Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Close -up of the base of "witch with sticks' art doll   Did you know that if you were a witch, eating a spider sandwich could give you special powers? Rosemary Ellen Guiley says in her  Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft, and Wicca  that in some traditions of folk magic, a black spider “eaten between two slices of buttered bread” will imbue a witch with great power. If you’re not interested in eating spiders, some traditions say that catching a spider and carrying it in a silk pouch around your neck will help prevent illness... So, while creating my art doll witch, a spider was always there amongst the drawings and plans. rough drawing of an idea for the base of the doll    I rarely take photos during the process of making a doll, only because I get so engaged in the making I forget to take a photo at each step of the way . I am not entirely comfortable creating witches, so I took a few photos of my process....  when I remembered.... sc...

St John the Baptist Anglican Church in Lambton ( Newcastle NSW) became Arty Place #12 in this blog's series of Arty Places last weekend.  This was such a great community event and I was so happy to participate in a local "arty" event right in my own neighbourhood. The  show's opening was a special occasion, with my friend and local politician, Sonia Hornery, Member for Wallsend, officiating. This art show also had the best background music - usually at these shows there is pre recorded music over a speaker, but on Friday night, we had the most beautiful harp musical accompaniment and on Saturday, a very accomplished musician on the piano. While the Spring Art Show has focussed on paintings, a number of artisans attended this year with displays of their work. Here is some of the work in the section of the show where I was. I didn't sell much, but I had a really lovely time and enjoyed the opportunity to show some of my stuff. As ...