2024, what a year. Were the planets in retrograde? What even is retrograde? I have no idea not being an interplanetary craft occupant -…sorry, my 70’s teenagehood music coming to the fore there. First prize goes to anyone who can name the band…
It’s been a roller coaster of everything; much of it was all good- some of it was stellar almost immediately followed by crashing-down-to-earth terrible.
So looking at the year that was.
A hot summer January was spent creating all the illustrations for ‘The Proud Puteketeke’ written by Peter Millet (published by Penguin Random House in July), the Underbird who became a Wonderbird. We hoped that John Oliver of Last Week Tonight Show who made the bird so popular that it was voted in as Bird of the Century, would promo it on the show, and we would go viral in our sales and be able to retire early. But he didn’t, so it was back to the drawing board again. This time in February and March with ‘The Little Yellow Digger and the Helicopter’ written by Peter Gilderdale and published by Scholastic. I also squeezed in facilitating a mask making workshop for MTNZ in Rotorua which was so much fun with a great and talented group of theatre people. Stars, all of them!
All was going well with the preliminary digger drawings and cover art over those two months, whilst also making a World of WearableArt entry when I went away on my annual meet up with fellow WOW addicts for a weekend of solid making to reach the photo submission deadline. This is a house we go to in the Wairarapa each year with our sewing machines, glue, paints and toolboxes. It also boasts a spa pool. I know, I know, luxury! BUT I slipped on the steps and broke my right elbow (I am right handed) and ended up in a sling for six weeks with crunchy deadlines looming. Argghhh!
I ditched it all including my regular illustrations for The School Magazine in Australia. I couldn’t swim with a sling either so the black hole of no work or dipping was filled with reading and walking. It was rather nice actually, apart from missing my Vitamin Sea and I was super glad I’d kept my ACC levies up to cover my shortfall in income. A friend came and sewed some buttons on my WOW garment for me and somehow I cobbled together things with my right hand strapped to my chest. To get a feel for that, hold your arm bent to your chest and try and use a brush. I did get a bit of paint on every teeshirt I wore during that time. I got the entry in and it got in! More on that later…
I managed to make it up to Hawkes Bay, with said arm in said sling early April for the Lift Off Hawkes Bay Festival where I was a guest judge for their schools wearable art and also ran an urban sketching workshop for kids. I demonstrated with my left hand- talk about loosen up! June saw me, sling less, back at my digital board to do all the colour work for the Digger book. Peter said ‘Sorry there’s so much machinery to draw…’ and I was put in mind of the tutor back at Design School who said ‘Oh you’ll just want to draw girly things like flowers’ which made me righteously angry. Though drawing flora and fauna IS quite lovely, drawing machinery does make you work quite hard. All those wheels and perspectives! The book came out in October and stayed in the Top 10 list for quite a while, and, like The Proud Puteketeke made The Listener Top 50 Childrens’ Books for 2024. So we must have done something right!
June also included a week long schools Tour through ReadNZ in Taranaki and the Manawatu. I did talks and workshops at seven schools and came home to do another few in the Wellington region. I love chatting to kids and teachers and ReadNZ makes it possible through funding. Thankyou to the awesome facilitator, Simie Simpson!
After all that I was ready for a mid-year break and took a long-anticipated and saved for holiday in Queensland, where I promptly got covid and was sick in bed for a week at a friend’s place, infecting everyone around me including my sister. One of the reasons I wanted to go to Brisbane was to see the Iris Van Herpen exhibition- the wearable arts couture goddess. It didn’t disappoint as I struggled out masked up on pseudoephedrine infused cold medicines. Sorry, not sorry. There were so many people coughing openly in the gallery spreading their germs I felt like one more probably wasn’t going to make a huge difference. I spent all day there with two other designer friends and we had the best time. I bought the book and the socks so I could remember it all.
Come August I was exhausted by the year already but rustled up the energy to do another four school workshops and be the head judge at the Taupo Create Carnival, such a wonderful experience viewing so many gorgeous pieces of artwork and Wearable Art from all ages. Connie Takarangi and Oriwa Morgan Ward were my fellow judges and I really loved getting to know them and all their many talents. Love you gals xxx
September heralded the thing I had been waiting for, The World of WearableArt and seeing my entry on stage in the Avante Garde Section, ‘Sgàthach the Singed’. To my huge surprise and great delight, it was given the Sustainability Award. People think I win something every year, but out of 29 entries over 29 years I have only scooped a handful. Next year is my 30th. I am officially the longest try-hard in the competition!
Almost immediately after award week, my 93 year old mother had a partial stroke, some falls and the next month was spent on a mission to get her from Taupo to Wellington, pack up her apartment and get her into a rest home near me. To say it has taken a lot out of me is an understatement. I thought I was burned out in July, but October was a double whammy. In the midst of it all I had a private Wearable Art show to help with and MC, two over two nights. Five models, ten garments, curated commentary, music, photos the whole works. It was amazing and I was a gibbering wreck after it, but fortunately not at the time. Thank you to Vicky Robertson, fellow WOW designer who masterminded the whole event.
In November the Otago Rail Trail trip with Big Sky that author Maria Gill and I had been planning for a year was slightly in doubt as my mother was still waiting to be uplifted to Wellington (a whole other distressing saga which one day I shall write a book about). But the dates lined up and I needed a break (not of a bone this time) and we went. It was the best thing ever. We literally bookended it with visits to schools in Queenstown, Arrowtown, Wanaka, a workshop on Puteketeke finger puppets at the Wanaka Library (see the pics here with the Lake Wanaka Grebes) and at the end of the tour more school visits in Dunedin.
I flew back in time to welcome my mum back to Wellington (my parents moved away from here in the early 80’s) and settle her into Te Hopai Rest Home. Like a wee plant that has been repotted, she drooped and wilted and we thought we were going to lose her, but she has perked up for Christmas. So that’s my present this year, my Mum.
I hope 2025 has a more even keel, I have another picture book contracted, my 30th wearable art piece to finish and we have plans to dogsit for friends overseas after WOW. If the gods are willing and the planets line up and we get there, you can bet on some lovely sketchbook dabblings from me. I’ll be 65, and ready to start on the new phase of my creative career.
Have a peaceful holiday and I wish you all the very best for 2025.
Sgàthach the Singed photos credit: World of WearableArt
