http://chewingthelegoffthetable.blogspot.com/

Hiya,
This is my big boy and his new blog http://chewingthelegoffthetable.blogspot.com/
to chat about ideas for his catering business A Visual Feast

what a good start [few typos but this is the proto type!]
he has really blossomed in the last year or so since he has found the love of a good woman- Niamh,
I am so happy for him
He is a really wonderful cook, as a child he always had a very sensitive palate, happy to help pick things from the garden [not work in the garden mind you!] and was happy to try all the new things I experimented with.
In his first job in a fancy restaurant he had experience of all the ingredients except the truffles.
To see him chef-fing is such a pleasure, especially when I am invited to dinner!
Fiona

Art Stitching in Paradise

InFijian culture you always wait to be invited into a village and then you are considered part of the family.
Here is the youngest member of our Daku family, he very much enjoyed joining in with the fun when invited into to see what we were up to.

Our lovely group and some visitors, our small exhibition was really satisfying to see on the wall- it makes a big difference to you thiinking about your work when you see it up.
we all realised what a productive week we had had and how amazing the human imagination is. everyone had the same materials and starting point yet the end results were so diverse...and pleasing.
We started with showing the ladies- this was women's work after all so we were lucky enough to be able to share with the ladies of our family, people staying at the resort, ladies from the village Women's Co-operative [what a great chance to share ideas!] and finally all the men of our Daku fimily.

some flowers we produced- the natural abundance of flowers in our grdens you can't help but be inspired[note one was picked from the garden!]

Our starting point was stitch, what a mark of thread can do on a surface, how the quality of that mark- thin or thick thread, bigger or smaller stitch...can effect the out come

For a Farewell dinner a LUVO was cooked- this is a traditional way of cooking where a pit is dug in the ground, hot coals laid in and then the food placed over it to cook.

OOOHHH if only we had smell-orama, as they lifted the leaves the aroma was sensational!

and the dinner was so tender...fish, chicken, a green leaf vegetable wrapped around fresh coconut[heavenly] and taro root.

ssssoooooo delicious!


Our masi[or tapa] pieces

. The printed masi was used as a frame for a variety of works- I do look forward to stitching into the masi itself, it has such a wonderful texture.

I do have a little stash to work on when I get time!

it truely is sad to leave our Daku family and I do look forward to my next visit with them.

Savusavu Fiji

A whole heap of images to share of our lovely spot in Fiji,
the pace of life is relaxed , the luscious scenery and verdant plant life brings to mind comparisons with the Garden of Eden.
I am sitting on my verandah this morning, roosters crowing to wake up the day in the background some where and looking out across the bay misty dancers and moving around the mountains over ther, blue isstarting to wake up in the sky...
Yesterday after class we were driven out to the Blue Lagoon, sorry I don't remeber its real name- something sounding of the beauty of the place, anyway.
I wandered for ages looking in rockpools- what do you think of this fellow?

A few days ago we boated across the bay to visit a local lady, see some of her lovely pearl jewelery and wander in her garden,

I've brought you some flowers home!

Some of the lovely ladies who look after us- always wonderful meals and sunny smiles...

and some of my students, we have a lovely group and have worked, shared, inspired and talked together all week very happily

hard working as you can see, we have a small exhibition of our work planned today and are planning to invite all the ladies of the resort first to share our women's business.

we have plenty of party food and hope to make it special so it is a little thank you as well for Merioni sharing masi printing with us, all the friendliness and care of our visit,

Later the fellows are invited [ we have a few husbands, the special projects manager of the resort and some of the gentlemen working here] In Fiji it is the tradition that is the women are working on women's work men should not interupt unless they bring food so have been pointing it out to our fellas...lots of laughs as you can image...something women doing is that important? and interest so what are they doing? and confusion all week happy doing that? when they could be snorkelling and blking and such?

hey different things for different people!

Fiji and Daku Resort

What a week, I started to melt down a bit realising how busy I would be when I returned home- packing, throwing things out, organizing 1,000 or possibly 1,000,000 details!

Friends came to the fore and spent a day with me, helping me get a few things done, chatting and laughing was a great stress reliever as well!
This is Jane Richens, a talent extraudinaire- here she is showing me how to use a print Gocco- amazing device- you can do small scale screen prints with no mess. In general I stay right away from things like that as I
I get ink all over the place!

Jane is working on an idea with me for a Creative Journalling Tour in India, she has lots of exercises already planned to weave into the travel itinerary- I can't wait to try it all out myself! My duty as the head of the company to try out the workshops, try out restaurants, hotels and etc first...can you hear the violins play as I roll out that sob story?
I KNOW I am lucky.

Part of the flap for me was getting out the door to Fiji- a Workshop in Paradise at Daku Resort http://www.dakuresort.com/.
This is my second visit and I was so looking forward to it. The place is lovely, we have a week to be creative and play, but best of all the staff and the ambience that they create make the place feel like home from the moment you arrive!

I was so looking forward to seeing how everyone is going.
I am happy to report everyone is well, Irlene the wonderful cook is having a baby next month, Merioni and Kenny's brood are growing up fast, Raj is as helpful as ever and all the rest of the crew are still smiling.
The flight across was spectacular 3 distinct layers of scattered clouds and the sun playing hide ansd seek above, through and under it all giving spectacular reflections off the water....

Flying along the top of the big island with her lush plantations...

The lovely Merioni, showing us about Masi cloth [ you might have heard the name Tapa which is used in some of the other islands of the South Pacific]
We are planning to use some of the masi cloth as an element in some of our stitch projects this week.
It is kind of like velum but more condusibe to stitch, a richj creamy white colour with a slight texture...I love it as a cloth

The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard

The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard- this is a must see. http://www.storyofstuff.com/
so much to think about.
and really re-inforces for me the direction I am following- I do try and be very concious of how much stuff I accumulate and why.
I just lived for 4 months traveling living out of a suitcase weighing 15 Kg - with all my teaching stuff as well- I really did not miss much, yet had one of the smallest bags at the airport bag places!
Rather proud of myself really.
Here is a letter I am just starting to send out to all groups I can think of- please send it along to any mail lists and groups or individauls who may be able to help, thanks :)
Hello everyone,
I am looking for textile leads when travelling.
I travel quite a bit and am always on the look out for textiles [I also lead a tour company and like to show the best textiles to my clients].
I have seen in my travels in Developing Nations the difference in people's lives if they are part of a Fair Trade arrangement or Co-operative [same idea as us getting all the proceeds of a sale and not loosing the gallery commission- it really means a BIG difference but much more so!]

Lately I have had people contacting me asking for leads to visit these types of places on their travels- I am only too happy to share when I have the info...there are many places to see and I have not [yet!] seen all of them.

I have set up a new blog spot hoping to be able to share this type of info through it. http://tactiletextiletravels.blogspot.com/
Would you mind helping out?

If there are places you visited in your travels- that are Fair Trade - by that I mean the artisans get a living wage for their work, profit goes back into community development like health and education or Co-operatives where profit is shared back to all members OR where you can buy directly from the artisan, where the artisan perhaps runs classes or demonstrations.
Please share the info, I will post it on the blog, make a table of contents and others will be able to share the info.

By going directly to the source, in my experience you will find the BEST contemporary craft and artisan work- you are getting quality goods, often much better prices AND most importantly you are voting with your cash to keep people alive, well and prospering who are keeping the world's cultural heritage alive.

Please share any leads you have across the globe- I am paying particular emphasis to Developing Nations [or Third World as they are sometimes called where Two-thirds of the world's inhabitants live or struggle to do so]
Thank so very much
Fiona
fiona@creative-arts-safaris.com

Please pass this email along to anyone you think might have a lead…

I am sure there is a big thankyou coming from all the travellers who will be able to access easier quality textile fixes in their travels. I am very grateful.
----------------
Fiona Wright
Gresford, NSW, Australia
+61 [0]2 49 389 410
Pushkar, Rajasthan, India
+91 98 68 080 318
fiona@creative-arts-safaris.com
www.creative-arts-safaris.com

Tactile Textile Travels

This has been on my mind for a while....

finding the time to start has been a challenge.

a new blog site where I invite everyone to help spread the news about Fair Trade initiatives and Co-operatives - in developing nations they make a huge impact on the quality of people's lives. http://tactiletextiletravels.blogspot.com/

You may have noticed I have a bit of a thing about Fair Trade and Consumers using their dollars and pounds and euros and, and, and... to speak out about what they want to see in the world.

In a market driven ecconomy -where we collectively decide to spend our money speaks much louder than our politicians ever have and believe it or not will have far more impact on the "powers that be" [ ie the moneied wheelers and dealer pulling the world's strings] than those we elect as politicians.

Your money is powerful, where you spend it makes you powerful.

At home or when travelling, as best you can, be aware of who you give it to.

I have seen in Developing World Countries the difference to individuals and communities when they can earn a reasonable wage to support themselves and improve health and education facilities.

Aren't we the same- a job and income we feel valuaed at- being able to know we can look after our families- don't we feel better about the world? And our ability to participate in and contribute to it?

Same for everyone.

I suggest by making informed choices whereever we are we can give this idea our vote.

Also as a traveller with a particulat iterest in textiles and a tour operator who wants to share the best with her clients I have found these to be the best examples and best priced pieces of contemporary work!

so have a look at the new site

Please contribute leads and information if you can- the world is a vast place and so many great things are happening- lets tell everyone!

Art Gallery of NSW

I had the best day imaginable yesterday.

My nearly 19 year old son- Zacharia instigated a big day out with me in Sydney at the Art Gallery of NSW!

yes! yes! he suggested to me we visit there and hang out.

here is my darlin' boy plus the flu- don't he make an old mummy proud!
I had the Sunday Arts programme on the TV a few weeks ago, the phone rang so I answered, Zac came in around then and I expected he would take the opportunity to change channels but he didn't- his interest was piqued????!!!

Bill Viola's video art caught his eye..http://www.billviola.com/ and he suggested we check them out.

well- yes please!

The piece was wonderful we just wanted more than the one on offer, then we cruised the gallery[ Zac leading] and looked at many things...

he has been designing logos for Tshirts, has initiated a visit with a local screen printer to learn more and has been painting a lot lately - grafitti inspired canvases with strong social commments- he has quietly converted the boys back shed into a comfortable studio for himself.

Just starting to really grow up and emerge from his coccoon- it is lovely to see the man who is emerging

Creative Arts Safaris- a hard day in the office!

Working for yourself -when you say a hard day in the office it can be a VERY long day, and everything is your responsibility....but when your office mostly consists of your laptop and what is stuffed into your head the office can be located where ever you choose! [Yesterday that included 7 hours driving to Sydney and back as well!]
Not bad a bad office...this is Dijanne Cevaal in my office yesterday. [ sorry Dijanne I know you said you were not keen on photos- you were very kind to allow this shot!]
we were discussing ideas for Dijanne to work with Creative Arts Safaris [ and very lucky we would be]
She is a very talented artist, experienced teacher, keen traveller [Africa, Middle East so far she says] and through exhibitions she has curated and travelled, she has done much to share Australian Textile Art and a hand of friendship across Europe and the Middle East.
very exciting to think of working together -keep an eye on http://www.creative-arts-safaris.com/ to see what we dream up together...
To try her out for the hard task at hand we used Sydney as our playground, we had to visit galleries, chat, look through interesting shops, discuss textiles, eat at my favourite lunch cafe Wahwah Lounge- Danks Street Waterloo, starting to cover the million and one details that go into thinking of [the easy part- a good textile fix is easy to get enthusisatic about] and now for me- planning ALL the details...
She is good company, keen, sssssssoooooo knowledgable and passionate about textiles and this will be fun.
Watch out world we are on a textiles' mission- for me I don't need to own them all but I would certainly love to see a heck of a lot of them -especially when I can off the beaten track and out to their home territory in interesting locations!
Dijanne wonderful experiences in Syria has certainly got my juices flowing ever since reading William Dalrymple's "Road to Xanadu" I have wanted to visit the places of the Old Silk Road and this was a major staging post. WOW!