Summer Daze

Karaweko

We went to a magical place on Christmas Eve, the day my grandmother would have been 110 years old if she'd lived. My brother, older than my four other brothers, (who are all older than I), was visiting from where he now lives (Noosa, Australia). So we spent a day at Akaroa, on the Banks Peninsular.

I took him to the Kaik of Onuku, and we admired the views and paid a visit to the tiniest church I have ever entered.

Onuku Church

view from a window inside the church

Spirals appear everywhere naturally in nature. They represent growth and development. The third intention in my 8 word mission is "Learn Abundantly" and when I draw the symbols, the third symbol is a spiral. So how apt, for a church, the place where the intention is worship and spiritual growth, the window latches are spiral-shaped.

We shut the door and left, and explored some other places in a wonderful village to spend some of the early days of summer: beautiful Akaroa.

Christmas is so close! Gift-making tutorial - not!

Fig 1. Paisleys underway. Click to enlarge.

I don't know where the time has gone, but Christmas is just around the corner. And funnily enough, just as I did throughout last year's Christmas gift-making process, I am once again learning a language with Pimsleur as I work. Or should that be play. Because it's not work to me, Christmas is a wonderful excuse for doing what I love, dabbling with art materials and trying to turn a far-fetched idea into a work of art.

Luckily for me during this stressful, crowded and busy shopping season, I have lots to occupy myself with, here in my amazingly beautiful house, as my 31 paisleys in 31 days project is in full swing. I did say they were going to be A5 sized, but as you can see in the paintings, some are quite a bit smaller. I wonder what they could be for? As those are for my Christmas gifts, I can't offer any clues I'm afraid, lest some of my loved ones are reading this blog and cotton on to what mischief I am up to.

Fig 2. More work has been done on each paisley. Click to enlarge.

Anyway, I don't want to sound like I am offering a full-blown gift-making tutorial, heaven forbid, but I thought I would share my paisley painting process.

Fig 1. As you can see, I start off on the first day (of my 3 or 4 day process) with some very basic, soft, watercolour, paisley shapes on high-quality watercolour paper. You can see some of the edges of finished paisleys in Fig 1 too.

By Fig 2, you can see those paisleys after day 2 with a little bit more detail. I can't paint in that detail on the first day, because the background is still wet and could smudge or run in together. Day 3 and day 4, and those paisleys are finished and more started, probably with a different design than the one just finished from the previous group.

That's why I never get bored, because each one is unique, even if it is based on the same design. I hope you're not bored either, with my paisley indulgence - maybe there is something that you love to do (a sheer indulgence) that makes you wonder whether it is difficult occasionally for others to tolerate? Surely I am not the only fanatic with my creative ideas.

Art saves lives.