanging kokedama. 

Experiments in kokedama

This is Pinterest meets crafty chick meets gardener meets too many house plants, when the only way to go is up... Or down, in this case. As in attach the plants to the ceiling in my obsession of the week: kokedama, specifically hanging kokedama. 

This is not a tutorial, but a document of my own experiments in the style. If you want to know how to make kokedama a quick whip around a few Google results will give you ample information. However, for the purposes of information, I'm using sphagnum moss, orchid mix potting media, jute twine, one of my clearance orchids, and air-dry clay. No, I'm not mixing the clay through the potting mix as I've read in tutorials (probably not suitable)  but I'm making a sphere of it for the centre to give the kokedama a shape to work to, and to act as a bit of a weight.

So, here goes nothing! 

Sort of, kind of, done...

The backyard garden plan, that is. It's not exactly a fabulous work of art - I always get carried away with colour - but I'm happy with it. I particularly like my 'North' symbol. I've never attempted any kind of hand lettering before, and I think I need to work out the best kind of pen to do it with, but it's not so bad. It's a thoroughly dodgy photo, I couldn't get it lined up properly so opted to not line it up at all :S And now that I've uploaded it, I've realised I still haven't penned in the names of the top plum (actually two plums!), nor the grape I've just planted along the eastern fence by the house. Still, enough self-deprecation, it's not bad, and if it ever ends up on my wall I'll take a proper picture then. By the way, the size of the trees etc is how I see them in about five or more years, not as they are now. Indeed, only about 85% of them are actually planted!

Been aPaintin'

Just after 1am and hanging up the brushes and turning off the music for the night (soundtrack: CW Stoneking, Jose Gonzalez, Bobs Dylan and Marley, Royksopp...) First time I've been painting since SP was born over two years ago and I'm painting -what else- the back yard as it looks in ten years time (in my head). It's only half done, and apart from that old mistake of trying to use black in a watercolour, I think it's OK. Must put it all away before morning though, as the thought of a two year old near 'real' paints and paper makes my blood run cold!

Good night, all, and welcome to spring :)

It's all about balance

So, here 'tis, that retro industrial 'item' that tickled my fancy at the trash 'n' treasure shop the other day (more trash than treasures, to be honest!). It's tag called it a 'balance board', though what it really is I have no idea (Google gives me nothing). It might even be something someone has created that has no real purpose at all. But who cares? I thought it was fun, and a little bit tongue-in-cheek, though probably not to every one's taste.




It needs some love, a good dusting for a start, and a bit ironically for something with 'balance' emblazoned in yellow across the front I think it needs a border to tuck it into itself a bit. We're going to box up the back of it (as the dials stick out quite a long way behind) and put it on the wall when our new room is finished. It might look a bit more like this dodgy MS Paint number I whipped up.


And while we were at this place, D was very taken with a pile of old servo numbers they had, so we bought two of them, and they'll go up on the walls as well. They're so bright!

Bah!

Tea party yesterday for SIL's birthday. I took lots of pictures, but it seems that in the tidying frenzy my card-reader has gone missing! Disaster! Please bear with me while I try to find it in the chaos...

The Scream, Edvard Munch (1893)

W.I.P.s

So, what is a WIP? A WIP is a Work In Progress, an unfinished project, of which I have approximately 379 of stashed away in various cupboards and boxes. I have designated 2011 the Year of the WIP and it is my most sincere intention to get some of these projects completed (or binned, depending on my mood).

The other day, in a fit of madness, I tidyed our study and in doing so I came across one of these neglected ideas languishing in a battered shoebox. 

I'd started folding these paper cranes when I found out that I was pregnant with SP. I was going to make a mobile from them and hang the birds above the cot where they could dance in the wind. Sadly, that was never fully realised. 

When I pulled them out again I realised that something was missing. I had lots of red cranes, pink cranes, purple cranes, green cranes, but no blues, not even one.

So the very first thing I did was pull out my stash of beautiful, lovely, tactile Japanese papers. I have literally dozens of them. Some collected here in Adelaide, and quite a lot I brought home from Japan at the end of 2009. I find them hard to use. I don't want to waste them.

I started folding cranes again the other night in front of Midsomer Murders, lots of blues and few more greens and golds to round things out. 

I laid them out in their colour groups, took a few happy snaps, and then SP woke up and I had to whip them away lest they all be crushed by little hands!

They're not going to be a mobile, but I do have another idea (the evolving WIP!) and I hope it will be finished shortly and I can show you the finished product.

A poem

Cold, Cold, go away.
Tired of complaining
every day.

Head hurts
and nose awash.
Why do you torment me,
dreaded Virus?

Immune System,
where have you gone?
Sending me to bad poetry.
Or the dogs.

***

Clearly other people get a bit illness fixated from time to time.

Interesting. This is soap. (from this Etsy seller)



Or maybe I need this 'friendly antibiotic'? (from these people)



Actually I think I just need some echinacea (from this artist)

Thaton 3: Walking Market

On Sunday we drove the three hours back to Chiang Mai so that we could go shopping at the Sunday 'Walking Market,' although I think 'Ambling Market' might be a better name as one must not be in a rush to make it from one end to the other. We were out to see what may be found that was new and interesting, but there was not much we hadn't seen before. We couldn't help noticing the price of cotton scaves went from 79THB each at the popular end of the market, to 25THB each at the far end. I suppose they are relying on people getting worn out by the slow and hot walk and giving up before they make it all the way down.


The food was, as ever, very tasty and we started with Khao Soi (yellow noodles with red chicken curry) and followed it up with various Khanom (tidbits? snacks?), little pastries and sticky rice sweets, my green coloured coconut and tapioca wormy drink, mango with sticky rice, and sweet roti which I didn't need at all but thoroughly enjoyed.

We bought a pair of hot pink and black shoes with pompoms for SP, and hummed over some baby fisherman pants but put them back in the end. I was a bit taken by some of the prints being sold by a Chiang Mai artist, Chumpol Taksapornchai, and I bought a limited print of a watercolour entitled 'Calm in Awareness,' which will probably end up on SP's wall eventually.

A bit experimental

Our house is a moth-magnet. Small moths, large moths, black moths, white moths; in they come, drawn towards our late-night lights. I found some dried and dessicated on the floor and I had an idea...


Needs some work but I'm happy with this beginning.

Painting love in

So, it seems to have been absolutely ages since I last posted, I am such a slacker! But, the thesis is in, the dreaded viva was had the other day and I am free as a bird now :)

I started art classes the day after my thesis was in. Time for a new phase in this life,:a creative one. I've started a painting as part of one of the classes, in acrylic. I've never painted in acrylic before and I struggle a bit with the blending and fast drying time, but I think I'm slowly getting a handle on it. The painting is based on a girl I photographed in Laos on our first long trip away in 2002. She was the only girl in a big group of boys, crazy loud kids who lived in the dust, smoke, and noise of the Pakse bus station. She was not lively and loud, however, she was still and quiet and she had a big, stuffed toy bear. Her flip-flops are too big. Where on earth does a child like that get a soft toy? In the shot below she is looking directly into the camera. She seems to be asking me, 'what are you going to do about kids like me?' Well, paint them, for a start! At least I hope so, I do have a good feeling about this picture.


I've only done a bit of a base but it's coming along OK. I've put a pic of that below too. You can see where I'm going with it...











Ages ago, my mother-in-law bought the most beautiful etching by a Northern Territory artist, Winsome Jobling (see left). It's entitled 'Spear Grass'. Unfortunantly it was already framed and the glass broke in the cargo hold on the way back, but it's up on the wall now for all to enjoy as you do the ironing underneath it!
Intrigued by the brochure that came with the artwork, I've looked up the gallery on the net and found a little goldmine of gorgeous artworks. I've tried to limit myself to just putting up a few, or I'll be here all afternoon, I got a little carried away anyway, but please check out the gallery link and see what else is being created up there in that amazing hot wet dry dusty fecund area:

The gallery is 'Nomad Art' and is located in Darwin:
http://www.nomadart.com.au/index.php






Next up, 'Kinyu', an etching by Eubena Nampitjin.
























'Green Ant Nest', an etching by Fiona Hall.





















'Rulyapa', a lino cut by Dhuwarrwarr Marika.





















'Fog Dreaming', an etching by Marita Sambono.





















'Syaw', an etching by Regina Pilawuk Wilson.



















The Stand Off', hand coloured screen print by Dion Beasley.















'Gapu I', an etching by Thomas Ashley



















and lastly, 'Spear Grass', a photograph by Peter Eve.

Charley Harper

Wow! I think I have just discovered an artist to add to my favourites list: Charley Harper (1922-2007), Wiki tells me he was an 'American Modernist' based in Cincinnati. I found a few of his bird pictures on cards and prompty fell in love. Is this because of my current bird obsession? I've noticed they are all the rage and I'm raging right along with that particular trend.
Having not done an arts degree, I don't have the right words to describe why I like this art. Suffice to say, I find it quite funky and would like a wall covered in it...
All pictures borrowed from http://charleyharperartstudio.com



Web of Life


Limp on a Limb


Ruby-throated hummingbird


Bittersweet


Blue Jay Breakfast.