Painting
Kelly Spencer adopted this lucky plastic cat years ago. Thanks to lockdown she got to sit down and give her a fabulous new paint job. @kell.sunshine
This canvas is another family effort, Courtenay, Nick and daughters Shiloh (8 years old) and Rosa Butler (4 years old).
Green Flash by Marg Hansen.
1. Cate King has started creating art works using the beeswax from their family beekeeping business @pauarikihoney
2. Cate has put a contemporary spin on the traditional Batik process. Find more of her lockdown creations @resist_studio.
Brett Summerlee and 4 year old Key painted this mural ‘Tama nui Te Ra’. With the message ‘The Sun will always Rise no matter how Dark the night’ it acknowledges the better, brighter days that lie ahead. If anyone is keen on a swap, trade or Koha get in touch with Brett (or us and we’ll pass it on!) Dimensions: 2.4 x 1.2m
Soon to be a basketball backboard. Collaborative painting in progress by Lennox (6 years old) Pippa (9 years old) and parents Sarah and Matty.
Phoebe Gander has been painting peoples’ ‘Lockdown Walks’ @phoebeganderart
Amanda Rutherford has completed the top painting for Montessori Kindergarten and has also been working on these floral works.
Digital Art
A Collab between Matt and Brendon showing two artists’ interpretations of a Hannya mask - used in Japanese theatre and often appearing in Japanese-style tattoos. Left side: @mattvoidtattoo / Right side: @brendon_the_barber
‘Gisborne Surf’ by Nikki Renwick @namiko_native_design
Mixed Up Media
Archie (13 years old), Benny McKinnon (10 years old) and their mum Katy Wallace are making a stop motion soap of family life in lockdown featuring themselves. Episode 1 is about Archie getting caught hiding his phone under his bed.
Roimata Earrings, carved from stranded sperm whale jawbone by Guy Tuterangiwhiu O'Connor. @Kiwibone on Facebook
Newspaper outfit by Irelyn Purnell (10 years old). Using some of the skills she's picked up at Tairāwhiti Museum Holiday Art Classes and a stack of Gisborne Heralds she created this swish little number.
Pen on Paper by Rosie Cairns
Mixed Media on board by Rosie Cruddas @rosiecruddas
Photographer Tink Lockett and a photographer friend in Auckland set themselves a creative competition. This shot depicts feelings of opportunity and life going down the drain because of lockdown. @Tink M Lockett
Flower crown made by Yulia Clark, Masha (11 years) and Yana (7 years).
Preserved Protea Wall Hanging by Kate Briant @theruralflorist
At the end of a few days of hard mahi in the garden Pascale Delos decided to stop some flax on its way into the compost…
Amanda Roe has been collecting trash on the beach for the past year. Lockdown gave her the time and inspiration to make something with it.
A magical fairy house for a magical place by Lily Rose Cairns, 9 years old.
SSC News Banner by Sammy (12 years old) and Diego (10 years old)
On the Tools
Kelly Spencer knocked out this charming little drink shelf for the hammock - it was surely for this kind of job that lockdowns were made for…@kellsunshine
The Scallywag: A bike by MattyK
‘Twas born of a bike or seven
A free frame in freeze-frame, propped against an almond in blossom
When lockdown was sprung on us like a frosty morning late for work
What else do you do when there’s little to do and even less places to be?
Create you do, that’s what.
So we do.
I strip, bang, sand, cut, weld, mask, spray away the days.
Bolt it together all hotchpotch like and pop a wheelie for the freedom of days of youth and reliving it soon.
As we get back to level 2, it’ll be my taxi.
Me and ‘The Scallywag’ a steed thats stands for freedom
Freedom so close I can taste it in the air.
Aiden Nomell (14 months old) has had a super busy lock down renovating an old caravan to a sleep out, making a cool play area with Mum and Dad. Both projects have been done using stuff that was lying around and of course pallets!
Writing
By Neherā Kopa
“The answer is that greed, which is to demand ever more, is a praiseworthy quality provided that it is displayed under the right circumstances. Thus, should a person show greed in acquiring science and knowledge, or in the exercise of compassion, high-mindedness, and justice, this would be most praiseworthy. And should he direct his anger and wrath against the bloodthirsty tyrants who are like ferocious beasts, this too would be most praiseworthy. But should he display these qualities under other conditions, this would be deserving of blame.” - Abdu’l-Baha
Right now there’s a clip of a woman being flogged in the street. Her prosecutors take it in rounds, enjoying their time before handing the flog off for the next man’s turn - that’s only fair business. They’d forced a crowd to watch, dragged from their safe spaces. Made to surround so that the heat of their skin and eyes beat down heavy in tandem with the sun and the whip. Children can be heard playing just off-screen. Her prayers get louder so that now I can hear its cuts ring high above the rest and I don’t want to look at this anymore.
Should’ve scrolled down first thing. Could have left it to get lost amongst the masses, sandwiched as it is between @globalpositivenews and @overheardnewyork. Let it gather dust. I can brush it off over a pint someday.
Question: what use is it for me to subject myself to this when nothing is all I can do? If you’re familiar, you’ll know with shameful intimacy, the whisper of resentment that flickers right before the deep roiling of guilt washes in.
If habit and conditioning can perverse the character, then surely rejection of iniquity is something that must be trained also.
This is where I double-back, make myself watch, breathe through my nose, swallow down on my racing heart and closing throat. Did I do that right? Is it making a difference yet?
(Stop. Train myself not to think so of myself when exposed to someone else’s pain)
If your expectations were for a joyful sidepiece about my dog, take this as an apology. Nothings happened to him, he’s right here beside me, wrapped up tight, snoozing. Tomorrow is another day in the bubble; we’ll play in rays of light or cool waters. He’ll be a menace to society, as per. Maybe next time I’ll tell you how his antics caused a meltdown (mine: not his) of astronomical proportions.
He waka eke noa.
Wiggle Woo by Miro O’Neill
Divingboards
by Silke Steffen
Shiny wet concrete
Steam rising up through my nose and mouth
Higher and higher
to the painful blue skies
Arrows of sun
shooting down
through my bodies, right
Into the heart of an
eccentric tiny, little golden flower
Let's run, let's fly
Let's dive right into it
Race to the bottom of
the seemingly neverending stairs to life
I arrive and look:
who took the stairs?
Gone, nothing to climb
and nevertheless
so much
to discover
I never liked feeling
my achy muscles
hurting from tiny steps
upwards
upwards and upwards and upwards and
upwards and upwards and
and
I turn around
leave the stairs behind
which are gone. Now.
Turn around
and dive into
Oceans of sweet and wonderful
tasting greens and softly colourful flowers
Which are
The stairs of tomorrow -
At least in my dreams
"Artitecture"
“Seven years ago we decided to build our own place. Fast forward to now and I feel obliged to share some actual progress I have been making on the semi-rural legend that is “The Round House.” During this lockdown I’ve sacrificed many sunny days out on the farm to sit in my office with the hope of making this huge undertaking a reality for my family and the people that are tired of hearing me talk about it!
I trained as an industrial designer but have been working in film and TV for 23 years. I’ve always found my initial, left field ideas are the best ones so when I started designing our future home around constellations, I kind of got lost in the weirdness of it. What a strange thing to do.
Te punga (the anchor), māhutonga, the southern cross, croix du sud are just a few of the names for our most recognisable southern hemisphere constellation. A great metaphor the anchor is for a house: semi-permeance, safety and a connection to the earth, albeit a bit dubious.
Until now, we have used our small farm as a testing ground for a more natural construction methodology that might relate to our future home. Our own building policies on the farm include: no paint, no treated timber, and no plaster. All floors are made of earth, all posts are recycled hardwood and all the labour has come from our family, friends or wwoofers.
To me, sustainability is synonymous with perfection. It doesn’t really exist in our modern human world but I think we all need to push ourselves in that direction as much as we can. It is a slow process but the transition needs to happen and we all know it”.
@barrywhitesnake
Experimental Art
After reminiscing with workmates about childhood junk food over a zoom call Sarah Pocock was inspired to try to re-create some old favourites at home. Sarah made these dark chocolate and sea salt pop tarts. A bit of a process but a good outcome apparently!