Monday, April 26, 2010

A Late Offering to the International Fake Journal Contest - Mara the Kiwi

I’m a little late in posting my International Fake Journal – Sorry Roz!  As I’ve been earnestly working on the journal, I had to post it. The reality is that my sister recently returned from a very cool vacation to New Zealand. Her pictures were amazing and being the compulsive journaler that I am, I had to journal her vacation. I especailly loved adding the native art of the Maoris as borders to the pages.

Welcome to Mara’s International Fake Journal, April 2010:



Hi, I’m Mara, I’m a Kiwi bird looking to make my way back home. Due to budget cuts, the Zoo was going to transfer me Omaha, but I decided it was time to go home and find my mum, I've been here since I was first hatched. At the airport I picked the lock of my cage with my beak and I found this cute couple who’s headed to New Zealand, so I think I’ll just stow away. I’m sure no one will notice me!
I have a few gripes about people coming to gawk at me in the zoo. I am the national bird of New Zealand. Please do not confuse me with the brown fuzzy fruit. Yes, I am a bird, but I don’t have wings. I have the lovely fragrance of mushrooms, and for the life of me, I don't understand why some people find that unpleasant. And if you’re coming around for tea, don’t come before 4 pm, as I like to sleep during the day.


Here I am in Fiji, relaxing in the waves. We stopped over for a few days to get used to the time change. The trip over was very long, and a bit cramped, but mum is just a few more days away. So far everyone thinks I'm just part of the tour.

On first day in New Zealand was spent on the South Island, we toured Mt Cook (the hightest point in NZ), and Lake Pukaki. Then we saw some of New Zealand’s 34 million sheep on the Canterbury Plains. Next we saw pretty purple and pink lupines near Lake Tekapo. Where's all my fellow kiwis?


We spent the next day in Queenstown on the South Island. We toured the Queenstown Gardens. No sign of any Kiwis yet….


Today we took a ride on the 1912 TSS Earnslaw steamship to Walter Peak Farm to see spinning and sheep shearing. We also walked up the Franz Josef Glacier. It was a bit slippery, but the view was incredible. I bought some New Zealand jade called Pounamu to send to the girls back at the zoo. I dipped it in the ocean for good luck. No Kiwis here…..
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12 comments:

  1. nanke's stuffApril 26, 2010 at 5:17 AM

    Oh, I hope Mara finds her mum and gets to live happily ever after! I love reading about her adventures! nancy

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  2. ShirleyApril 26, 2010 at 5:53 AM

    These are great pages - everyone seems to be having so much fun this year! Will you continue to fill the same sketchbook next year?

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  3. AlexApril 26, 2010 at 6:48 AM

    Such beautiful journey and the journal is awesome! I love how cute Mara is =) ... gotta love them kiwis!

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  4. kazumiwannabeApril 26, 2010 at 8:18 AM

    Wow, it's a wonderful journal/journey! Mara Kiwi is very cute, and your drawings are a delight. The pages are so beautiful, they seem to come from a children's story book. Love the poetry in your visual work!

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  5. Linda TApril 26, 2010 at 9:12 AM

    This is great! Keep posting to EDM when there are more entries. Such a cute bird!

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  6. Revelle TaillonApril 26, 2010 at 12:00 PM

    Cool fake journal of a real trip! What a great idea!

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  7. UnknownApril 27, 2010 at 12:40 AM

    I'm smiling...this is just so cool!

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  8. AlexApril 27, 2010 at 4:41 AM

    Thank you Marsha for your comment on the ice carvings ^^
    It's actually a combination of many steps. I had to sketch out the ideas of course at first, and then we translate that into a computer program that works quite similar to Adobe Illustrator but a little less sophisticated, and then we have the CNC machine to perform the sculpting part on ice. But most the time CNC machine could only do so much with single plane, so we also have to use the chainsaws to crave the ice manually. =)
    And no, we're not really making a good living out of it sadly. But it's a fun job though ^^ Always very gratifying!

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  9. Krista MeisterApril 28, 2010 at 8:10 PM

    Marsha, so nice to find your blog! Great idea for your fake journal project too. Your sketches are lovely.

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  10. Margaret AnnApril 29, 2010 at 1:46 PM

    What beautiful pages you have made! Each spread has its own personality and unique flavor... I love that...Great textural patterns and use of native designs! :)

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  11. JillyApril 30, 2010 at 9:46 PM

    Great idea for a journal and great way to remember the NZ holiday. I fell in love with the lupins when we were there - postcard pretty wherever you went!!!

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  12. heather noyeJune 18, 2010 at 10:03 AM

    your drawings are beautiful!!! and i just love this idea! so cool.

    i found your blog on the Art Bloghop and just love it :)

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