Acknowledgement of Country

For thousands of years the Kaurna people have walked on the land we meet today. We acknowledge them as the traditional owners and recognise them for their care and continued connection with this land. We acknowledge their Elders past, present and emerging and pay respect to Kaurna and other First Nations peoples present with us today. As a church community, we commit to actively work alongside First Nations people for truth, unity, equality, equity, and healing.

Timeline of the Night

6.30pm – Welcome and Art Warm Up

6.45pm  – Extra Info and Theme Talk

6.55pm – Intro to Art Activity

7.00pm – Creative Time

From 7.00pm – Dinner

8.00pm – Dessert

8.45pm – Farewell

8.50pm – Pack Up

Art Warm Up

The art warm up is a simplified version of the main art activity. It’s purpose is to help you get you comfortable with being creative and help with some of the skills and techniques you might need later on.

You will need: Painted flower pot, paint pens

Use the paint pens to create a design on your pot.

Theme for Reflection – Seasons

Each Create night we like to give you something to think about as you create. Art is a great medium to help us think about and process thoughts and concepts.

 

As I was prepping for tonight I was thinking about how usually painting flower pots is something you might do in spring. It seems to fit with talking about growth and new life.

Since we are in autumn it might seem like a strange activity to do now.

 

But it got me thinking about the different seasons of the year and the different seasons of life. And how there a different purposes for each of them.

 

When we are talking about plants, the different seasons of the year are important. There are different times to plant them, different times to fertilize them, different times to prune them and so on.

In my old house I had rose bushes. In spring and summer they would have flowers all over them, but in winter it was time to prune them. To cut back lots of the branches. They looked a little sad after being pruned, but it was important to allow the plant to grow it’s best in the spring and summer.

 

So I have a question for you to think about and talk with the people around you.

As we head into autumn and winter what is something you are looking forward to? What is something that you can do in these colder seasons that you can’t do at other times of the year?

 

There are times in our lives when we are busy, moving forward, making plans, getting things done.

And there are times when we need to slow down, take a break, rest, maybe just survive.

 

Both are a part of life. Both are important.

 

In the Bible there is a passage in the book of Ecclesiastes in chapter 3 (verses 1 to 13). It talks about that there is:

A time for life and a time for death.

A time break things down and time to rebuild.

A time for crying and a time for laughing.

A time to hold on and a time to let go.

A time to speak up and a time to be quiet.

This is just a few of them.

It says that there is beauty and purpose in all these times.

And while we may not understand why we go through them, we do not go through any of them alone; God is with us.

 

So as you create tonight, I want you to think about what season of life are you in at the moment?

What are the joys and the struggles?

What are the reminders you need in this season?

Do you need to stop and rest? Do you need to take a leap and push forward?

Maybe as you think of your pot design you might create something that represents this season of your life to you. Or maybe it’s something you need to be reminded of in this season.

 

This isn’t a mandate on your design, but a suggestion of a way to dig a bit deeper and let your art hold another meaning.

Painted Flower Pots

Below are the instructions for how to decorate your own terracotta flower pot. Some steps are optional and some have been done for you already.

You will need: terracotta pot, terracotta sealer (optional), acrylic paint, paint brushes

At Create your flower pots have already been sealed. This stops the terracotta absorbing as much paint and helps your design last longer.

Start by painting a base colour on your flower pot.

If you want a light colour you will need to either paint a white base or mix white into your paint.

You will need at least 2 coats of paint to get an even coverage.

Putting your hand inside the pot is a helpful way to be able to paint all parts of the pot.

Once your base colour is dry you can add a design on top.

For large area use acrylic paint.

For smaller detail you can use paint pens or paint and a thin brush.

Optional: You can add clear varnish on top of your design. This is important if you wish to use your pot outside.