Greetings from Christchurch in New Zealand!
I've made a big loop of the South Island in the last 6 days, and on Thursday I will travel to Palmerston North for the Manawatu Quilt Convention. I know I will see many of our customers at the show, and hopefully at my power point presentation on "International Quilt Trends" Friday afternoon.
One of the reasons I love to travel is because it pulls me out of my comfort zone and pushes me to think about things in a different way. You can't travel to another country and expect everything to be the same! As I discover new artforms, new cultural norms, new creative mediums, and new color combinations, it gets my creative juices running and I start to see things from a new perspective. I also love seeing the history of artistic influences that have traveled around the world – especi ally in quilt exhibits!
I have some friends who have visited New Zealand many times, and they have shared their American perspective of what they find special and unique about this remote landscape and people. I have definitely discovered many of the things they warned me about – sand flies and rubber-eating Kea birds, to name a couple! The phenomenon of summertime backpackers has impressed me. So many young people are hauling these gigantic backpacks, trekking all over the mountainous landscape with these huge packs and bedrolls strapped to their backs!
I have delighted in so many other aspects of New Zealand – the beehives that seem to be tucked away on every farm, the wild purple lupines that were strewn by a flower-loving lady 100 years ago, and the giant ferns that unfurl under the canopy in the rainforest. I see shades of turquoise and aqua everywhere – in the deep cold mountain lakes and rivers, in the Paua shells, and hidden in the ancient glaciers.
This photo collage started with an image I snapped at the Botanic Gardens here in Christchurch, then I added some of our new batiks to give you some color and design ideas.
Jan 16 2015 – Presenter at Quilt Symposium in Manawatu, New Zealand
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