Permaculture Design.

We are about to head to the north of Costa Rica to take part in a two week Permaculture design course. The course includes learning about sustainable living, organic farming and the area I am most interested in which is working with natural and sustainable materials for building and designing. Go to below website for more info.
http://www.ranchomastatal.com (go to events page)

BAMBOO DESIGN.

A week working on a farm on the Osa penisula jungle, Costa Rica.
I spent time working with bamboo to make furniture and prepare as a building material.
Bamboo is a fantastic wood to work with as it´s strong, versatile and sustainable.
My head is ticking with ideas of how I can use it for my own designs!

Solentiname islands. Nicaragua.

Stayed on the most wonderful remote island on lake Nicaragua- the islands tranquility and colourfulness attracts many artists to their shores. Painters and woodcarvers share the islands with farmers and fishermen.
Mancarrón is Solentiname's largest island, where we stayed, it is here that the priest and poet Ernesto Cardenal’s historical parish is to be found. Father Cardenal arrived in the islands in 1966 and is known for establishing a communal society for artists in the early 1970s which persists to this day. The community developed its own naïve art movement based on existing folk forms, and with some help from painter Róger Pérez de la Rocha.


Ernesto Cardenal’s parish, a beautiful little place with colourful paintings of wildlife.

Leaving the island at 5am-one of the most beautiful places in the world!

Elle Deco, France.

I´m really pleased to see that one of my lamps has made it into Elle Decoration, France this month, thanks to Serendipity, Paris- (www.serendipity.fr)They are currently selling a range of my designs.

Lessons in Rococo.

I´ve just spent a week of afternoons with a Mayan lady called Erika from the highlands of Guatemala teaching me some traditional embroidery techniques.
This is Rococo and Tapita, it is a technique used on all traditional dress.
It´s really inspired me to experiment with this technique and try different materials, perhaps on a bigger scale.
It´s unbelievable the time it takes! A lot of textiles in Guatemala is now done by machine but you can really tell the difference, hand made is far more beautiful.
I also spent time this week visiting other traditional artists in the highlands- a toy maker, who works with white pine and a potter.

Traditional designs.

Simple techniques.

Learning simple embroidery texniques.