Connecting components

 

On Saturday I finished and put together components for my small fishing boats. Many of these boats have torn sails - the result of ferocious northern Scottish seas. Three are pictured above.

A collection of components before assembling.

A couple more photos of completed boats.

I needed to make a couple more copper components so I did a metal melt whilst putting the boats together. One trick I have learnt is if you heat up the graphite moulds there is less chance of spitting and bubbles in the metal when you pour the molten metal - less chance of a shock caused by sudden change of temperature. The rough cast pieces below need to have excess cut off and then filed and polished.

I have almost finished all the melted metal elements for this piece that will go into the Vessels exhibition in October at the Old Ambo Gallery.

A whole lot of earrings

 

I have managed to complete my leaf earrings and a few buffalo horn earrings. Not much time for art today as people came first.

The leaf forms vary in length from about 2.5cm to 6cm. Some have words stampede on them; and others are plain. All with the pattern from the silver-plated placemats and the rear side. Photos of earrings with differing ear wires.

I cut enough buffalo for 8 pair of earrings with metal rivets; but only got time to complete 4 pair.

Good to complete the earrings I started about 4 weeks ago.

Light - white- hope

 

I'm told the shortest day of the year is behind us; and yet the early mornings still seem quite dark - impatient I know. I do love the fact that some dark mornings take on interesting hues - like the purplish hue at one point this morning - above and below.

I began my walk in low light so it is not surprising that the white blossoms popped out a bit more. I decided to go with white - to me it suggested hope and light in dark times. I was surprised that there were quite a number of whitish blossoms. Droplets were courtesy of a misty overnight rain.

The white-light theme continued in G's orchid house.

May we continue to seek and find hope.

Another attack on women

 

Fiona asked me a question to which I have no answer - the question was-is "why do they hate us so much?" Why does the patriarchy feel it needs to take away womens' rights; why are they so afraid of equality; why do they feel they need to control womens' choices; why do they just want to take rights back to the dark ages. I have no answers to these questions.

The recent decision regarding abortion in the US, by an unelected and biased group, a group that does not heed the voice of 85% of Americans, is nothing less than a war on women.

The nano posters in this blog reflect this fact - the patriarchy is continuing to wage a war on women and even coopts women into its war. I have printed white on red to reflect the handmaids tale; and the white on black reflects mourning for the destruction of women's rights and equality.

In these times of despair we all need to hold on and care for ourselves. I was tying up bundles of uplift nano posters and pocket posters after printing the war on women posters.

It's hard to pick one's self up and continue the work to dismantle the patriarchy; but pick ourselves up we must and dismantle the patriarchy we must. If you need one or more of the uplift posters in your life  let me know and I will post it/them to you.

Transforming

 

I'm on a mission to tidy my workshop after having been in it for 18 months. I want to use or give away or dispose of those bits of stuff that I have collected or been given. I had been gifted 3 metal watering cans - 2 still in good working order; but not loved or liked anymore. The photo below is of the cans before I started on them - the tallest is about 35-40cm high.

I had a yarn with Fiona about how I might transform them into interesting objects for a garden. We decided to give them a new life by adding rusted metal - primarily from a rusted fireplace flue guard. The opening photo is of the completed 3 objects. Photos below show some of the design similarities and differences. The spouts on two now have rusted hand made washers as a point of interest.

I drilled holes in the base of all the cans so that water can drain away; and, if in the garden, they will not become a mosquito breeding pots. Of course they could now have flowers, a bush or herbs planted in them.

Flying to the moon, Monday morning sunrise

 

Monday and today were gorgeous mornings for a walk.  This morning - crisp, clear, blue sky and gentle sunrise. I rejoiced in the magpies on the overhead wires - the photo above just brought together all the elements with the sun on the magpie's tail feather and wings partly spread - ready for takeoff to the moon. Another photos of magpie and moon below.

Quite the contrast to Monday mornings sunrise - all fire and mackerel cloud- with stars and the moon mixed in some of the photos.

Looking north to the special tree at the top of the complex - soft purple and pink hues.

Quite a number of the orchids in G's orchid house are at bursting point - don't they know winter has not finished. The photo below shows bursting potential.

A really refreshing morning - full of life and light.