SCHOOL HOLIDAY WSHOP C: Birds in flight!

Inspired by bird migration in winter...children will learn how to form + bind + feather beautiful soft, light-as-the-air birds in a species of their choice. We will use materials gathered from nature and learn how to finger knit and twist twine in order to hang our birds in just the perfect 'flight of fancy'.... Children will learn SCULPTURAL TECHNIQUE + TRADITIONAL HANDCRAFTS in this workshop to complete a beautiful mobile for the home.

You may recognise our signature image for this workshop, these photos were taken in a trial class for 3-5 year olds a few months back. The little ones needed a fair bit of help with this project, however the 5-10 year olds will execute it beautifully I think! Thanks again to some very tallented mama's at this class for the beautiful photography!





weekend wonder

in the chill air
I wandered among tall tree's ablaze with colour
shared time enveloped in the wisdom of years
hung new treasures from long ago
hard-worn with weaving-work



settled a gift into its new home and laid it with treasures


quietly formed clay into a seasonal memory


watched little hands arrange and re-arrange perfect pebbles
my memory is triggered each time my eyes rest here
...thoughts of a cozy-relational weekend
and I smile
I hope remembering your weekend brings a smile too xx

SCHOOL HOLIDAY W'SHOP B: Fungi Forest!


'And it was whilst they were in the middle of their picnic that they saw a very perculiar thing. Frannie noticed it first.
Not far off was a clear piece of soft grass. As Frannie looked at it she noticed bumps appearing on it. She stared in surprise. The bumps grew. the earth rose up and broke in about six places.
Look! said Frannie, in a low voice, pointing to the piece of grass. 'What's happening over there?'
All three of them watched in silence. And then they saw what it was. Six big toadstools were growing quickly up from the ground, pushing their way through, and rising up steadily!
'I've never seen that happen before!'said Joe, in astonishment. Shh! said Beth. Don't make a noise, I can hear footsteps.'....they hid just in time...'Elves' whispered Joe. The elves went to the toadstools and sat down on them. They were holding a meeting!....'
from The Enchanted Wood' Enid Blyton.


With imagination heightened and fantasy whispering, children's hands at work with clay can create a masterpiece!
In this workshop we will design and sculpt a fantasy forest filled with mushrooms + moss + mysterious places! The children will learn about 3D MODELLING + COMPOSITION and we will practice forming technique as we create our spaces, all atop a rustic cut log...
The images below are some from a recent trip to the wilds of Tasmania where my children had a magical, half-frozen time exploring a real live 'enchanted forest'!





SCHOOL HOLIDAY W'SHOP A: Leaves glorious Leaves!





The first of the school holiday workshops!
Autumn + Winter are the seasons to celebrate our leaf fall! There are so many beautiful colours, textures and shapes to be found and a whole ecosystem relies on this fall to weather out the chill of winter!
Inspired by the book 'leaf litter' and the beautiful diversity of our leaf fall here in Australia, children will explore WATERCOLOUR + COLLAGE techniques to represent varing leaf forms and tonal colours. They will then cut out their creations and work on a collage composition using their leaves + fabric and felt to add texture!
Our dates have only just been released for these workshops and already they are booking fast! BOOK NOW as places are limited!


stamping series


I have been working on a few series that reflect winter here in Australia - chill, gray-green, frost, dry, cozy - and many other feel-good adjectives that express the beauty of this season!


In this first series for 5-10 year olds, we will look at making our own carved stamps!
planning our designs to reflect elements found in nature in winter, learning about tools and technique, being inspired by some amazing print-artists, and carving our own work! We will then look at stamping + pattern repeat as we apply our designs to fabric! I have a great small project in mind for using the fabric if we have time or else a handful of ideas to send home where you and your children can create together!!


I will be sharing a few pics as I play with ideas with my children and would love the opportunity to inspire + create with your children too!
If you are interested in booking for this series, I am taking expressions of interest now and will release dates in the next few days! email. melissa@guyatt.net



:: These pics were taken at a 3-5yr class where they were experimenting with stamps and fabric! They had soo much fun!

heros and villians

I can't wait to see what the boys cook up on Sunday, a few heros and villians like these using scrap fabric and big imaginations!!

new flyer


New marketing flyer on its way to schools - soon! Please book your children in to the free trial class if you are interrested in seeing what we are all about xx

felting fever!

I promised to let you in on a little project I have been enjoying so much...it has to do with these:


A little while ago these beauties below were delivered to my door:


They are wool felted storage bowls.
I had done my research and tracked these down at an affordable price (let me tell you, many of them are not!) - I wanted to use them as storage containers on my art table - they are soft, flexible and a beautiful, natural work of art in themselves!




I then got to thinking, loving a challange as I do: what if I could make them myself?
In came my ever-resourceful mother in law for all things knitting and crochet. I asked her if she could crochet some bowls if I found a pattern? We began experimenting and she quickly came up with several beautiful crochet samples for me to felt into solid bowls.
I discovered that the felting process is a lengthy one (perhaps the reason the finished product are pricey!) but very rewarding and I am proud to say that I sported several homemade felt bowls to compliment the baught ones on the workshop art table!
My mother in law is a wizz at making them and she graciously offered to teach me. Having only just begun to crochet, I was sceptical, but did manage to get the hang of it - albeit a lot slower than my MIL can make them!! The bowl at the top is my first effort ready for felting!
Sooo, I am on my way! I have plans for classes to teach how to make these - they are beautiful storage containers around the home - great for jewelery, bathroom goods, art materials or display. I also hope to add these to our up and coming sales line and also to produce a craft kit to make your own! Such hope filled plans! One step at a time....I do LOVE them so, though! What do you think?


faces

With a little bit of inspiration from here...

Artist Cate Anevski and some sensational face embroidery!


...And some portrait play with my girls (they did this one of their mama using scrap fabric and I stitched for them)...I am off to make some sample scrap fabric portraits of 'heros + villians' for a birthday party this weekend. Will post when complete!

making

Most of my making has an added 'research' element these days. I love the buzz of a new project, love the feeling when something new appears at my hand. In the back of my mind, I question, 'is this project one that will teach children a skill? Inspire them to their own creativity? Grow their love of Art and creating?' and such like...
Mostly though, I think as mothers, we often have these checks and balances without really being aware. We live our life as an example for the wee ones in our life to follow and as they grow, they are either inspired by or repelled by the example we set, no? Possibly a bit of both given the age and season!!
I was inspired recently by a reflection on motherhood. A daughter shared that she always loved that her mum, 'spoke of ideas and not people + things.' I want to be a mother who speaks of good ideas with my children, who inspires and encourages them to be all they can be.
With this in mind, I filter what I put my hand to...are the things that my children see me doing inspiring them or repelling them? Do I spend so much time on the computer or watching tv or on the phone in their presence that they come to resent those activities? Or do I make dinner or art or gardening or other meaningful work, and include them? Are they learning valuable life skills from my example? hmmm...
Back to the making....here are a few pics of some of the making going on around here. I gauge the success of these projects for children by whether their interest is piqued or not!
So, watch this space for new class ideas, I will post over the coming days.

:: there was much interest in this project, a gift for a special friend - the children were all inspired to try their own felt projects - a great medium for children to learn to stitch + sew!

:: a mixed media art project in the making - curious?...

:: this time of year always inspires busy hands with wool!

:: very excited to share about this project, keep eyes peeled for post about them!

:: couldn't resist a snap of the girls mothers day creativity - french toast with pear, ricotta almonds! A decorated table too...I am so spoilt!

texture


These textures are inspiring me very much as the days get a little shorter and cooler. My girls can't get enough of fingerknitting, making anyone who show's interrest (a mama-inspired) necklace or two! This beautiful black one has just been completed by my 7yr old!
Last year it was knitting, this year it is crochet! Resisting 'digs' from family and friends who think I am 'just getting old!' I am contentedly carting my growing scarf-roll to every event!
I just can't resist the feel and beauty of natural wool between my fingers and the slow, comforting work with my hands.
These sweet garlands hang elegantly from a willow branch in my home - inspiration for the recent Easter Art Workshops. Their beautiful balance of colour and texture please me.

power






the floodgates opened
and in their wake, a roaring torrent ripped through small meandering creekbeds
carving a river of distruction 100 times their width
stealing hundred-year-old gums and limitless tree debris and casting them off downstream never to be seen again
the rockbed that remained astounded me
its width
that all these rocks were there, just under the surface, uncovered when the water carried the silt bottom away
this is the evidence of the power of nature
and I wonder again just how this fury affected those in its path
there is no happy ending
just the reality of living in the world
sometimes in harmony, sometimes not
with the raw, powerful beauty all around us

We visited the Lockyer valley this weekend and saw first hand what was left in the wake of Qld worst floods. Our children struggled to grasp the enormity, prefering to celebrate natures playground and all that our wonderful bushland has to offer.
Nature is Art in an ever changing forum.
I was struck by its power this weekend.