Although we were already a week into the month of May, this month’s craft club took inspiration from the festival of Beltane- The Celtic celebration based on the transition from the dark days of winter to the warmth and light of Spring- rooted in ancient Gaelic traditions of fire,fertility and protection.

I looked at different examples of traditional May Day celebrations, providing examples of ‘Maypoles’ as well as Beltane parades- including the image of ‘the Greenman.’ Participants were invited to then create their own ‘Greenman’ mask. We focused on different shaped leaves, using different green paper, as well as collage, including maps, magazines and wrapping papers. We then arranged them on a cardboard base- to form a mask, adding the ‘May Pole’ ribbons to build on a senseof celebration.

As always, it is lovely seeing the multi-generational aspect of ‘Craft Club’ – the Palm house being the beautiful backdrop for families to come together and immerse themselves in nature, as well as having the opportunity to be creative. Parents often
come along with the view of ‘entertaining’ their children, but soon get into making their own creation- everyone having their own interpretation of the theme.

Rachel,

Artist at Craft Club