Editorial in Metropol Magazine November 2009

An editorial in the latest issue of Metropol – thanks Metropol : – )

It’s a great magazine and you can now read it online http://www.metropol.co.nz

Thanks for visiting! – Deanna Gracie

Featured Jewellery Design #46 – Aotearoa Aroha pendant

.beautiful .natural .unique contemporary jewellery by Deanna Gracie

I wrote a poem illustrating some of the thoughts behind my “Into the Blue Nowhere” jewellery series.

Aotearoa – Aroha Pendant #11 from this series is created from sterling silver, 9ct gold, monel and garnet. I collected the feather from the beach here in Southshore and incorporated it into the design of this pendant. Perhaps the gull I mentioned in the poem left it behind on his journey into the blue nowhere?

All my jewellery is proudly designed and created by myself here in Aotearoa – New Zealand. Made from my heart and with my hand, no two pieces of jewellery can ever be exactly the same.

Into the Blue Nowhere

It’s a red sky sunrise!

High above the beach

a gull glides,

then soars,

and slowly disappears.

Out of the blue nowhere

I hear a faint haunting call,

then nothing but silence.

Waves reach high,

they hover,

then tip forwards

and gently fold over.

One floats towards me

as if in welcome.

It recedes and merges,

and disappears,

just like the gull,

into the blue nowhere…

Deanna Gracie ©

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Koru Inspiration….

On the way back from lunch at Governors Bay we stopped in at a New Zealand native tree nursery as I wanted to get a ponga tree fern to plant in our garden. I was a bit hesitant as to whether it would survive as we live quite close to the sea but  I’m sure it will be fine in the sheltered place we have in mind for it. This nursery had every type of fern you could imagine in the fern house and I was delighted to see so many with new growth. The new growth of a fern  makes a wonderful curving spiral shape as it opens and is the inspiration behind many of my koru designs. I took lots of images of the different colours and textures of the different species of tree fern and of the gorgeous koru shapes. The large tree fern in the montage is the silver fern – our national symbol : -

Pongas and Tree Ferns by Deanna Gracie ©

New Zealand native wood pigeon…

Hubby and I had a nice drive over to Governor’s Bay on Banks Peninsula for lunch the other day and stopped off at a lookout point by the Sign of the Kiwi. I captured an image looking over towards the Southern Alps. Look how much snow is still there even though it is meant to be Spring!  We can see the hills from where we live and I noticed there was even a dressing of snow on Banks Peninsula itself the next day. While I was taking photographs we heard a noise like a whoosh and looked over to see a keruru – a  native wood pigeon sitting in the tree close by. The whooshing noise is a noise distinctive to the native pigeon and it made our day to see this beautiful wild bird sitting so contentedly in the tree posing for the camera : – )
Thanks for visiting!
Deanna

Inspirational image…

I captured this beautiful ghostly image by chance last week – it reminds me of an xray : – ) This shadowy effect was left behind on a wall after a small garage fire – once a sign had been removed….. beauty can be found anywhere : – )

“Beauty is Everywhere” by Deanna Gracie ©˙

A Day in the Office – I haven’t laughed so much in ages…

I think the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time was the YouTube video at vakadesign.
I’ve popped the link here for anyone interested to see : – )
Thank you vakadesign and the office workers!
Cheers
Deanna

Maori Rock Art Photographs – Takiroa – October 2009

Some limestone outcrops at Takiroa, near Duntroon in Central Otago have a number of Maori rock art drawings, which date to the 19th century and on Sunday I was lucky enough to go on a tour with the friends of the Christchurch Art Gallery to see them first hand.

From the mountains to the sea – an ancient pathway…. Takiroa is a significant landmark in the traditions of Ngai Tahu Whanui. The rock shelter lies on an ancient pathway following the Waitaki River from the mountains to the sea. The headwaters of the Waitaki River are fed from ka roimata o Aoraki (the tears of Aoraki) – the ancient mountain of Ngai Tahu Whanui. The limestone outcrops at Takiroa are said to be a legacy of Tamatea-Pokai-Whenua, a great explorer who lit fires as he walked the land. Te ahi tapu o Tamatea (the sacred fires of Tamatea) cooled to form mounds of pale white ash such as the outcrop at Takiroa.

Here is a montage of images I captured on Sunday of the rock art, the beautiful textures of the limestone outcrops and an image of contemporary rock art – (someone has scratched their names in the hard surface of the limestone rock!). The view the tribe had from their shelter would have been very different back then, but they would have been able to see for miles from their shelter high above. This trip held special significance to me as I feel it enhanced the Mauri Ora studying I have been doing. Tihei Mauri Ora – I breathe therefore I am!

Thanks for visiting!

Deanna Gracie

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Textures and Patterns of Nature….

Here are some inspirational images I took on Sunday of the beautiful textures, colours and patterns of the limestone outcrops at Takiroa, Central Otago. If you look carefully you may be able to see the little sparrow sitting safely in her nest in the outcrop high above.

Montage of Takiroa by Deanna Gracie

Featured jewellery design #45

A year ago a traveller called in to my exhibition at the Arts Centre and had a fantastic selection of beads to show me. Although beautiful I couldn’t really see anything I wanted, as I don’t really feature beads in any of my jewellery designs so I said thanks but no thanks. Then he showed me his selection of ancient glass beads from Afghanistan. I loved the subtle colour range, the imperfections, the matt finish and the ‘ancient’ feel of them. He said they had originally been used as anklets. I couldn’t resist them so bought some strands and since then I have held these beads in my hands, run my fingers over them and admired the colours many times over the last year but couldn’t think of a way to use them. I wanted the beauty of the beads to shine through and not be overpowered by anything else. I finally came up with a solution and here is the finished result. I have used sterling silver in between the beads and kept the silver matt and I’ve also oxidised (blackened) some pieces for contrast. I have created five strands all together and have called them “Earth and Sky”.

“Earth and Sky” by Deanna Gracie - hand made necklaces created with sterling silver and ancient beads ©

A while ago I promised to take an image of the sexy new perspex display props I  found – so here are a couple of images of the necklaces on the bust stands. The stands are two different sizes : – )

Thanks for visiting : – )

Photograph of my latest beach find – September 2009

Wow – there have been lots of blustery cold days here recently so walks on the beach have been a bit wind blown and wet – what on earth has happened to Spring! On Monday Moses the dog and I were walking fast, trying to beat the wind : – ) I glanced down at my feet and saw a perfect egg half buried in the sand. I have seen mating pairs of paradise ducks on the estuary for the last few weeks and wonder maybe it was one of theirs – as it is quite a large egg. Alas the perfect brown speckled egg was quite cold when I picked it up and cupped it carefully in my hand.

“The perfect Egg” by Deanna Gracie ©

Thanks for visiting!