I love animal Totems. A few years ago we spent the summer in PEI. I would walk the beach daily for treasures. There somehow were a lot of feathers, which i started using in little hanging feather/bead gifts for people.
Haven’t quite figured out how to incorporate feathers into my baskets, and somehow here in BC am not finding a lot of them, but the idea of incorporating animal spirit into baskets remains.
One day i was to meet with a client, he creates native art and I did a site for him, and out of that conversation stemmed a gift bag of goodies that he left on my step. Things he had collected over the years and wasn’t using. In that treasure trove, was some porcupine quills.
Of course i immediately looked up what the totem was or porcupine:
The quills of the Porcupine symbolize the generations of ancestors and their wisdom that have come before, each quill a representation of a family ancestor. Porcupine carries great meaning for connecting to ancient ancestors and their way of life, and the knowledge of living in harmony with the land and other animals. The energy of respect is at the core of all that Porcupine symbolizes.
Not only were they beautiful, but the symbolism was amazing. A birdhouse was born. To this day it remains my favorite.
Here’s my environmental art board:
[fts pinterest pinterest_name=khadley56 board_id=environmental-art type=single_board_pins]
And my Birdhouse art board:
[fts pinterest pinterest_name=khadley56 board_id=birdhouses type=single_board_pins]
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The day came and with great trepidation i set my table up. It was pretty amazing and scary to sit there and have people come look/comment on my work. The good part was there were tonnes of great comments. The bad part was talking to so many people about my heart’s work!
After the day was done, i decided it totally wasn’t for me for now!
I went to a local gallery with my work, and she’s now selling them for me. Best leave the marketing, schmoozing to the experts
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There is always a great joy in creating, especially when you go off on a tangent, which then opens up a whole new vision. These ah moments are what artists thrive on. For me it sparks a flow which some of my best work evolves.
Early this summer I was merrily enjoying creating baskets, finding new and interesting fibers/beads to incorporate, exploring shape, and form. A couple we knew were getting married in august, and since they had lived together for sometime, so had a house full of what they needed, I questioned them about a wedding gift. The answer was quick, birdhouses. They wanted to fill the yard/house with birdhouses of all kinds. Genius, simple!
Of course that got my wheels going around the possibility of creating a birdhouse with pine needles…. and voila, this beauty to the right came out.
Which then sparked a whole new tangent, just waiting to spew forth!
My partner and i went off on the boat for a week. We stayed at Jedediah Island, which is known for it’s herd of wild sheep and goats.
As we were exploring the island, i kept picking up little tufts of sheep wool, planning my next birdhouse basket. Every evening relaxing on the boat, while being read out loud to, i’d stitch and stitch.
The wedding gift emerged.
Typically once i gather my needles, i work them into a bundle with tops pointing in same direction, then i take the ends off. If the needles are fat, i’ll split them into individual elements, if they are thin i leave them in the group (usually it’s a group of 3)
I then wrap the bundle in a nice napkin, then i can just pull them out one at a time as i am making my basket.
As i mentioned in my previous post i usually try to go for needles that are fresh. If this is the case i typically don’t clean them. If they are dirty, soak them in a sink full of slightly soapy water, rinse and then air dry. I always make my baskets with dry needles. I’ve tried with damp needles, but once they dry your basket becomes loose.
There is one exception to this. Sometimes the only needles you can find are dry and brittle. I will soak them to help restore some flexibility and create the basket with them slightly damp. If i make sure to pull the waxed thread nice and tight each stitch the basket stays firm.
Once you have the bundles prepped, you can actually keep them in a dry spot for a long time. They only disintegrate when exposed to outdoor weather.
When working with the needles try to get the shiny curved edge to the outside, it gives the basket a better look.
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To me the perfect needle is something that’s fairly long (aprox the length of my forearm), and also something that has a good consistent color. One of the keys to consistent color is freshness. So something in a yard (as people rake and clean needles at least a couple times a year) is typically a good find. So scour your neighborhood, keep your eyes peeled as you are driving (well maybe as you are passenger in a car!).
I found my perfect tree in the neighborhood where i do my morning walk. When i’m in need of a refresh, i loop over to that street, grab a bundle, sit for a moment just past the house (which happens to be a lovely bench by the ocean) sort them into a bundle that’s easy to carry… all the ends facing the same direction, then continue along my walk.
The passer’s by probably think i’m a little off sitting there sorting through pine needles, but hey what the heck!
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