Most likely I'm not the only one having a list with things I'd like to try out some day. It's like a wish list, but not necessarily a priority. The truth is, these activities can provide a nice experience and can also help to improve my skills, but also need investment, both time and financial investment. The list is long, so I'm only going to list a few craft activities and tell you why I'd like to try these out.
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Stained Glass
Stained Glass is like a puzzle to me and like a magnet as well. Whenever I enter an old church that has stained glass, I'm standing in front of each one, admiring the scene for a few minutes. It's a type of art not really available for everyone. Obviously if you have the funds, you can do anything, but it's an expensive one, not like watercolor on paper.
Coloured glass has been produced since ancient times. Both the Egyptians and the Romans excelled at the manufacture of small colored glass objects. Phoenicia was important in glass manufacture with its chief centres Sidon, Tyre and Antioch. The British Museum holds two of the finest Roman pieces, the Lycurgus Cup, which is a murky mustard color but glows purple-red to transmitted light, and the cameo glass Portland vase which is midnight blue, with a carved white overlay.
In early Christian churches of the 4th and 5th centuries, there are many remaining windows which are filled with ornate patterns of thinly-sliced alabaster set into wooden frames, giving a stained-glass like effect. source
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This type of art is not new, as you can read in the quote above. It dates back to ancient times and was mostly used to decorate church windows. Back in those days different biblical scenes were favored and not abstract art, like today, which means those stained glass paintings must have been precise and accurate.
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Having no talent obviously makes it more like a dream, rather than something I can accomplish. I can try on a small piece, just to say I did it, but I would not expect any good outcome :)
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Mosaic
This one is not new either, it's not an invention of modern era and it's also like a puzzle as finding the perfect pieces for your artwork is not only time consuming but requires some talent as well.
The earliest known examples of mosaics made of different materials were found at a temple building in Abra, Mesopotamia, and are dated to the second half of 3rd millennium BC. They consist of pieces of colored stones, shells and ivory. Excavations at Susa and Chogha Zanbil show evidence of the first glazed tiles, dating from around 1500 BC.[3] However, mosaic patterns were not used until the times of Sassanid Empire and Roman influence. source
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I remember the first mosaic piece I've seen was at an archeology site and I was 6 or so. I can't remember exactly what it was, but I loved it. I had a mosaic kit as a kid, plastic pieces that we used to create different designs, but that was a different game.
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Some countries are famous for their mosaic murals, among which I would name Portugal and Spain. There are a couple of artworks in my city as well, from the communist era, but nothing like in Spain for example.
This is an achievable dream as there are mosaic kits available these days, so all you need is the funds, thy will and some time. 2023 seems to be the perfect year to make my dream come true.
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Pottery
Visiting fairs has a nice effect on you, if you're interested in crafting. You see so many nice and interesting things, there's no way you can remain indifferent, there's always an idea or two you'd like to try out.
Pottery is one of the oldest human inventions, originating before the Neolithic period, with ceramic objects like the Gravettian culture Venus of Dolní Věstonice figurine discovered in the Czech Republic dating back to 29,000–25,000 BC, and pottery vessels that were discovered in Jiangxi, China, which date back to 18,000 BC. Early Neolithic and pre-Neolithic pottery artifacts have been found, in Jōmon Japan (10,500 BC), the Russian Far East (14,000 BC), Sub-Saharan Africa (9,400 BC), South America (9,000s–7,000s BC), and the Middle East (7,000s–6,000s BC). source
Pottery is another ancient one that looks very interesting to me. Creating your own pots and bowls is quite an achievement. Obviously we have 3D printing available today, but it's not the same, never will be. This one can be achieved, as there are training courses, workshops, but with my nails ... 😂 I need to cut them first, which will be a painful experience. This falls into the dream category most likely, but you never know. If they allow you to work with gloves, I see more chance to happen.
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Ceramic Painting
This one has been in my mind for a long time. Seeing all those lovely ceramics at fairs and different markets makes me want to try it out. I'm not sure how good I would be at ti, but will also never find out if I don't give it a try. I need to be ready to sacrifice a few post and see if I can create something acceptable. Those who are making and selling pottery were raised to do that and it was a must for them. They needed to learn how to do it, regardless of their talent or lack of talent.
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Weaving
This is a tricky one because I have an allergy to those tiny fiber particles, that make me sneeze, so I would have to wear a mask, to avoid sneezing all the time, but would definitely try it out once. Yes, I said once because most likely I won't have the patience to do it long term, but it would be lovely to make a carpet or a wall cloth.
These activities can make you understand better what life used to be once, when there was no industry and people were self sufficient, making everything themselves. Today most of these things can be bought, ordered, and these activities are considered art, but back then they do that to survive and have the necessary things for their everyday life.
These posts are like a diary to me, I can document my journey and also look back to see when things happened. I listed 5 activities here, from which two can be achieved this year. So let's see how good I will be in making it happen.
What about you? What would you like to try out this year? Let me know in a comment. Remember, these are hobby level activities, not attempt of going pro.
