Sculpture in the Gardens is held in the Auckland Botanic Gardens over the summer every two years and is something that my mother and I always look forward to visiting. This year we appreciated it more than ever as an outing that is suitable to enjoy in the crazy COVID world we are living in at the moment: it is outdoors and it is easy to stay 2m away from other people. The cafe (and an outdoor kiosk) is open so you can stop for suitable refreshments as part of the outing. As always, I love … [Read more...]
Sculpture in the Gardens 2020
The Auckland Regional Botanical Gardens hosts a biennial Sculpture in the Gardens. This free event is a great opportunity to see large-scale artworks from New Zealand's best-known and up-and-coming sculptors on a 2km sculpture trail throughout the Gardens. It is really well planned so that you get to amble around the gardens and appreciate all the new developments that have happened since you last visited whilst you enjoy the sculpture exhibits (20 new ones and many permanent sculptures that … [Read more...]
Powertex Tui Sculpture
I had been planning to make a Powertex Tui Sculpture ever since I saw one at the Powertex stand at the SENZ craft expo but somehow I just hadn't got around to making one even though I had the materials for it. Then I heard that Joanne was running another workshop in my area and decided to go along. I usually do Powertex workshops with my friend Dominique but she was back visiting her parents in France, so I went by myself this time. There were 6 of us in the workshop and of course Joanne and her … [Read more...]
Sculpture in the Gardens 2018
Visiting the Sculpture in the Gardens at the Auckland Botanic Gardens is something that I always look forward to. It is held every two years and they are now celebrating a decade of sculpture. My mother and I now have a (biennial) tradition of going along to Sculpture in the Gardens in the Christmas/New Year holiday period, spending an hour and a half or so ambling around the gardens following the sculpture trail and stopping off at various places in the gardens that take our fancy along … [Read more...]
Powertex Fish Sculpture
Making a fish sculpture: My brother's 50th birthday is this year and I really wanted to make something special for him that was personal to him and to me. He is really into boating and things nautical, and they have an outdoor barbeque area that lends itself to wall decoration, so I thought that I would make a fish sculpture to go on the wall. I have described previously my first efforts at making Powertex figurines; this time I thought I would try making a fish sculpture. I decided that … [Read more...]
Sculpture in the Gardens 2016
I love art and sculpture in a garden setting, and have even tried my hand at making my own garden sculpture. To see garden sculpture on a grand scale, you can't go past the Auckland Botanic Gardens Sculpture in the Gardens event that is held every couple of years. For three to four months over the summer, 20 large scale installations from a range of artists are displayed throughout the gardens. These are arranged as part of a trail that is well signposted and takes you around quite a … [Read more...]
Making Powertex Figurines
I described in an earlier post the workshop I had attended to learn how to make Powertex figurines. I had been very keen to make a pair of African-style figurines after having been inspired by the tall elegant figures I had seen at a craft show, but there wasn't time to make two at the workshop so I purchased the materials to make another one at home. With a long weekend at hand, it was a perfect time to give it a go before I forgot what we had done at the workshop. I had made a graceful … [Read more...]
Powertex Figurine Workshop
I first came across Powertex a couple of years ago when I visited a SENZ craft expo and the tall elegant African-style figurines took my eye. I was keen to do a workshop but didn't manage to connect with the dates when they were in Auckland. This year I was re-inspired when I saw them again at SENZ and was determined to give it a go. My friend Dominique was also keen to make a figurine (not an African one) and so when there was a workshop in my area we signed up. The workshop runs all day … [Read more...]
Garden Sculpture
I love to have art in the garden but it can be costly. It is also great to have things that are meaningful to you rather than just art for the sake of it. A while ago now my sister-in-law Bronnie and I attended a weekend sculpture workshop with artist James Wright (www.jameswright.co.nz) out at Clevedon. I was really looking forward to it but was in quite a panic about what I would make -how would I decide? I visited lots of different garden centres and other places that had sculptures of … [Read more...]