My first activity in New Zealand was supposed to be a bone carving session with a Maori sculptor in Christchurch, but when I hurt my hand I figured that wasn't going to work out so well. I emailed John, the sculptor, to let him know, and his response was "That's okay; come by anyway and I can show you around." This seemed like a good back-up plan to me, so I showed up at his studio planning to have a look around, maybe buy a small item, and then be on my way.
Well, upon meeting John I discovered that he only has one arm (he lost his right arm in a childhood accident), and suddenly my excuse of "I can't carve because I hurt my thumb" seemed pretty feeble. So, newly inspired, I signed myself back up for a three-hour carving session, and Marika decided to join in.
We spent the rest of the morning filing...
...sanding, and sanding some more, and gradually turned rough-cut chunks of bone...
...into some lovely necklaces, if I do say so myself. Apparently it's a Maori tradition to give the first thing you make to someone else, so I was very happy to be able to give the necklace to Natasha, and I think she was pretty happy to receive it :)
*all photos in this post were taken by Marika.
This is super cool!! But I must ask- what kind of bone is it??
ReplyDeleteHow much fun! You did a great job!
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat and inspiring experience! I love that the instructor was such an inspiration to you!
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