Someone’s been busy in their Raglan workshop and it’s not Santa – it’s Susanne Giessen-Prinz who, at this time of year, is hard at work silvering dried leaves to hang from a simple Christmas tree structure of wire and foliage, then adding op shop baubles and ceramic hearts she’s handcrafted.
There’s a wreath of intertwined branches hanging above it all with magical, miniature unicorns prancing around their midair merry-go-round.
Her delightfully offbeat decorations are all destined for the annual ‘Spirit of Christmas’ exhibition, which opens at the Old School Arts Centre in Stewart St this coming Saturday.
Susanne, the co-ordinator of the two-week show, declares proudly that every item will be locally made and there’ll be no plastic. Rather it’s a passion for “authentic New Zealand arts and crafts” that drives the show.
When the Chronicle drops by Susanne’s Wallis St workshop, two young visitors – nine-year-old Hazel and sister Frankie, just a year younger – are entranced with the “sparkle” of the small-scale nativity scene that greets them.
Their mother Anna March has brought them to the studio, hidden away behind the old dairy factory across the causeway, for afternoon tea and Susanne has just whipped up some home-made waffles.
Susanne’s one of 18 local arts and craftspeople who’ve been preparing to show their works, all of which will be priced between $5 and $500.
The one-time florist turned potter hopes the display will give Christmas shoppers new ideas and encourage them to “do things differently” – maybe ditch the greens and reds of traditional Yuletide – rather than relying on the big Hamilton stores for generic gifts and decorations.
Come and support local, she urges townsfolk. “Be amazed at how creative and quirky our awesome arts and crafts community is.”
There’ll be everything from painted ceramics and hand-built bird boxes to clay and textiles, jewellery, handcrafted knives, three-dimensional driftwood Christmas trees, eco-printed fabric creations, wall art and the ever-popular cookie mix in decorative jars.
Funds raised are poured back into Raglan’s arts community, and among other things will hopefully provide a “buffer” of about $2000 towards repairs and replacements of kilns at the clay shed.
* The Spirit of Christmas exhibition runs from Saturday Nov 26 through to Sunday Dec 11, ending along with the last of this year’s monthly creative markets at the Old School. The Ragtimers’ ukulele group – recently featured on Māori Television – is set to perform at the exhibition on Dec 10.
