S-T-R-E-T-C-H your craftiness and get excited

Now generally in the craft world we have a tendency to squirrel ourselves away, tackling projects at our leisure when we feel like it, safe in the knowledge that no one else is hanging over our shoulder. And when fugly disasters strike (and let's face it, we've all had a brain freeze moment when we thought it was a good idea to revisit something such as pasta art) there's always a space behind the sofa, or at the back of a drawer into which the offending piece can be shoved.


But what if we stretch ourselves? Make pieces in public? Stand up and say
"This is what I do. I'm gonna give it a try. Standby, People. I could fail."

More and more artists and crafters are doing just this. 'Live Paint' events are popping up everywhere. Limited time, limited materials, limited space. These events force creatives to work under close scrutiny, stretch their knowledge of materials, and overcome glitches, and thus complete pieces they'd rather dump. It's terrifying and exhilarating.

This weekend, ten artists in Holywood, Northern Ireland are doing just this. Right now, they're packing spray cans, fabrics, woodblocks, airbrushes, paper scraps, stencils - you name it. And by tomorrow they'll have created a show, whilst being the show.

N.I. might not be near you, but go on. Try a 'live paint' event yourself. Dare you. Double dare you. Yep, you might hate it, but then you might love it also. Give your craft a bit of frisson.
Rockpool Candy