Drawing

 

Drawing is something I have always loved doing but it is a very long time since I have put my mind to anything more than sketches in my holiday journal. Recently though, I have been asked to do some drawings for a small book that is focusing on the connections between plants, animals and humans in the Tasmanian landscape both in the past, present and future.  

I went into panic mode first and decided I couldn't possibly do drawings that would be good enough, then I decided that I had nothing to lose and that it would be a great opportunity to enjoy the drawing process and face my fears! 

This drawing is not complete yet as I need to build up the plant a little more and put some more shadow into the middle of the hands but it is a start. It is about the future and how we can make a positive impact on the future of our land.  

So, I will keep going with the drawings and try to surpress my doubts. I have never drawn quolls, Tasmanian devils or the rare black tipped spider orchid before but I am really enjoying the challenge. Will post a couple more drawings in the next post. Until then I hope you are all enjoying the change of season and are gearing up for the wonders of Christmas to come.

Nesting

nest

noun

        1.    a structure or place made or chosen by a bird for laying eggs and sheltering its young.

        2.   Something in the form of a bowl or layer, used to hold, protect, or support something

verb

        1.    (of a bird or other animal) use or build a nest.

        2.   fit (an object or objects) inside a larger one.

We have just completed a commission for a lovely woman I met a year ago at a painting workshop on the mainland.  It has been so heartwarming to make this nest with vines from Bruny Island, feathers from Devonport, twigs from near the Botanical Gardens in Hobart and dried watsonia flowers, moss and ferns from my own garden.

As in the dictionary definition, she plans to place some personal treasures in this nest.

Nests speak to us because they symbolise the things we all cherish - home, security and family.

Notebooks

You are probably aware that the Two in a Teacup studio has been busily making 270 small notebooks over the last few weeks for a charity that helps provide accommodation to families who have sick children in hospital - The Ronald McDonald House. We have loved the opportunity to contribute to their annual Charity Ball with our notebooks.

Being stationery addicts has inspired us to develop our range of notebooks further, so we have some new ideas underway that will make their way to our online shop soon. We are playing with ways of using maps and transparencies with images printed onto them and are refining our leather notepads too.

It is hard to imagine life without a trusty little notepad in our pocket or bag. Along with making variations of our very practical little notebooks, we also hope to experiment with some one-off journals/notebooks too, so we will keep you posted with our new ideas. Our current range of pocket notebooks are now available at our online store through the link on this blog or the link on our instagram site.

St David's Park and my camera

On a recent walk through St Davids Park in Hobart I was struck by the subtle beauty of the old gravestones that have been preserved in a commemorative wall and just had to take some photographs. It is amazing how a camera lens can shape our vision - from the big picture to a focused, close up and often cropped image.

Remnants of words carved into the stone, soft greys and gold of sandstone, the colours of lichen and the poignant sense of past lives.

These crumbling stones are a tangible reminder of some of Hobart's earliest settlers and somehow their weathered nature makes them even more mysterious and wonderful.

I always have a small sketch book in my handbag and of course my iPhone to capture ideas but I really enjoyed walking with my camera this time.

HAPPY EASTER

In the southern hemisphere Easter is accompanied by the changing colours of Autumn leaves and gentle warm breezes as the days shorten and we say goodbye to hot Summer weather and brace ourselves for the Winter months.

It is a time for special family moments, baking, easter egg hunts, hope and opptimism. In the Two and a Teacup studio we have been making lots of nests and our special eggs covered in vintage maps, book papers and old sheet music for the last six weeks. Traditionally, since my children were very young, we have dyed hard boiled eggs using onion skins, herbs and ferns from the garden. The joy when the eggs were unwrapped to reveal the shape of the flower or herb is a very special memory.

There are so many different ways that eggs can be dyed and decorated so here are just a few suggestions to try.

The traditional dying technique uses brown and red onion skins wrapped tightly around a fern frond, flower or herb held against the egg and boiled gently in a 'bath' of onion skins. This process creates rich, earthy coloured eggs which can be finished off by gently rubbing with oil to give a slight sheen. These eggs are perfect for a natural Easter style and look superb nestled amongst autumn leaves, decorated with a tiny feather tied around the egg or placed in a handmade nest amongst twigs and moss.

Other natural dyes can be made using beetroot or, to turn the eggs a lovely shade of blue, red cabbage with white vinegar can be used. See this month's Country Style magazine for further details.

It is also rather lovely to simply paint eggs with gold, silver and bronze paint for stunning 'lustred' eggs. Writing Easter messages onto the eggs surface also looks fantastic.

                                 

Children love to use wax crayons to draw patterns onto the hard boiled egg surface which can then be soaked in edicole dye or store bought easter egg dyes. The wax dye resist effect is quite magical for children and looks fabulous when dry.

These three eggs were painted by children using colours brushed on first and then decorated with gold paint using a small brush for finer detail over the top.

We hope you have a very special Easter - Joyeuses Pâques.

Eggs and Nests

We have been making nests and our vintage paper covered eggs for some time now and we are forever heartened that they are still one of our most popular handmade products.

The aged patina of the papers and maps combined with the simple and beautiful egg shape is a constant joy to work with and moulding and shaping the foraged vines into nests continues to fascinate us.  Both processes are quite meditative. We love the way each nest takes it's own shape and with the addition of feathers, moss, fern fronds, twigs and berries each nest is quite unique.

Our eggs and nests are currently available at Gather Handmade in Hobart and The Black Hen in Deloraine and the eggs are also available on our Bigcartel store.

collections

My daughter and I are part bowerbirds and part serious collectors so we are writing some posts throughout the coming year about collections - ours and those belonging to others. The first 'collection' post starts with the letter 'S' 

                         Suitcase:

Who doesn't love an old suitcase? Such wonderful recepticles in which to store all manner of things in an easily transportable and stackable way! Each case full of memories and stories - the holder of our secrets.

We love the way suitcases open up a new world when the lid is opened. After a quick search on google and pinterest we found so many wonderful creative ways that artists have used suitcases in their work. The next photographs are just two extraordinary examples of suitcase art.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/314970567665385139/

http://laughingsquid.com/memory-suitcases-paintings-on-old-luggage/

In the photo series "Memory Suitcases' by Israeli artist Yuval Yairi, she has painted images of faraway places onto old suitcases. Yairi has then placed the painted suitcases in different landscape settings and photographed them.

I have always loved the cover of this beautiful novel with the richly painted suitcase ready to travel. 

So many ideas to think about! Imagine finding some old suitcases at the secondhand store and transforming them using mixed media like paint, old maps, stamps, letters and photographs. It would be wonderful to create a 'small world' inside a suitcase for a child to play with and explore - a tiny dolls house or perhaps one side could be a room and the other a secret garden. You could make a suitcase into a large book that folds out when the case is open or divide it into sections to store tiny treasures or collections. We will be on the lookout over the next few weeks to find a small case that we can transform into a unique art work.  In the meantime our own collection of favourite suitcases continues to bring us joy as something beautiful to look at as well a being a wonderful storage solution!