The month of May was… interesting! And when I say ‘interesting’, I’m using it like hubby, Alex, when I show him a piece of art that I like, and he thinks it’s bizarre and perhaps even a little bit ugly, but he doesn’t want to hurt my feelings by saying that, so instead he says, “That’s… iiinterestiiiiingggg”.
May had lots of sharp edges and a collection of weirdness that I’m struggling to put into words here now… Let me focus on sharing the most bizarre, and then you can fill in the blanks however your imagination guides you:
There was a giant giraffe standing in the centre of our living room.
No, I’m not talking about the proverbial “elephant in the room”, but a literal, three-dimensional wooden giraffe measuring 2.5 meters in height! This sculptural artwork is an extension of our hand-crafted wooden animal mask range, and is making its debut at Cape Town Decorex from 6-9 June.
This mad-scientist project has taken Alex and me months upon months to conceptualise, figure out, build, figure out some more, build again, figure out some more, build again, figure-out-some-more-and-build-again-and-again-and-again………. and finally paint by hand (this alongside our ongoing work and responsibilities - lots of sharp edges!).
It is our masterpiece, and whether you find it beautiful or iiinterestiiiiingggg, I hope that the ingenuity, workmanship and genuine love that went into it is evident.
The prototype will be on display at Decorex in the CTICC. Thereafter, we plan to add it to our product range at the gorgeous Spier Craft Art Market in Stellenbosch when the new season opens (late September-ish).
And I literally just realised that I haven’t thought about where it will live until then. Interesting…
Anyway, moving swiftly along (denial, denial, denial)…
Below is a sneak peek of our very tall house guest. Why yes, that is a panda bear onesie I’m rocking… LOTS of weirdness! At this stage - just like me - the giraffe is not quite ‘dressed’ yet - I’m about to start painting it.
Come to Decorex or keep an eye on my Instagram, Facebook or TikTok (all @thehappystrugglingartist) to see the finished, wha-wha-whee-wha piece!
Book your Decorex tickets here!
