Sunday 20 June 2010

Happy Fathers' Day!

There's a lovely Fathers' Day feature in the UK edition of the Storque this weekend, all about crafty dads and their children. I'm delighted that a little piece I wrote about my dad has been included (thanks Amity!)

You can read the full feature here, but I just wanted to show off some of my dad's work on my blog too :) 


My dad worked in manual jobs all his life, but he always had an artistic side. His enduring love was fretwork - he made the most intricate wooden items, from beautiful decorative boxes to tiny Christmas ornaments. Sometimes I'd paint the finished pieces for him (like the wooden easel pictured here).

When he retired, Dad explored all sorts of things - watercolours, polishing stones, stenciling; he even took up knitting and cross stitch in his 70s, bless him (it still amazes me how he produced such neat stitches with his stocky fingers)!

Strangely it’s never occurred to me before to look for similarities in our work, so it was fascinating for me to realize that we do seem to share some things - a love of the ornate, curves rather than straight lines, and swirly patterns!

My dad sadly died a few years ago, so the things he made by hand are extra-special to me now. Having them is like having a little bit of dad still around - they're a great reminder of how talented he was, and maybe where I got my artistic side from.


I love that my dad had such a zest for learning and exploring new things, and appreciating the beauty around him. If you’re somewhere looking down and reading this, Dad, I’d just like to say - cheers, I love you, and I hope you know what a great inspiration you were (and still are) to me.

10 comments:

  1. oh gosh angie! i went and read the feature on etsy. it was so inspiring i cried ... but i'm so glad you posted it on your blog too so i can see better the pics of your dad's work. he's woodwork is GORGEOUS!!!! my gosh ...HE'S THE MAN!! i can see who influence and inspire your exquisite taste in art and your perfection in making art...

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  2. Aw thanks so much honey! It was lovely to have the chance to show off my dad's work, and though I'm biased I agree, his work is beautiful!

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  3. Wow Angie ... your feature on Etsy was just wonderful (and I loved seeing your sweet face). I like that your Dad was selective with his praise. It's like the saying ... "Yes" doesn't mean much if there aren't any "No's". His work is beautiful ... so intricate. He must have been a very patient man.

    Thanks for sharing him with us both on Etsy and here ... it was lovely!

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  4. Cyndi thank you for your lovely words. Yes, he was very patient when it came to his crafting! :)

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  5. Oh what a beautiful post and I read the article too...amazing. What a wonderful tribute to your dad this is, his woodwork is gooorgeous, and I loved seeing the photo of you two, so so beautiful,
    thanks for sharing :-)

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  6. Thank you Annette, it was really nice to be able to do a little Fathers' Day tribute to him :)

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  7. OUR loved ones never leave us completely...we remember them and treasure the part of ourselves that resemble them!

    sweet and thoughtful post!

    ciao bella
    creative carmelina

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  8. What a wonderful sentiment Carmelina - and your words are very true! Thank you for visiting :)

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  9. Angie you are so lucky! Firstly for having such a talented dad and secondly for still having some of his things around you. They are indeed very beautiful.

    xxxx

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  10. Thank you Rona - and I agree with you on both counts :)

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