I made
one of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2017 to 'be proud of my creative artwork' and I think I have managed to achieve this.
This year has resulted
in some successful dot mosaic pieces but also the confirmation that as much as
I love making them, the time involved does not make them viable to sell (apart
from reproduced as greetings cards). So I think the dot mosaics will have to
remain as a hobby.
I have also been
developing my idea for Swirl-StoNZ, as a New Zealand made souvenir/gift in the
lower cost bracket, so I can get back into doing some craft markets, which I
have missed. After much practicing to master the technique, I had built up some
stock and made some display panels ready to launch Swirl-StoNZ by Claire, at the
Labour Day Art and Craft Market at Mission Bay, on 23 October 2017.
Disappointingly, this
event was cancelled due to the bad weather so, I had to wait until the
Christmas Art Markets at the Estuary Art Centre at the beginning of December.
This was my first proper event selling and demonstrating how I make the
Swirl-StoNZ (apart from selling a necklace and earrings set in an exhibition at
the Estuary Art Centre and a few small pendants in their gallery shop).
The Christmas Art
Markets turned out to be a big success, helped by a feature in the Hibiscus
Matters local newspaper. The newspaper article had a photograph of a bowl of
Glow-in-the-dark Swirl-StoNZ, which I had made for the Mission Bay event to
attract children to my stall. These were so popular they sold out in the first
hour. People came specifically because they had seen them in the newspaper. Consequently,
I spent the next week making another batch of Glow-in-the-dark Swirl-StoNZ (discovering
in the process that making my own glow-in-the-dark polymer clay was better than
the manufacturers), so I could get them into the gallery shop before Christmas,
for all those that were disappointed that they had sold out when they came to
my stall at the Christmas Art Markets.
For years I have been
trying to find something creative I can make that I can turn into a small craft
business. I know, from the initial success, that I can build on the
Swirl-StoNZ, with several branches on the idea to explore. So, 2018 will definitely
be the Year of the Swirl-StoNZ for me.
