preparation

:: Wearable art class Tuesday 20th...

:: 'What's sprouting in Spring!' Thursday 22nd + Friday 23rd...

:: Design your own nature tote bag, Monday 19th...

HURRY!!! There are still a handful of places left in our unique and exciting classes next week! We are very excited about this opportunity for your children to create some beautiful works of art - don't miss out!

weaving - wow!

Last Monday was one of my favourites!
To finish the Riverbend after school series on a high note was wonderful!
Everything from the 'oos + ahhs' over the table set up
to the raport the children now have with one another
Just delightful!

The children were enthusiastic and jumped right in to the weaving with confidence.

I think the results are stunning!

A heart felt thank you to all the beautiful children who shared Monday (and Thursday) afternoons with me! You excelled in your enthusiasm, creativity and willingness to give everything a go! You are exceptional artists who will use those innovative skills as leaders of the future - great job!

weekend wandering

I love waking in this quiet corner of the world...
Where dew sparkles, suspended
Where shaddows stretch
Sunshine radiates warmth
Winds howl through the valley and whip at anything man-made that doesn't bend..
To slowly gather nature
rest
enjoy treasured friendships
breathe deeply
kiss of the warming fire + rich company lingering as we slowly journey home...

woven wonders

To our final after school workshop at Riverbend!
We have covered four very distinct artistic media - collage, painting, stitching and weaving - it has been a wonderful journey as we explore different techniques for creating and hopefully we have expanded your child's artistic horrizons to experiment with new + unusual materials!
I have really enjoyed our storytime during these classes - the books have been a sensational springboard for creativity - you can almost see the 'wheels of creativity' ticking over in their minds as they ponder the subject, the illustrations, the use of colour, or just loose themselves in their imaginations! Our conversations via off on tangents, related + unrelated to the story - I love that good Literature encourages children to question, imagine and relate!
If your children have enjoyed the books we have paired with our classes, I would encourage you to purchase these through the bookstore - they will be a continual reminder of our creative endevours as well as inspire to greater creativity at home!

And now...on to the final workshop - one that I am excited about - we are weaving this week!! This project is such a wonderful introduction to the art of weaving, in particular as we talk about our Indigenous Australians relying heavily on weaving techniques to create baskets to use in their nomadic lifestyle - we will explore some wonderful work by Indigenous artists!
It is also amazing for children to connect this basic artistic skill with the clothing they are wearing - understanding how fabric is made!
Bring on Monday and the sensational woven masterpieces your children will create!!

Stamping wrap up

I so love this stamp making series!
With a small group of chatty engaged children, a mix of boys and girls, hands busy - carving and concentrating - we thoroughly enjoyed our three afternoons together at the Gallery Cafe! The environment is warm and inviting and with the promise of hot chips and milkshakes for a late afternoon snack, they enthusiasticly engaged in our learning + creating!
Our third and final week was all about learning to use our stamps - creating pattern repeats and learning basic print making techniques. The children, after planning their designs, stamped up a storm and made some beautiful custom leathergoods - a bookmark, keychain and small pocket notebook as well as gift tags!
This series is a wonderful introduction to the art of carving and printmaking, using kid-friendly rubber + foam and basic design ideas. The children have left with some beautiful work, stamps they can re-use again + again and having learned a new skill - I am sure there will be much more stamp carving going on in these households in the days to come!

to the stitching

Yesterday, we decided that stitching was tricky!!

A patient skill requiring a slow rhythem...and sometimes, children don't feel like a slow rhythem...especially straight after school!! To their credit they all gave the project their full attention and a great try, but they all left with much still to do!
We LAUGHED...A LOT! Which was a wonderful feeling, as the children warm to one another and to me - us all strangers at our first workshop!
And sometimes when the hands are busy, the tongues feel free to wander - there was a lovely banter among the boys and a joyful helpfulness among the girls!!
I was so grateful for the light spirit as the demand for my help was great!!
Our story time reading 'Owl Moon' was wonderful, the children loving the night-time adventure and the beautiful, engaging story!
For all the wonderful parents who, when their children pulled out their work to proudly show, hid a quisical look as one small unfinished owl appeared...thank you for your grace as you gushed 'oh how wonderful'!!
And when they asked for help in completing the remainder of the work, you looked blankly at all the remaining pieces - I DO HAVE A COPY OF THE LESSON PLAN WITH GREAT INSTRUCTIONS AND TIPS FOR COMPLETING THE PROJECT!! Please email me for a copy!
I can't wait to see all those hand-stitched, beautiful owls finished and hanging proudly over the bed of your little one!

[I have decided to make this workshop into a WEAVE+WONDER art kit that we are currently designing for sale! I love the completed owl project, and think it best suited to a 'do-it-together' afternoon with a willing adult!]

fathers

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself. ~John Gregory Brown, Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery, 1994

on to outstanding owls

The next project in our series at Riverbend Books + Teahouse may challenge some when it comes to fine motor work + patience... but the end result are as cute as can be and will be welcome company hanging over a child's bed at night..just to keep watch, you know!
We will wander, wide-eyed through a tale of Owl adventure, 'Owl Moon'...and fly straight in to the gathering of owl families..wide-eyes, wings, bodies, stuffing...stitch together and hang from a branch! The perfect HOOT of an afternoon being inspired by such famous sculptor's as Franco Pompon and amazing paper artist, Anna Wili Highfield. Sometimes a slow work produces the best results! Can't wait to see how our little students take to learning this new skill!

[Owl sculpture by French sculptor, Franco Pompon]

[owl paper sculpture by Australian artist, Anna Wili Highfield]

oh the variations!

We had a wonderful storytime at our Riverbend workshop last week as we read 'Why I love Australia' by Bancroft. The children loved the illustrations and several spin-off conversations emerged regarding what the boldly coloured + patterned illustrations reminded them of!
These illustrations were just the springboard for our lesson on tessellations + colour theory as we looked at work by MC Escher and Paul Klee.
They were itching to create + paint!
We all started out 'within the lines of geometry' and oh the variations as they planned+painted! Some decided geometry wasn't quite their thing...and that's ok, these workshops are open ended and so while we provide the inspration and framework, the work your children produce is entirely unique, their own...and beautiful!!