Long time no blog! I am excited to be back on the chisels again. I have enrolled in the Kāwai Raupapa programme for 2024. Our tutor is Tom Brooker nō Te Pu o Te Wheke (Kaikohe) a recent graduate from Te Kura Maunga Toi. I look forward to learning from him.
After making sure I was able to attend most noho, I paid my fees!
Our first task is to learn about kōwhaiwhai - Mangopare and Pūhoro. We were given a piece of MDF to sketch designs ready to carve (2D whakairo). I sketched out a design thinking about connecting each of the koru, because I was mindful of the negative spaces in 2D whakairo. It looked way to busy because I don't have the confidence when carving whakarei. Most of the mahi whakairo I have done in the past has been based around form. It's awesome knowing that I have a year to practice whakarei skills.
I was inspired by one of my ex-students during Wednesday nights class - Koa Matete. As she confidently started carving into her MDF. I thought to myself, "Yup I need to practice what I used to preach... get into it. You only get better the more time you spend on the chisels. So thanks for the inspo Koa x
I found an old MDF board at home that Poutama Hetaraka had carved to help our students figure out carving 2D kōwhaiwahi. I used it as a tauira... I first carved unaunahi in a line to try and get the feel of carving the curves. Haha they looked hideous, but as I looked carefully at the tauira, I could see that the unaunahi were carved to look like scales, not just curved lines. So I carved the other half of the tauira. It was all I needed to get going... I was hooked into perfecting my unaunahi.
After having a tutu, I decided 'Oh well, might as well get into it". I set up a space in the spare room cos it was drizzling outside. It was nice seeing all my chisels laid out and I decided to give my V chisel a spin. I chose the 12/10 at first but it was blunt as so I grabbed my 12/6 which worked nicely.
Here's some reflections after completing each quadrant of my kōwhaiwhai design.
Reflections and observations tuatahi:
I noticed that there were far too many unaunahi in the first koru (bottom right) AND that they were just curved lines and didn't look like scales at all.
Also, I had trouble finding the right tool for cutting out the v shaped designs at the end of each unaunahi pattern. I used a 1 chisel that was way too wide so I made a mess of these.
Reflections and observations tuarua:
I tried to lean the chisel over slightly to try and create scales, there was a slight improvement I think.
I also found a chisel that was smaller AND had a curved edge so it didn't cut into places you didn't want to cut into. Win! The chisel felt a lot sharper too. I look forward to sharpening all my chisels in class next week.
Reflections and obs Tuatoru:
This time I tried to really lean the whao over more and create less unaunahi. I think they looked better overall. I realised how important the pencil marks are for when you are just learning. When I watch some of Mike Matchitt's videos when he carves kōwhaiwahi designs, he can stand in the same spot and carve unaunahi. I have to move around because my best unaunahi are when I carve from right to left - I look forward to mastering the unaunahi so I can stand in the one place also.
I often watch Mike Matchitt's videos to figure out things - I screen record them and then slow them down so I can watch him carve in slow motion.
Reflections and obs tuawhā: It was getting dark and my mind was wandering but I didn't want to not finish. A lesson I learnt at this stage is that if you art tired, just take a break or pack up. I was making simple mistakes and couldn't concentrate as much. Also the natural light outside is far more superior than artificial light from a eco bulb which takes a while to fully illuminate.
I am pleased with the progress I am making and now I want to sketch up pūhoro to put on the rest of the board. Overall I am stoked to be on the chisels again and I am SUPER grateful that I have all the gear needed to carve at home. Loving this journey and feeling blessed to have another awesome class to look forward to.
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