Painting Placemats

During the Chanukah break the youngest son and I went to a workshop at Kakadu. It's something that I have wanted to do for some time and it just worked out that the two of us were home and looking for a fun activity to do together.

I have written about Kakadu before. Founded in 1990 by Aharon and Reut Shahar, Kakadu is an Israeli company which creates handmade wooden art accessories for the home. Each Kakadu creation is painted by hand with a distinctive art motif and coated with a protective lacquer. The Kakadu gallery, in Moshav Tzafririm in the Elah Valley, contains a selection of Kakadu products including wooden wall hangings, art-based fashion, jewellery, and furniture. The gallery also hosts changing exhibits, music seminars, classes on nature and Jewish heritage, and workshops, like the one my son and I attended.

Reut Shahar runs the Kakadu workshops. After introducing herself and telling our group all about Kakadu and how she got started, Reut explained how she believes that everyone is a born artist and has the ability to produce a unique piece without any great expertise. She encouraged us to just enjoy the experience of painting and have fun!
It was time to enter the workshop and create a Kakadu masterpiece of our own. We could choose from placemats, door plaques, coasters, Hamsas and even large table runners. My son and I decided to start with placemats. Maybe we'll go back and create a big table runner now that we have some experience!

Now, my son and I draw in very different ways. I always like to plan out my work and make a preliminary sketch. He jumps right in and is less afraid of making mistakes. (Granted he is also quick to throw something away if it isn't "working".) Well, Reut was keen for us to just pick up a marker and simply start drawing. It didn't come naturally to me, but soon I was drawing leaves, flowers and a couple of little birds.

My son did a rather brilliant job of his mat. He explained to me that the four boxes in the top left corner depict the four seasons:  the butterfly represents Spring, the flash of lightning Winter, the red and white fire represents Summer, and the swirling leaves are for Autumn. I particularly like the two faces on his placemat too. They are so full of character. Kakadu is known for its bright colours and whimsical imagery. I think my son picked up on that and created his own unique piece in the most perfect way.

Once we had finished drawing and painting, Reut and her son were on hand, ready to “finish off” any pieces that people wanted help with. Neither my son or I wanted that. We had completed our work and were able to walk away with a beautiful piece of art in the Kakadu style, with a little bit of "Handmade in Israel" and "Master Handmade in Israel" mixed in.

I just know that we'll be going back.