This weekend saw the first street art market for Hamilton called ‘Art on Barton’

This event was designed to get local artists together and provide a venue for them to show their work with other artists and be able to share and sell their artwork themselves.

Although the weather was forecast to be severe with thunder storms we still went ahead with the event. Even though it did rain, it wasn’t as bad as expected, the first half of the day being fairly dry. I think the general spirit of the event got everyone going and nothing could make them disheartened. There were many comments from other artists how they were enjoying just being a part of the local scene and having the chance to meet other artists, as working home in their studios is so isolating they often don’t get that opportunity.

Part of the plan for Art on Barton was to encourage shoppers to return to the CBD as shopping centres are springing up outside the main centre and were drawing a lot of the shoppers away.

Hamilton desperately needs more art events like this to encourage artists to bond and create a more cohesive arts society that we can be proud of and make us more visable to both the general public and artists who are new to the area and want to share in an arts community. It also means we have another draw-card for tourists and locals as something to do while in Hamilton. Yes we have the V8s and the Balloons over Waikato along with other types of markets etc but regular monthly events of quality art always interest people and with several coffee shops in the street, it’s a chance to sit down enjoy the atmosphere and take home some art as well.

There are other markets in Hamilton but they cater for other things like food and general crafts and such things as farmers markets for fresh produce.

Ree Varcoe from Hamilton Central who organised the event is looking at regular art markets the next one being the 6^th May 2011 which everyone is keen to be a part of and with so many other artists popping up on Saturday who didn’t know about the event and wanted to join in, I think future ones will be bigger and brighter and well worth the effort of a visit if you are in town or even just passing through Hamilton.

Any enquires for future events please get in touch with Hamilton Central info@hamiltoncentral.co.nz

How important are our hands to us artists?

I’ve gone and done it again, cut one of my fingers in rather a bad way, two stitches bad so its not going to be a case of healing quickly and back to the easel in a few days sort of thing.

Right now I’m struggling to drink my wine and type this all up as I can only use one hand for both and it’s certainly not easy! Have any of you tried to type a letter with one hand recently? I can compare that to having to handwrite things…..another skill our hands are not so used to anymore.

After the shocking news of the devastating earthquake in Christchurch where so many people have terrible injuries and many have lost their lives, I was loathe to go see a doctor for this silly little cut but I’m glad I did now, the lovely doctor said it wouldn’t have healed properly if I hadn’t. And let’s face it my career depends on the use of my hands.

Anyway my heart goes out to my fellow countryman and the grief and anguish they are going through at this harrowing time. A very sad time for New Zealand.

2010 Blog Review – what did I end up talking about?

On day one I talked about what my plans were for this weblog; I had planned to write something every day and paint a small dot painting to go with it. I lasted pretty much 6 months doing that and then it started to falter, slowly it became a few days, then a week, then a month between posts so I was a little disappointed in myself for that. I hadn’t figured on a new job and other  things both good and bad that would take more and more of time, but I did my best and I endeavour to catch up on some of those posts in 2011 as this whole project rests on 365 entries so they must get done!

Day 2 saw me talk about art galleries and dealing with them from both an artist’s perspective as well as being an art gallery manager and curator as well as having once been an owner of one! That post along with the taxation tips for artists and copyright issues has been my top post for hits to date but no surprises there; it’s what artists want to know about.

I visited many exhibitions through 2010 and reported back on them to the blog, using my laptop in hotel rooms and on the go, it was challenging but I got it done, in the beginning anyway! Books were researched and so were colours and mediums along with easels and artists including Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, canvas and interesting methods like sun painting and scratch-boarding.

I looked at the most famous paintings in the world and was asked to list the most famous NZ paintings which were fascinating and rewarding, getting the most feedback from blog readers out of all the posts.

Technical stuff like varnishing or how to antique or use crackle effect were very popular postings along with how to use gold leaf while humorous ones attracted attention from those with a funny bone, 40 things that can wrong in an art exhibition striking a chord with artists about to exhibit as well as those who had experienced some of those situations!

Art history and styles like surrealism, expressionism and fauvism to realism were covered. It wasn’t all just about visual art either, I included music and sculpture, origami, Ikebana, hairdressing, makeup and nail art, the art of making coffee and its latte art, winemaking or a bit about the Geisha, so it got weird and wacky at times!

The business side of art was discussed a lot, especially since this is a passion of mine as well the main thing I do in my other job, teaching arts marketing. So websites and organising exhibitions along with general tips on how to sell your art or even just how to get motivated and inspired when struck with that ‘blank canvas’ syndrome were hot topics. A list of art awards and exhibitions to enter in New Zealand is one day’s work along with many links to other useful sites. All these posts are on my website here http://www.collette.co.nz/webapps/site/21423/158835/chat/blog.html if you wish to read them. Click on the search box and enter the info you want as there are hundreds of posts to hunt through otherwise.

Last of all I’d like to thank the Hamilton Community Arts Council  for their support this year and the funding that they kindly provided to help make this blog a reality. All this information will be available on my website permanently for those who wish to read it and I will adding more over 2011 as the art project behind it will need to be completed.

Enjoy and all the best for 2011

Signing your artwork

One of the top questions artists ask is how and where and should I sign my paintings? There is no real simple answer as to where or how as such but it is something you should do in that when you add your signature, it is like you are adding your stamp of approval and saying this is finished and I am proud to put my name to it. The amount of times I have seen artwork get rejected by buyers when it’s not signed is something that should make you sit up and listen if you are contemplating not signing your work. Be proud of your accomplishments and let everyone know it’s yours by signing it. Another reason to sign your artwork is to claim ownership of it, and to prove that YOU, not anyone else, created it. If you read my earlier post on HKHs I mentioned that the students who sell these mass produced artworks often sign the works in front of the buyers and lay false claim to be the artist to impress them and get the sale, imagine that happening to your hard work!

It's not actually a legal requirement to sign your art, but if you don't add your name to a painting, how will anyone know who the artist is? Some artists have a distinctive or familiar style that people will recognise, like Picasso for instance, but even his unsigned work is not as valuable as the signed stuff. But also consider the first time someone's encountered your work? How will they find out who the artist is then if it’s not signed? If it's for sale in a gallery it will usually have a label with your name on it, but what if it's hanging in an office of home of someone who's bought it and they can't remember who the artist was? 

So what about where to put your signature? Well, that’s up to you, although traditionally your signature is usually towards one of the bottom corners and normally the right hand side.  And although a signature should be an important part of your painting it shouldn’t detract from the painting itself as in glaring hot pink on a landscape (maybe on an abstract!) or covering a huge area that says ‘it’s all about me not the painting’ sort of thing! I like to try to make my signature blend into the background if I can or make it part of the picture if it works like in the label on a handbag etc. I don’t actually hide it, I just make it more subtle but if someone is looking for it it’s obvious. The most important thing for your signature though is that people must be able to read it. An illegible signature isn't a sign that you're extremely creative and it doesn't add a level of intrigue to the painting. You're the artist, so make it known. But at the same time, don't make it look like you're using a stamp either. It’s not a necessity to sign your whole name on the front of the painting either, you could just put your initials or like me I use an abbreviation of my first name. If you choose this option it does pay to put your full name on the back of the painting as well. Ladies what about signing with your maiden name or married name? Changing your name when you get married means you need to consider how should you sign your paintings? Should you continue using the name you had been or should you change to your new married name? Ultimately, it's a matter of individual preference. I struggled with this and chose to use just my first name on my art but married name on the reverse. There are paintings that are from many years ago with my old name on them and they come up sometimes in auctions but I’m sure no one recognises them as mine just from the signature, never mind the completely different style! Maybe if I ever get really well known one day hmmmmmm! Now if an artist is already known professionally by their maiden name, it would make more sense to keep it at that because you'd quite likely have to start from scratch in marketing yourself.

Then there is dating, no not the ‘who should I go out with’ dating, I mean the adding a date to your painting. Should you or shouldn’t you? I think you should add the date it was painted to your painting, but it doesn’t have to be next to your signature on the front it can be on the back. You see when you first start painting you'll probably be able to keep track of when you painted a particular painting, but several years' and many paintings later and you'll simply won’t  be able to remember. Serious collectors and galleries like to be able to see how a painter's work has developed over the years, so you need to get into the habit of dating your work now. There is also the argument that putting a date on a painting limits the potential to sell it. Although I have seen some people react badly to ‘last year’s painting’ most people do not see it that way after all art doesn’t have a sell-buy date, it doesn’t go off or perish as such. If buyers only wanted the newest and latest work, then how come there's an auction market for contemporary paintings? Funnily enough I saw one of my paintings in just such an auction the other day and they had noted the ‘signed and dated’ bit on it, most paintings didn’t have a date but I felt proud mine had1 I didn’t remember Id painted it in 2002 so it was a timely reminder of how important dating your art actually is. 

Lastly, what to use to sign your work, I’m going to start with what not to use though,  like don’t use felt pens or worse yet a biro ink pen (Yes I have seen that done too, it spoilt a beautiful painting and detracted massively from its appeal.) A bold black marker may look okay today but once the ink starts to fade it goes a hideous green like an old tattoo or even worse it disappears altogether and makes your work now unsigned. Tacky gold or silver metallic pens are a no go too, leave them to the prints and photograph genre, and sign your work with the medium you created it in. Whether its acrylic, oil, pastel, watercolor, gouache or whatever, use the same medium and use a suitable colour that will blend in with the work. It’s best also to add it at the time of completing your work so it doesn’t look like a late addition and means also that you won’t end up adding your signature on top of a layer of varnish putting it at risk of it being erased years later when conservationists go to clean it.

One thing I should mention is that art forgers don’t only need to re-create the work of art they’re forging, but they need to perfectly replicate the signature of the artist. Your signature is unique and often the only way that your work can be recognised as in being your original work is from that little scrawl you add to your finished product, make it worth it!

This website shows little clips on how to tie seven basic knots, I just love the name too ‘The art of manliness, which is just classic -

http://artofmanliness.com/2009/06/24/7-basic-knots-every-man-should-know/  so check that out if you want to know how to tie certain knots!

My blog today though is about knots in art, so here goes- Most of us know what Celtic knots are, but did you know that they are not actually exclusive to the Celts? They actually begin at an earlier time in history with an appearance in Roman mosaics and were also well used by the Vikings and Saxons. Pretty much they are patterns made by ropes which are intricately woven but not inevitably into the shape of a knot. Some are even continuous in that they lack any loose ends, these ones are called Gordian knots, after the legendary knot that Alexander the Great attempted to unfasten. When he was unsuccessful, as he simply had to be as the knot had no end, he took his sword and sliced it through, cutting it in half which then created two ends.

Intricately knotted patterns are often found in art work from the early Roman Empire around 3rd and 4th A.D., and were found mainly in floor mosaics. Celtic decorative work integrated key patterns, spirals and step patterns. In early Christian texts from the Celts they had these patterns which also included art work that depicted plants, animals and other images from nature. These patterns of woven plaits were also found in various other places and time periods.

Plait work which is another variation refers to an uninterrupted woven cord and appears in earlier art work previous to the development of genuine Celtic knots. The initial designs of typical Celtic knots were seen in southern Gaul and northern Italy and they reached Ireland by the seventh century. These days Celtic knots are associated with Scotland, Wales or Ireland.

One type of Celtic knot, called the Trinity knot, is often found in very old Germanic rune stones and coins from the northern part of Europe where it was used as a pagan symbol, probably related to the Norse god Odin. The Trinity knot is linked to the Insular art phase of Celtic and was used in illuminated texts and on metal work. It was usually used along with other types of Celtic knots and very infrequently used on its own. Although we don't know if the Trinity knot had any symbolic meaning to the Celts the more contemporary interpretations have given it a particular implication as a symbol of things that are threefold, for instance, as mother, daughter and granddaughter, the past, present and future or the Holy Trinity.

These days the Celtic knot is a well-known motif that is used in both gold and Celtic knot silver jewellery as well as tattoo body art with New Zealand leading the trend. Lots of designs and styles are produced and Celtic knots can be seen on rings, earrings, pendants and anklets.

Another site to check out on the art of knots is a site called ‘Its Knot Art’ by a guy called William http://itsknotart.wordpress.com/  who takes knots to a new level! Check it out!

Christmas time in New Zealand doesn’t have anything to do snow and sleigh bells, quite possibly because of the 28c degrees average temperatures, so it’s about sun, sand, beaches or barbecues in the backyard with a few bevies to keep things cool! Eating is an important aspect in celebrating Christmas here. Some Kiwis take advantage of the fact that it is summer to enjoy their Christmas dinner at the beach with barbecues and picnics. A survey made of typical kiwi culture revealed that a surprising 72% prefer a roast dinner – more in keeping with Christmas in the northern hemisphere and an overwhelming majority – 94% – eat Christmas dinner at home, and three-quarters of us prefer it that way.

In New Zealand we tend focus more on the family thing than religion, in the survey I mentioned before, the question ‘Where would you prefer to spend Christmas?’, received the most replies stating they would prefer to stay ‘at home with close family, extended family or family and friends’. Nearly two-thirds felt that the very best thing about Christmas is spending time with family and friends. In fact only 10% of those surveyed suggested that religion was the most important thing about Christmas. While the religious importance of Christmas is respected, its focus has shifted to a family day. In New Zealand, unlike many other cultures, we don’t have a day set aside for family celebration, so Christmas has become that day for us.

We even have our own Christmas tree with the magical Pohutukawa tree with its beautiful rich crimson flowers that bloom around December. It in essence has its own decorations and is stunning to see! This iconic Kiwi Christmas tree, which is often featured on greeting cards and in poems and songs, has become an important symbol for New Zealanders at home and abroad. The first recorded reference to the Pohutukawa as a Christmas tree was in 1867 when an Austrian geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter noted that settlers referred to it as that. The Pohutukawa, he said was ‘about Christmas … are full of charming … blossoms’; ‘the settler decorates his church and dwellings with its lovely branches’. Other 19th-century references described the Pohutukawa tree as the ‘Settlers Christmas tree’ and ‘Antipodean holly’. 

 In December most Kiwis get ready for their annual holiday. They look forward to those lazy days at the beach or at the bach where they play games of backyard cricket, volleyball etc and cook their food on the ‘barbie’ with their holiday uniform of shorts, jandals and T-shirts being the staple clothing. From before Christmas until after the New Year, we usually take our summer holidays – some people have said it’s our end-of-year prize for being a New Zealander. I often hear British people talking about missing their white Christmas but I wouldn’t have it any other way, being at the beach etc is part of our ritual end of year thing!

We haven’t always had summer holidays. Of course, many of us still don’t – we want to shop, go to the movies or watch TV, and we expect everything to be available, so hospitals, power supplies, police and much more still run 24/7. And if we live on a farm, then summer means more work, not holidays.

The summer break as we know it started to be popular in New Zealand from the 1920s. Restrictions on work hours meant that people began to have clearly defined days off around Christmas from the late 19th century.

What are our Kiwi traditions as in what’s in and what’s out? A survey asked New Zealanders to vote for the activities they treasure and those that seemed to be on their way out. Just like voting for a favourite song or movie, some traditions made it onto both the ‘what’s hot’ and ‘what’s not’ lists.

So what's hot

·    Celebrating with family – 73%

·    Eating a roast dinner and Christmas pudding – 72%

·    Eating inside – 69%

·    Sending Christmas cards – 66%

·    Decorating the tree as a family – 65%

·    Santa Claus – 47%

·    Hanging Christmas stockings – 42%

·    Buying all the family a present – 41%

·    Making a Christmas fruit cake – 36%

·    Buying a real Christmas tree – 36%

·    Carols by candlelight – 31%

·    Going to church – 26%

·    Watching the Queen’s message – 20%

……….and what's not

·    Watching the Queen’s message – 47%

·    Making a Christmas fruit cake – 42%

·    Going to church – 41%

·    Carols by candlelight – 37%

·    Buying a real Christmas tree – 22%

·    Hanging Christmas stockings – 20%

·    Buying all the family a present – 19%

·    Decorating the tree as a family – 14%

·    Santa Claus – 12%

·    Eating a roast dinner and Christmas pudding – 8%

·    Sending Christmas cards – 7%

·    Celebrating with family – 7%

·    Eating inside – 5%

Survey results from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/video/kiwis-attitude-to-christmas

Language, we all speak it, in one form or another, but what about things like slang?  For instance, in most cultures there are a lot of abbreviations of ‘real’ words that generally only they can understand. I think its gone from one extreme to another  now though in that kids now talk in letters rather than use the full word like ‘F’ off” which we all know what it means, or ‘ATM’ which means’ at the moment ‘ etc. Some of it can be blamed on texting where the need to have such short terms is necessary, it doesn’t mean everyone understands it though and that’s where the difficulty starts.

Growing up in New Zealand we had odd words like ‘togs’ for swimwear, it seemed normal to me until my Australian penpal came to stay and laughed at our silly word, saying she was going to wear ‘bathers’ which I also found hilarious!

So here’s a few more Kiwi slang terms and what they mean just for those of you who don’t get what we mean!

Ads - television commercials as in advertisements
Ankle-biter - a toddler or small child
Aotearoa - Maori name for New Zealand meaning land of the long white cloud
Arvo -  as in the afternoon
Bach –  for the north island, or crib if your south island, which means your holiday home
Barbie - barbecue
Big smoke - large town or city
Bit of dag - hard case, comedian, person with character
Bloke - man
Brickie - bricklayer
Brown eye - to flash your naked butt at someone
Boy-racer - a young man who drives a fast car with a loud stereo (Girl-racer, a girl one!)
Bring a plate - means bring a dish with some food on it to share
Bugger – exclamation of annoyance
Bungy - kiwi slang for elastic strap, as in Bungy Jumping
Caravan - mobile home that you tow behind your car
Cardi - cardigan
Cheers - thanks
Chocka – full or overflowing as in ate too much food or put too much in the rubbish bin
Chook - chicken
Chick - slang word for woman/female
Chips - deep fried slices of potato but much thicker than a french fry
Chippy - builder, carpenter
Chrissy pressies - Christmas presents
Chuddy - chewing gum
Chunder - vomit, throw up
Cockie - farmer
Cuppa - cup of tea, as in cuppa tea
Cuz - cousin, family
De facto - name used for a couple who are not married but are living together
Ding - small dent in a vehicle
Dole - unemployment benefit
Dodgy - bad, unreliable, not good
Down the gurgler - failed plan, ruined
Drongo – idiot, stupid person
Drop your gear - take your clothes off, get undressed
Dunny - toilet, bathroom, lavatory
Duvet – the warm cover on your bed, like a quilt or doona
Ear bashing - someone talking incessantly
Entree – small meal before the main course as in an appetiser
Fizzy drink - soda pop
Flannel - wash cloth, face cloth
Flat - apartment, name for rental accommodation that is shared
Flicks - movies, picture theatre
Flog - steal, rob
Footie - rugby union or league, as in "going to watch the footie"
Full tit - going very fast, using all your power, as in "he was running full tit"
G'day - universal kiwi greeting, also spelled gidday
Get the willies - overcome with trepidation
Going bush - take a break, become reclusive
Good on ya, mate! - congratulations, well done, proud of someone
Good as gold - feeling good, not a problem, yes
Gumboots or gummies - rubber boots, wellingtons
Handle - pint of beer
Happy as Larry - very happy, nothing to do with anyone called Larry either!
Hard case - amusing, funny person
Hard yakka - hard work
Home and hosed - safe, successfully finished, completed,
Hoon - Young adult driving fast like a boy-racer
Hosing down - heavy rain, raining heavily
Hottie - hot water bottle  or someone who you really fancy
How's it going mate? - kiwi greeting
Iceblock - popsicle, Ice Stick
Jandals - thongs, sandals,flip-flops, those rubber things you wear to the beach
Judder bar - speed bump
Jumper - sweater, jersey
Kiwi - New Zealander
Kiwifruit - Brown furry skinned fruit, Zespri, Chinese Gooseberry
Kick the bucket - die
Knackered - exhausted, tired, lethargic
Knuckle sandwich - a fist in the teeth, punch in the mouth
Laughing gear - mouth, as in wrap your laughing gear around this,
L&P - Fizzy soda water made in Paeroa New Zealand
Lift - elevator
Lolly – sweets or candy not usually chocolate though
Loo - bathroom, toilet
Long drop - outdoor toilet, hole in ground
Lurgy - flu
Mad as a meat axe – crazy or insane
Main - primary dish of a meal
Maori - indigenous people of New Zealand
Mate - buddy
Motorway - freeway
Naff off - go away, get lost, leave me alone
Nana - grandmother, grandma
Nappy – babies’ diaper
North Cape to the Bluff - from one end of New Zealand to the other
OE - Overseas Experience, many students go on their OE after finishing university, see the world
Offsider - an assistant, someone’s friend
Old bomb - old car
Oldies - parents
On the never never - paying for something using layby, not paying straight away
Open slather - a free-for-all
Pack a sad - bad mood, morose, ill-humoured, broken , as in "she packed a sad"
Pakeha – Maori name for a non-Maori person
Panel beater - auto repair shop, panel shop
Pav - pavlova, meringue type dessert usually topped with kiwifruit and cream
Perve - to stare especially at the opposite sex
Petrol - gasoline, gas
Piece-of-piss - easy, not hard to do, as in "didn't take me long to do, it was a piece of piss"
Pikelet - small pancake usually had with jam and whipped cream
Piker - someone who gives up easy, slacker
Pinky - little finger
Piss around - waste time, muck around
Pisshead - someone who drinks a lot of alcohol, heavy drinker
Piss up - party, social gathering, excuse for drinking alcohol
Pissed off - annoyed, angry, upset
Plonk - cheap liquor, cheap wine
Pong - bad smell, stink
Pram - baby stroller, baby pushchair
Pressie – present or gift
Pub - bar or hotel that serves liquor
Pudding - dessert
Pushing up daisies - dead and buried
Quack - Medical doctor
Rark up - telling somebody off
Rattle your dags - hurry up, get moving
Rellies - relatives, family
Root - have sex, get sex
Ropeable - very angry
Rubbish - garbage, trash
Rust bucket - decrepit motor car
Scarce as hens teeth - very scarce, rare item
Scarfie - university student
Scull - consume, drink quickly usually alcohol
Scroggin - trampers high energy food including dried fruits, chocolate
Serviette - paper napkin
Shandy - drink made with lemonade and beer
Shark and taties - fish and chips
Sheila -  woman/female
Shit a brick - exclamation of surprise or annoyance
Shoot through - to leave suddenly
Shout - to treat, to buy something for someone, as in "lunch is my shout"
Sickie - to take a day off work or school because you are sick
Skite - to boast, boasting, bragging
Snarler - sausage
Sook - cry baby, wimp
Sparkie - electrician
Sparrow fart - very early in the morning, sunrise
Sprog – baby or young child
Spud - potato
Squiz - take a quick look
Steinie - bottle of Steinlager, brand lager
Strapped for cash - low on cash, no money
Stubby - small glass bottle of beer
Sunday driver - someone who drives very slow
Sunnies - sunglasses
Ta - thanks
Take-aways - food to be taken away and eaten, fast food outlet
Tea - evening meal, dinner
Tiki tour - scenic tour, take the long route
Togs - swimsuit, bathing costume
Torch - flashlight
Tramping - hiking
Up the duff - pregnant
Ute - small pickup truck
Veges - vegetables
Wally - clown, silly person
Whinge - complain, moan
Wobbly - to have a tantrum
Wop-wops - situated off the beaten track, out of the way location
Yack - to have a conversation with a friend, to talk

And last but not least

Yeah Na – yes no as in I agree, well wasn’t that obvious!?

For some cool kiwiana jewellery, especially the ‘Yeah Na’ cufflinks, visit this site http://www.etsy.com/shop/MeganMaguireDesigns made in Hamilton New Zealand, so real kiwi clobber!

The traditional Christmas tree as we know it is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree which is usually meant to be real. There are Christmas tree farms that specifically grow these types of trees just for the Christmas period. The tree is a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas and is often the centre piece to the whole occasion.

Most homes have a Christmas tree which is usually decorated as a bit of pre Christmas ritual. They are usually decorated with Christmas lights although originally candles were used for light; with all types of ornaments, garlands and tinsel and often colour co-ordinated like mine which has gold decorations. An important part is the angel or star that is placed at the top of the tree, representing the host of angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity.

The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Germany in the 16th century but the history of Christmas trees goes way back further than that..

For us in New Zealand the Pohutukawa tree (Metrosideros excelsa) with its crimson flower has become an established part of the New Zealand Christmas tradition as it blooms around Christmas time, the beginning of our summer. This iconic Kiwi Christmas tree, which often features on greeting cards and in poems and songs, has become an important symbol for New Zealanders at home and abroad that reminds them of Christmas.

This year I will be using my tree that I created out of an enormous amount of bubble wrap for a show we have here in Hamilton called Trees at the Meteor. Even though I didn’t win anything I think I got an excellent tree out of the deal and have kept it to use this year. Besides the fact our cats can’t climb it and knock off half the ornaments of which we usually find half chewed or rolling all over the floor for most of December; it also looks amazing with its large bike reflector star light and flashing fairy lights that make the bubble-wrap literally glow!

The ‘Trees at the Meteor’ kicks off again this Christmas season starting Tuesday the 15^th December 2010. It’s a virtual forest of trees created by Hamiltonians everywhere and they bring mirth and amusement to many.  From Avante- Garde to Recycled to Kiwiana and Gadgetrees as themes so there is plenty to see or if you’re quick you can still enter now!  All the entrants are given fairy lights to use if they don’t have their own already and are buzzing brightly when they’re all lit up quite like a fairy land.  To have a look at the show, competition or even last year’s entries have a look at www.treesatmeteor.co.nz

So here’s the important information for you –

When - Tuesday 15 Dec 2009 to Saturday 19 Dec 2009

Where - Meteor Theatre, St Peters Cathedral, South end Victoria St, CBD, Hamilton

Contact Dave White phone 07 843 0255 Mobile 027 476 0280 Fax 07 843 0257