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Create your own tapestry inspired by wattles with expert Valerie Kirk! 🧵

🌿Dates: 17 – 31 October 2024 (3 weeks)
🌿Days/Times: Thursdays 1.30pm – 4.30pm
🌿Venue: NatureArt Lab Studio, M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith, ACT

Suitable for both beginners …and advanced weavers. This tapestry workshop concentrates on looking at wattle as an inspiration for tapestry design and weaving. Beginners will warp up a small loom and learn the basic techniques of flat and cut pile tapestry weaving, moving on to weave a simple design with variations of colours in the weft. Experienced weavers will design and weave their small tapestry focusing on blending colours and tone in the weft, flat and cut pile weave. Advanced techniques and problem solving will be covered. The beginners’ and advanced students’ tapestries will be cut off the loom and finished off to display.

Sign up for this class today by visiting our website or via our shop links!
https://natureartlab.com.au/collections/courses/products/tapestry-weaving-wattles-with-valerie-kirk

#citsci #nature #arttherapy #canberra #natureart #botanicalart #whatsoncanberra #natureartlab #botanical #education #weavingtapestry #weavingworkshop #weavingloom #weaving

Black Rustic moth 🖤
Such a beautiful autumnal moth, and quite possibly one of my favourite rustics!
Not just black in colour but blue, green, purple- with a beautiful yellow kidney mark on each wing.

There’s not many moths I’d stumble around in the dark for during a power cut at 1.30am, but for a Convolvulus Hawkmoth…I most certainly did! ✨
Our streets power went out last night which (thankfully) triggered some shop alarms which woke me up. I figured my moth trap light would also be… out (it was) so I fumbled around with my phone torch light to see which moths were still around. As light rain was forecast I had put my trap out in my porch as it helps trap more moths in, and keeps everything/everyone dry. As soon as I unlocked and opened my kitchen door a huge WHOOSH went over my head as something very large flew into the kitchen. I knew exactly what it would be.
I had no moth pots big enough on hand to catch it, so had to make do with a small Pyrex container.
It (of course) landed on the highest point on the ceiling, meaning I had to climb on the counters in the darkness. With great success I held one of the biggest moths I’ve ever caught in the UK ✨ I promptly popped it in the container into the fridge next to my leftover casserole, to observe and lose my shit over in the morning 🌅 . Which is exactly what happened 5 hours later ✨✨
Moth trapping is seldom this dramatic 😂
Please note how huge their eyes are…I had no idea until I took this photo!

Just because summer is over doesn’t mean there isn’t still some colour out there ✨
I very rarely try for a staged group photo, as it can be a pickle getting everyone to sit still and I like to release them as soon as I can…but it was so chilly this morning that no one seemed to be in a …hurry!

Each has adapted in their own way to live in this world. Isn’t that marvellous 😍
Photo one: September thorn, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Burnished Brass, Ruby Tiger
Photo 2: Ruby Tiger, Burnished Brass
Photo 3: Rosy Rustic (because they’re ❤️‍🔥)

Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum)

I've still got some stacks left to edit from Canada, but I'm back home and back at school so it might take a little while until I get to those. I do have lots edited already though, so I'll do my best to get those posted whenever I have …time.

This dragonfly portrait is one of my favorite shots from early on in the trip, I found it on the stem of a water plant and was able to hold a purple flower behind it for a colorful background. The stack took a lot of work to edit, but I was able to figure out some new (to me) retouching tricks and I'm really happy with the results!

By the way, I just hit 10k subscribers on YouTube! Thank you so much everyone for the support, and if you haven't seen it yet check out my channel at the link in my bio. I just shared a story collecting questions for a Q&A video, so if you have any questions for me feel free to send them there.

📸: Fujifilm X-H2, Laowa 65mm f/2.8, flash with #cygnustechdiffuser

🔧: 70 image focus stacks at iso 250, f/5.6, 1/200 second

#dragonfly #odonata #insect #insectphotography #macrophotography #makrofotografie #cupoty #wholelottabugs #insectguru #fujifilmxh2 #fujixh2 #fujifilm #laowa65mm laowa.deutschland venuslaowa #laowa #macro #focusstacking #inaturalist #citizenscience

September ✨
It’s been feeling a bit autumnal over the last couple of weeks, which has mostly been reflected in the moth species!
Green Carpets, September Thorns (which oddly emerge sooner than the August Thorns), Sallows…

Image 1 Green Carpet
Image 2 September Thorn
…Image 3 Canary Shouldered Thorn and Green Carpet
Image 4 Centre Barred Sallow and Setaceous Hebrew Character
Image 5 Light Emerald and European Hornet

Large Wainscot ✨
The wainscot moths are all so subtly marked and have this beautiful colour.
Otherwise it was a very quiet night due to the low temperature. Just a handful of the last Large Yellow Underwings of the year along with some Setaceous Hebrew Characters.
🍂🍂