We have been working hard on the new direction for my creative business and the last few days have seen the first stage reaching a conclusion. We have refitted and extended an exisiting structure on our property ready to house some of my weaving equipment and supplies. Here is the grand old lady Sunflower loom that has been my creative mainstay for nearly 40 years. She is a glorious 8 harness Swedish style counterbalance floor loom, 48 inches weaving width, sectional beams - a main and a supplementary. She does the works. This loom was individually made from reclaimed native Kauri timber taken from an old freezing works that was being demolished. I love how this once mighty tree has walked with me so far and through so much adventure of the mind. There have been times when I have felt owned by this loom and the work it empowered me to do. Times I have had to step aside and refresh body and imagination beyond the horizontal and vertical grid. However, I always return to here. The rhythms and the flows of process anchored me in challenging times, focused my fraught body and soul and rewarded my attentiveness.
Now I am preparing to share my beloved Sunflower with others desiring a unique creative encounter. This new space for Sunflower is going to be renamed The Weavery.Included in The Weavery will be a range of tapestry looms as well as Sunflower, and it is also a set up photographic booth ready to record all the creative makings that will be generated here. It will be the initial focus of our creative retreat campus called Puka Place.
Puka Place will be a creative retreat not just for people wanting to weave. My own making practice is wide ranging and eclectic and anyone who wants to pause their lives in a relaxed, environment close to nature with access to all kinds of making equipment and processes will be most welcome.
The location of Puka Place is Opunake, Taranaki, New Zealand. I record images of this location most days either on my blogpost https://mornings-viv.blogspot.co.nz/ or on my Facebook posts where I often label the images as Taradise.....a small piece of Taranaki paradise. https://www.facebook.com/viv.davy.5 . We strive to live an organic, mainly self sufficient lifestyle here with a few ducks and chickens and lots of garden for veges, dye plants, herbs, flowers and beautiful trees. Sometimes I post about the garden just really for my nephews and friends. https://www.facebook.com/Vivs-Garden-1439883882756066/ .
I must admit I am still constructing my portfolio website but this blog does has quite a-lot about my own making practices, including my weaving.
You are welcome to look at any of these links to see why this makes such a fantastic creative locus to offer to other imagination wanderers.
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