Those dogs

 It has been a while since I wrote on my blog.

Time just goes and before I knew it, winter again for us in New Zealand.

But winter is also a time of more creative time inside and I finished a crocheted blanket and some knitted baby projects.

My son Paul asked me to do a painting for his friend Simon of his two Rottweilers.

Paul emailed me some photographs, not very clear ones and from one photograph I painted the dogs in acrylic on canvas.

It took me some time to do the painting, but I hope a captured a little of their personalities, even if I have never met the dogs.

I really hope Simon likes the painting.

Candles for Christchurch

Last Friday 15.3.2019 will be a day no one in New Zealand will ever forget.
New Zealand that country at the end of the world, peaceful and tolerant was attacked in its core, 50 people dead and 50 people in hospital with severe injuries shot by a white supremacist with a semi automatic gun.
Two mosques attacked where people were praying; men, women and children.
A terror attack we were not prepared for and we are in total shock such an attack could happen in New Zealand.
Our country is grieving for the families affected and for ourselves, because we feel our innocence is lost.
Sadly we are now part of the rest of the world were terror attacks happen regularly.

But are we innocent?
Or are we all guilty as a society that such a tragedy could happen on our shores?
I think we are.

Years ago when visiting my country of birth, the Netherlands, I witnessed an attack on a Muslim woman in Aachen, while shopping with my elderly mother in Germany, just over the border were my parents lived.
The Muslim woman was surrounded by a group of young white supremacists swearing at her, pushing her and pulling at her hijad and clothing.
I still remember her face, so afraid and her voice, yelling for help.
No bystander did anything, no one helped her, people just watched till the police arrived.
I also didn't do anything to help her, fear stopped me.
I was afraid for my mother and myself would I have spoken up or interfered.
I am still ashamed I didn't do anything or say anything.
I am guilty of what happened on Friday.

We all are.

When we accept as part of our society name- calling or bad jokes about people of other religions, cultures or sexual orientation.
When we don't say anything when colleagues or friends or anyone talks disrespectful about people of other religions,cultures or sexual orientation.
When we accept as" new" normal  slogans and graffiti on shop windows of dairies or convenience stores because the owner is an Indian New Zealander, like the dairy in Linwood, Christchurch which was targeted time after time and closed in the end.
When we don't say anything or help when someone is verbally abused in a public place because of their religion or skin colour.
When we accept as "new" normal the language and behaviour of right wing politicians and a world leader who calls refugees invaders, rapists and criminals or a politician pronounces that a terror attack is the result of our immigration policy.

We let this ugly hate cancer grow in our society and in our world and it is our responsibility as citizens of our beautiful country New Zealand and as citizens of the world to cut this cancer out and destroy its cells completely.
We can do this by showing respect, by offering friendship and by treating each other with dignity and love.
We can do this by standing up for what is right, just and by showing compassion.


My Christian faith ask me to be a light in my world, because light will overcome darkness.

My symbol of light is to sell my candles and donate the money to the victims of  the Christchurch attack.
You can buy my candles through my face book page Marijke Lups Joie de Vivre.
Postage in New Zealand is for free, but there is a charge for overseas posting.

Let there be light.

Its Spring and the beehive is finished.

The four panels of the beehive are finished.

It took me the winter months to paint the four panels, because really its four paintings.

The last coats of varnish will go on this weekend and next week the beehive will be send to Paul and Emma and Paul will use the beehive for advertising his new business in Arrowtown "Honey & Cacoa".

I am pleased with the result and the Spring panel with lamb and daffodils was finished a week before our official Spring date, the first of September, also the birthday of my daughter Rachel.

Spring lamb and daffodils

Lake Wanaka and Summer Lupins

Arrowtown river in Autumn colours

Dudleys Cottage in Winter Arrowtown

Summer art

 The third panel for the beehive is finished and this is the Summer panel.

Again the South Island of New Zealand, Lake Wanaka with the Lupins in flower in the foreground.

During November, our Spring time, the lupins are in full flower till after Christmas.

A spectacular side when driving through McKenzie Country the colour of Lupins everywhere.

With Ollie my dog I went to the Hospital and Rest home for a visit and Ollie taught himself how to play with the balloon without popping it. Ollie loves balloons and nothing more then exercising with the residents and they love him too.
I filmed this on my camera and it is great to watch him.

Winter Art

                                   

The Winter panel for the beehive is finished, I painted Dudley's Cottage, a cottage build in 1880, the oldest cottage in Arrowtown.

I changed a few aspects, because I had to use winter and summer photographs of the cottage, but that is the artist interpretation.

By using cool colours of purple and blue as the base I created a cold winter feel of a snowy day.

I used warm darker colours behind the trees and brought those back in the tyre marks on the road and  the dried winter grasses in the foreground.

I know I shouldn't use warm colours in the distance, but sorry I broke the rules, because I think it works for this painting.

Dudley's Cottage is now a cafe and gift shop and will be next to Paul and Emma new business' Honey and Cacoa.'

The painted beehive will sit outside the shop and hopefully will be a nice talking point.

                                             

On Wednesday at the elderly activity morning we started to paint terracotta pots for Springtime to plant with Tulip and Daffodil bulbs.
The pots need to dry and next time I will bring stencils to decorate the pots and then we will plant the bulbs.
It was a rainy day so a nice way to spend the morning.

Autumn art

The Autumn side of the beehive

                                                 

Its Autumn and the trees are in wonderful colours of red, yellow and orange. 

When I drive through our country side of the Moutere I enjoy the golden colours of the vineyards and the hazy blue mountains in the background. I am blessed to live in such a beautiful place.

Our son Paul and his wife Emma are opening soon a new business called Honey and Cacoa in Arrowtown, near Queenstown selling New Zealand honey and chocolate.

I am painting a beehive with the four seasons and have just finished the Autumn side.

The scene of the painting is in Arrowtown.

The beehive will be placed outside the shop.

Yesterday I did a creativity session at our local resthome and hospital.

Working with pastels colouring in autumn leaves.

Art is such a relaxing activity for people suffering from dementia, really being in the moment.

A little bit of joy and colour in the day.

Bees wax candles and summer sketches

Designing and the first drawings for the candle labels

                                    

The Summer has turned into Autumn and the mornings are getting chilly with a real Autumn feel in the air. The evenings are cooling down and tonight I have lit the fire for the first time.

Only a few weeks ago it was really hot and I went for a  last swim in the sea. 

I like to take my sketch book when we go for a picnic at the beach and my sketches are an impression of the time spend at the beach or Summer activities.

The sketches are by no means totally accurate, but for me they brings back the feeling I had when I did the sketch; how windy it was or how hot the sun felt, the smell of the sea or the noise of the waves. More then any photograph taken a sketch tells a better story of the moment I was there.

I am making scented beeswax coconut oil candles and like to sell the candles soon on markets and my Felt shop and also in the new shop Honey and Cacao in Arrowtown, a new business for my son Paul and daughter in law Emma.

I am designing and drawing a label for the candles and working on a hexagon with bees all around, I started this afternoon with the drawings. 

The candle burns very well and doesn't tunnel at all, my test candle has now burned over 14 hours and is still going.

It is nice to be inside with the fire going and my art stuff all over the dining table and some quiet time for me.

Beeswax Coconut candle burning well

Sketches of shells at the beach

Sketches of strawberry picking and landscape

Sketches of flax and stones

Sketches of a day at the beach

Animals and painting

It has been a while since my last blog post.

Christmas and New Year have been and gone and life is settling again after a busy time.

I have plenty of work in my garden after a spell of dry weather and now lots of rain.

The first crop of apples are ready to be picked and made into apple sauce for the winter.

I had time to finish my oil painting The Good Shepherd and the painting is about a shepherd after mustering carrying an exhausted heavy Merino sheep back on his shoulders to the flock.

His sheep dog by his side.

                                              

 Also I got my botanical water colour painting printed as cards and I am selling the cards on my New Zealand web Felt shop and in a local shop in Mapua.

 One of my hens got broody and I don't have a rooster, so I bought 6 fertile eggs from a local breeder and 3 of the eggs hatched and now I have little baby chooks, hopefully not all roosters.

 My other chicken feels very lonely now, so she hops on the deck and sits near the window and I am sure she would like to share the dog bed with Ollie if she could.

 Ollie learned to sit in kayak for the first time and is enjoying every moment.
I love all my animals!

the peace dove

                                             

Yesterday I went with my dog Ollie and my craft supplies to the rest home and hospital for the elderly.

I am visiting every week with Ollie, he is trained as a therapy dog.

 I write about his adventures on my other blog:

ollietherapydog.blogspot.co.nz

Twice a month I teach some art or craft at the hospital or dementia ward, while Ollie keeps an eye on the residents and goes for pats and cuddles. When he gets tired, he disappears under the piano and sleeps.

Decorating with glitter

 This time some of the elderly made paper doves for the Christmas displays.

I prepared the patterns of the doves at home and brought enough glitter, paper doilies, stamps to decorate the doves and then they got cut out and assembled.

 It was lovely to see staff and residents really enjoying the craft activity.
The elderly who couldn't participate were still part by watching us working.

Nearly ready to assemble.

When I got home with a tired Ollie dog and after putting my craft supplies away I picked the first bunch of roses and jasmine out of my garden. Summer is nearly there.

More botanical drawings

This week I finished my drawings of the Plantain plant and Calendula flowers.
I dyed the water colour paper with teabags to create a vintage look.
Both plants I use in my Plantain Calendula balm for itchy skin and insect bites.
I have been making this balm for about half a year now and got really good feedback from people who bought the balm and how it really works for them.
I use the balm after working in the garden when I end up with itchy rashes from pulling weeds and long grass. Plantain a plant growing in most gardens and paddocks is amazing to reduce swelling and itchiness, a bit like  the aloe vera plant for burns.                                                 
A local shop in Mapua is selling my balm http://www.ketetasman.com/ for $12

Yesterday I went to the Copy Art shop in Richmond and asked if they can print greeting gift cards and labels from my botanical drawings.
I hope they will be ready for the Mapua makers market. https://www.facebook.com/MapuaMakersMarket/

Botanical drawings

On the 3rd of December I am part of the Mapua Makers market and I will sell my Plantain Calendula Balms for itchy skin and insect bites, also a natural insect repellent and a face/body cream for mature skin.

  

 I like to draw botanical pictures for labels to attach to the products and also to decorate my stall.

I really want to make my stall attractive and personal,so working hard to get all the illustrations finished and printed on time.

Decorated fence palings

A great art project for children is painting fence palings for the garden.

The fence palings are normally used for low garden fencing and can be bought in most hardware stores.

I bought my fence palings at Bunnings in Nelson.

Before the art class I sanded the palings and gave them a quick undercoat with white acrylic paint and then sanded the palings again to achieve a smooth surface for decorating.

The finished fence palings all different

 Before the children started to paint the palings I asked them to draw a design on paper first and incorporate all the different ideas for the fence paling.
Then the children used a coloured pencil to divide the paling into sections like head, body, legs.
The children started to paint the background first and the following session we added all the details.

We let the paint dry and then I sprayed the artwork with varnish so the finished fence palings can be placed in the garden.

Printing class for children

 A few weeks ago my children's art group did a printing workshop again.

The printing was done on a gelatine base, the recipe for the gelatine base is in one of my older posts about gelatine printing.
The printing workshop was done over two weeks; the first week the children printing backgrounds and the second week the children used the prints for art works.
The printing was done with different materials: bubble wrap, feathers,leaves etc.

the back ground prints

Finished art work

 The art cards are finished with stamps of birds.

The printing in action

Summer or no summer

Shells from the beach

The month of January should be the hottest time in summer, but not this year.

We are still having strong winds like we normally get in spring and summer storms with lots of rain.

The vegetable garden is not producing a lot, we have no beans yet and the cucumbers are just coming into flower.

Luckily we eating our potatoes and one apple tree is producing a good crop, so coming week I can bottle some apple sauce.

I started a part time job picking strawberries 3 times a week. The strawberries are grown hydroponic on bench height, so easy on my back. The picking only last for 2  to 3 hours in the morning, because after the picking the strawberries are getting packed and delivered to the customers.

The picking job will last till the beginning of May.

The Nelson area were I live is for many a holiday spot and the beaches are always popular with swimmers and water sports.
Most beaches have lovely shady spots under the big pohutukawa trees, the New Zealand Christmas tree, now in flower with big red fluffy flowers.
I love these big beautiful trees and for me they symbolize summer with lazy afternoons swimming and reading a good book in their shade.

The native pohutukawa tree in flower

Ollie our dog got his favourite toy for Christmas and he is unpacking his tennis balls out of the wrapping wearing his little Santa suit.

Ollie unpacking his tennis balls.

Beach in Golden Bay

I started the art sessions after the Christmas break in the rest home and hospital and we painted watercolour butterflies and a background with charcoal.

Two lovely ladies in Motueka donated lots of art materials for me to use and here we are using the watercolour paints and the paper. So a big thank you!

Art session in the hospital

I am part of Sunday Sketches