Whoosh and a third of the year flew by! It's been good so far, albeit busier than I expected. I just re-read my January post -- it is a good thing I decided to not be ruled by deadlines and expectations, as those just won't work anymore.
I'm thoroughly enjoying my journey with puppets and have decided that fabric work will be put on hold this year. The puppetry course is full of learning and fills the free time I have. Fiddling continues, as do other important things, like connecting with family, going on walks and watching the white-capped sparrows crowd into our bird bath.
We started in February with hand puppets. First up were simple egg-head shapes, to get us working "in the round", then on to more elaborate heads and hands. Here is Willow, made from willow, stained with coffee and ready to get messy in the studio.
Between each of our modules, there is a catch-up month. In March (the catch-up month for the hand-puppet module), I made another, smaller hand puppet to give away to a friend who gave me the willow (and lots of other nice dry wood for carving). This one is also made from willow, unstained, and will be given to my friend's granddaughter. I hope she likes it.
The second module started on April 7. I kept up really well with making the first of the three puppets scheduled for this month. This Arctic Grayling has moving parts and actually swims. You can view it in action on my
instagram page.
I started to fall behind shortly after the fish was made, as work became hectic and I lost some carving hours each week with a change in my work hours. Nevertheless, I am persevering and will "keep on swimming". Our instructor is adamant that we work at our own speeds and not worry if we "don't keep up". The course is intense and he'll be leaving the resources up for a year after the completion of the modules, so we can keep referring to them and work on the puppets we don't have time for in the first 12 months.
The catch-up month for the rod puppets started today and my bird is progressing nicely. It will eventually have flapping wings that can fold back onto its body, a head that turns and a beak that opens and closes.
Paradoxically, I have chosen to carve it with a knife, rather than with power tools (other than the initial rough cuts on the band saw). This method will slow me down even more, but it is a nice complement to my otherwise busy and fast-paced work days. While I'd like to finish both of the final rod puppets by the end of May, I have come to realize that finishing is not the be all and end all.
Enjoying the journey is.
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