Saturday, August 25, 2012

art from the heart and no more leaks :)

This week at Crabbush Primary, the Hogsback heArtists volunteered time doing art with the grade 4-7's and  
fixing the leaky pre-school roof. 

We drew pictures of things that are close to our hearts in wax crayon then painted over our
drawings with food colouring mixed with water



                                            


Thanks guys - great job!





Friday, August 17, 2012

for the love of the children


This week we joined forces with The MylifE Foundation and spent time with the children and teachers at the local primary school, Crabbush as part of our joint efforts to enhance 
Youth Development in the Eastern Cape. 



On Tuesday we met with the staff  at Crabbush and discussed how we can collaborate to enhance the school's image, repair classrooms and most importantly, connect with the children in meaningful, uplifting ways.  From next week we will be spending time with the children on a weekly basis with the goal of enhancing english literacy, communication skills and self-esteem. We also have the dedication of two staff members who will be spending the upcoming September school holidays participating on our first train-the-trainer Needlework skill development program. At the start of next term, they will be ready to implement their training into the school curricular.


Ryan Von Stein, from The MylifE Foundation has joined forces with local soccer coach, Don Green, who has been volunteering his services to the youth of Hogsback for many years. Ryan's fitness training experience will add a much needed vitality to the current coaching program and he will be joining the training sessions at Crabbush on a weekly basis. 

 
Not forgetting the little ones, heArtists Sarel Prinsloo and Luyanda Mayekiso helping to coach our future generation of soccer players.
Watch this space for further developments - we are excited for what is to come! And if you would like to give our online fundraising campaign a boost, please consider following the YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN EASTERN CAPE link below and use the share tools to tell your friends - this increasing our "go-go factor" and gains our cause more exposure via the fundraising platform.

THANK YOU FOR BEING THE CHANGE!





heArtists at play


This week we have had some wonderful art happening at the HeArt Space Studio - thanks for the creative energy, guys!
Luyanda Mayakiso painting vivid Hogsback landscapes.


Sarel Prinsloo revamping an old pair of hiking shoes with his leather crafting skills...


....looking good!



Craig Whyle glazing a hand-sculpted mask....

...lovely smiles all round :)




Monday, August 13, 2012

Meet Luanda


Heartist, Luanda Mayakiso

Dear Friends,

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Luanda Mayakiso. He is 20 something, lives at the foot of the Hogsback mountains in a rural village called Aukland and he is a ceramic artist and entrepreneur. Not only that – you should see his veggie garden!

Luanda travels up the Hogsback pass to sell his wares and produce as well as to participate in jobs anyone has for him. Never have I heard him complain – instead, when we chat about our hopes and dreams, I discover that he has a quiet passion for his community and wants to make a difference.


Luanda would very much like to share his love for ceramic arts with youth from the community. He tells me that there isn’t much for the youth to do and many of his peers end up drinking to pass the time. One can see his concern when he talks about the youngsters who seem to be falling into a cycle of hopelessness – and the glint in his eyes when we imagine the possibility of creating a future for the next generation that honours their unique gifts and talents.


Luanda sells his creations from the Heart Space shop and has become well known and loved in Hogsback over the years. His work is unique, with a whimsical quality and bright colours. He enjoys portraying aspects of everyday life: men on their horses, baboons and hogs that are well known to the area and paintings of women in the fields and children herding cows on coffee mugs.He also creates bright and beautifully hand sculpted vases, depicting the wild life of our continent.

hand painted and fired hog
cheeky baboons

man and his horse





In the future, Luanda would like to teach his skills to the youth and help them become creative, expressive and happy individuals. We support Luanda wholeheartedly and would like to see his talent celebrated and shared.
If you would like to show your support, please consider visiting our online fundraising campaign page and leaving a comment in the COMMENTS section of that page. This will boost our GO-GO factor and gain us more exposure.

Thanks for stopping by - we appreciate your time and energy :)

Friday, August 10, 2012

giving bottles a second life

Alice is the closest town to us (30km away) and the local butcher there sells milk on tap. Customers bring in their own containers and if they don't have one with them, the local entrepreneurs on the side-walk outside will sell you one.



We pledge to bring in our empty milk containers for these good folk to sell. We believe in supporting earth-friendly practices and this effort helps us to give our used items a second life. It's a great feeling to know that in a rural town like this, being waste-conscious is evident and re-using is being encouraged. Thanks, Alice :)


Thursday, August 9, 2012

box shelves and satisfied smiles


We are making box shelves for the house and studio - 
with a little help from our friends :)

thanks guys - great job!

Amber learning to saw the wood
 
girls who can use power tools - yeah!
Noah making sure the planks are flush

Tatum concentrating on hammering 

Amier giving it a go

whoo! the sides are done!

We had a great time and the kids have learned some new skills. We look forward to seeing what they get up to next :)

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

sNOWhere :)

The snow has arrived in Hogsback! 

We are feeling very blessed for the beauty that surrounds us - the atmosphere is truly magical. 

We trust you are enjoying the season wherever you may be :)