Wellington

The highlight of visiting Wellington is never going to be the weather unless you fancy gales and horizontal rain - that must be why they have such excellent galleries and museums. In fact, we did not defrost until we daytripped out to the Kapiti Coast with Uncle Ron (right) to visit Uncle Ken (left).
Top: Alan Preston, jewellery made from greywacke road base and paint
Middle: Blair Smith, Visible panty line
BottomLeft: Shelly Norton: jewellery made from plastic shopping bags
Bottom Right: Genevieve Packer, Craft Terrorist

My favorite museum was the Dowse in Lower Hutt which presented a beautifully displayed Alan Preston survey exhibition (love his road base pieces) and contemporary jewellery/craft from the collection on display upstairs.
Much of the jewellery had probably been collected from the 2 excellent jewellery galleries in town, Quoil (shame on them for not having a website going) and Avid. Quoil was my favourite because the staff were so friendly (I'm easily won over by nice happy people) - and they also have some wacky plastic work by Lisa Walker and Shelly Norton that Plastic Girl would have enjoyed.

Return to Oz

I have returned.

8 kilos heavier and not from all the butter and cheese I ate- but from the pebbles spread over 2 backpacks. Fortunately with no hassles from customs.

Here are some pictures from the interior of a marvellous old villa we stayed at in French Pass. Actually it was so grand from the exterior that I thought it must be a private residence and we first showed ourselves into the little shed nextdoor! The house was built by sheep farming settlers, the Webbers who have now moved into more modern accommodations nextdoor while the old residence is converted into a backpackers: big draughty rooms with odd assortments of furniture from different eras, a modernised kitchen and this rather wonderful old linoleum 'rug'. I love these old linoleum patterns ( here and also Betty Jo- jewellery made from it) and this one that imitates the persian rug using some early mechanical printing that looks real from a distance up up close like a pixelated image.

Detail of 'rug':

Mr Accoridan teased a haunting melody from the decomposing old piano (blogged here)- due to the lack of recent tuning and missing notes, possibly the only tune that could have been played!

Gone Fossicking in NewZealand

Back 23 May 2007