The Craft of Skull Adornment

Into my eager hands a full sized human skull (sadly only plaster) has just been deposited. I have been asked to decorate it for an exhibition and auction of embellished skulls which will be held at The Great New Zealand Craft Show in New Plymouth on Queen's Birthday weekend.

It's an exciting concept and close to my heart as I have worked with skulls before but only in gold leaf, pen and ink. Creating another piece which echos my recent working practice provides a link from my early artistic career to my most recent work.

#skull

New Plymouth Girls High School

Yesterday I was given the great honour of presenting a talk about my art and practice to the students of New Plymouth Girls High School.

I remember the artists talks that I sat in on at art school and how intrigued I was by others sharing their stories. They were a really great group of girls and I loved being shown around the fantastic art department by artist Tanya Mercer who’s innovation, enthusiasm and passion for inspiring her students is a credit to her.

Eltham

Today I drove through a thunderstorm to mind a little gallery in Eltham. The New Plymouth AMU put on an exhibition of members work and it was lovely spending time amongst the works in the old Victorian building with fellow artist Tanya Mercer.

Eltham is a treasure horde of delightful little curiosity shops. Glittering, smelling of age and wonderfully quirky I could have filled my house with taxidermy, 70's evening dresses and gilt church candle holders. Instead I bought a selection of shells to paint from life for my new series of works on collecting and embroidered doilies and table cloths to make into cuffs for Dusk & Decadence.