Wes thu hal!!
(Be thou hale!- Old English addressing one)
I hope this message finds you warm and with full lemon trees and lots of garlic! (Recipe for Fire Cider Vinegar below).
The July weather always brings me a certain uneasiness. The conflict arises between the somewhat relentless round of the commercial man-made year, and the seasonal call to turn within and be still. The Rooky Wood studio is particularly interested in exploring, studying and celebrating the plants and animals brought here to New Zealand to live, over the past 200 years, and these truly are seasonal plants and beasties.
The riotous colour has gone, all the deciduous trees have dropped their engagement with the outside world (other than the wind) and turned inward to breathe out. It feels like a season for firelight, spinning wheels, stories, crafts and dreaming.
This Friday, 25th July, at 5pm, my next group exhibition: The Winter Collective opens at Creative Arts Napier. There are 5 other artists also exhibiting, and there will be wine and nibbles at the opening- it would be lovely to see you. The show runs for two weeks. The work I will be exhibiting is a series of 9 small oil paintings on wombled board. I have been looking at 1950s woodland animal art and finding such wonderful relief from the complicated 21st century. I have tried to convey a little of the trust and innocence through these works about curling up and sleeping. For those unable to travel to the gallery they will be uploaded to my website in a week or so, but meanwhile here are a few of them (click on the image to see more):
Another event on the calendar is The Rooky Wood’s new art class from 10am-12pm on the second and fourth Thursday of every month- beginning this Thursday 24th July- in collaboration with the Heretaunga Women's Centre, Hastings. No prior experience necessary- we’ll just be learning to make friends with charcoal and newsprint. The plan is to start symbolically around the fire in the cave with the bits of cold charcoal and “cave walls” on which to draw. Later classes will look at creative practice and path-finding. If you are interested you can book with the HWC: (06) 878 5401 or email: admin@hwc.nz There is a limit of 12 students to any one class.
1/8 cup chopped garlic 1/4 cup sage leaves 1/4 cup grated ginger 1/2 onion finely chopped chili or cayenne to taste
Pack into a jar and cover with cider vinegar, with an extra 2cm over the top of the other ingredients. Leave for 2-8 weeks, shake every so often. Strain and sweeten with honey. Take at onset of colds, for chest infections etc: 1 tspn every half hour for a day or two then cut back as symptoms improve.
I have had this recipe scribbled down on a piece of paper in the back of my grandmother’s Housekeepers’ Vade Mecum for a long time and cannot entirely remember who to credit it to but I suspect I got it from Millstream Gardens. If you’re driving through Central Hawke’s Bay do stop in to their shop- it’s absolutely delightful and stocks the most wonderful remedies for every situation.
If you’d like to, please take a look around my new website www.therookywood.com or catch up with me on facebook or instagram.
Until next time…
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