Puppets in Prague

A slight diversion into different material – wood. Loyal followers will recall that I have made marionettes in the past at the Prague workshop of Mirek Tretnjar. This spring I went back to Prague to make a family puppet theatre and the puppets and scenery for a production of the Snow Queen.

Family theatres are a tradition in the Czechia (remember the Sound of Music and the Lonely Goatherd, yes I know not Czechia). Above is an example of a family theatre.

The workshop took us through the marionette carving, scenery painting, theatre painting, Marionette dressing and using the marionettes to tell our story. Above is a photo of the workshop with everyone working.

It was a fantastic group of talented people and I negotiated a jewellery commission which I’m so looking forward to making.

Starting with four blocks of wood, I carved the heads of my four puppets for a show based on the Snow Queen. Other blocks were carved for the hands, shoes and legs. Everything was then painted and clothes made. Mirek Trejtnar, the workshop leader, assembled the puppets and they were ready for the theatre. Lots of people helped and advised, including Marcella, Vaclav and Sota.

For some reason I can’t upload any puppet photos, above is a photo of some of the puppet artists at leisure.

It took a week to get the puppets almost complete. We then moved on to making the theatre. Dora and Svetlana helped plan and develop the performance. I was really pleased with the final family-story telling performance that we devised. I’m looking forward to sharing it with my grandchildren for their fourth birthday. Hopefully they will enjoy doing their own performances soon.

White Fox Gallery Opening tomorrow

These are my new plinths, made for me by Charlie Clark, ready for my solo exhibition at White Fox Gallery, Hirsel Estate.

The plinths are designed to ‘step’ across the centre of the gallery. I’ll take some pictures in the gallery, this is my front yard.

The exhibition opens tomorrow and runs til mid October. Drop by and see it.

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Plans for my final term

A friend has turned these little bowls for me from Scottish wood. I have been collecting silver to try a mixed metal casting using these as forms and maybe the beach sand I used last term.

They are about 3 cms across. I have tried carving these forms in beeswax too, as the college hopes to have a lost wax casting facility soon.

Lives in a landscape – casting (wood form)

I am also continuing with casting from last semester, again as a traditional process. I will be trying a larger scale so I am making forms for the sand cast moulds. I didn’t want to use foam as it is not traditional so I have turned a piece of Scottish wytch elm. I didn’t have a bow lathe, but will look out for someone who is teaching this if this bowl makes a good former.

This is me turning. The form is a simple tea bowl.

It was good fun, so I tried another simple tumbler shape, this time in sycamore, which was easier to turn.

I am pleased with profile. I have sanded the base so that it is rounded/tumbles.

It is amazingly tactile. I shall try this shape in other materials.