Janet M. McDonald - Artist - New Zealand

Janet turns these artwork on her own lathe
and then embellishes them with her own original designs. 
To purchase any of the artwork. Please email Janet for details. ​Artwork can be posted internationally.
jmd@slingshot.co.nz
This mahogany vase I turned and then hand carved and did pyrography on it. It is 27cm tall. The Celtic knots and thistle give a Scottish vibe. 
This medieval beehive is 16 cm tall. My beehive and stand I turned on my lathe the outside shapes and the horizontal bumps on my lathe. Then all other parts where hand carved with pyrography added for detail. The bees bodies are wood and their wings are hand stitched Needlelace. 
This potion bottle I imagine sitting on the shelf of a 17th century apothecary.  I turned the shape on my lathe and then hand carved the sides. Then pyrography for the words and embellishment.  The bottle is 17cm tall made from Totara a native New Zealand wood. Finished with Danish Oil.
Front words: “LOVE POTION – Attracts the right kind at the right time.”
Back Words: “I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time”.
The quote on the back is from the Glen Campbell song.
Acorns and Karaka Berries: 
I turned this oak wood dish (20cm wide)on my lathe with a slightly raised center. The Acorns are 3cm long and turned and carved. The caps of the acorns are hand stitched with Detached Buttonhole stitch. 
The acorn leaves are made from hand stitched Needlelace (Detached Buttonhole stitch) that has wire around their edges and then hand stitched over; there is no fabric backing. The Karaka berries are thread covered wooden beads. All is sewn onto a felt pad that is attached to the center of the dish. Overall this type of Needlework is often known as Stumpwork. 
I turned this Walnut dish 20cm wide. Then I hand stitched “Needle Weaving” through the holes and on the surface of wood. Glass beads and French knots also adorn the piece.
I turned on my lathe and hand carved this Merry-Go-Round (carousal) from New Zealand Kauri wood. The Kauri is thousands of years old pulled out of swamps. It turns on its base which is a tiny lazy Suzy mechanism. The stones are Amethyst polished stones. There are only two main pieces of wood, one the main piece and the other the base it turns on. 24cm tall and 13cm wide.
After reading about Plague Doctors I decided to get creative. I turned on my wood lathe and burned my own designs with pyrography to make a pomander, which I imagine the doctor hanging from his belt; with aromatic herbs in it. The pomander is 14cm tall with holes drilled into it. The stick is 25cm long; though I imagine the sticks they did use were longer.
In medieval times Plague Doctors wore a beak-like mask which was filled with perfume or aromatic herbs. The masks were designed to protect them from putrid air, which was seen as the cause of infection. These doctors (most not qualified) were specifically hired by towns where the plague had taken hold. Their main task, besides taking care of people with the plague was to compile public records of the deaths due to the plague. The doctors often carried a stick which allowed them to keep patients at a distance.  The Black Death was the deadliest epidemic of bubonic plague in history, wiping out some 25 million Europeans in just a few years.
“By her 97th birthday Violet had been the village’s healer for numerous decades. She had the knack of sweeping her fingers over a person and their bodily pain would dissipate. Many sought her out with love and gratitude for her skills. Eventually Violets passed to the next life and the village was bereft.
A few months later Hamish showed how he now had the abilities Violet had previous; by waving a wand over the villagers aching bodies. They were once again thrilled to have a healer among them. Hamish never let anyone get close enough to view his wand. He told people it was delicate and did not want it broken. 
But in truth Hamish did not want the villagers to know he had taken the finger bones of Violet and attached them to a piece of her gnarly walking stick. He did not want them to know that Violet’s spirit was still the healer and not him.”
JMD
After turning this Rimu wood bowl 11cm wide on my lathe, I wrapped a band of copper wire using 3 different gauges which I hand wrapped myself. 
I turned this Mushroom home on my lathe which is 16cm tall. The base of the mushroom sits into a slice of wood. The background embellishment is pyrography. The mushroom wood is New Zealand Kauri and the base is a slice Cherry.

​The Butterfly wings and flowers are made from hand stitched Needlelace that has wire around their edges and then hand stitched over; there is no fabric backing.
I hand carved these New Zealand coins. Rimu wood, with no router used. 12.5cm wide
A dish to put keys in. 18cm wide and oak wood. Woodturning and Pyrography.
I turned this bowl below and then hand carved. New Zealand Kauri 17 x 8cm. The right hand photo is the same wood and retro design. 
Seahorses have always been my favorite creature. And now I add a Wooden Carved Seahorse to my collection from over the years. 25cm tall, 2cm thick. Rimu wood. Embellished with copper shimmer paint.
I played around with hot glue and paint and came up with some fake bark to put on my wood turning. After glue and gesso was acrylic paints.
I turned this Silky Oak wood. (aka Beefy Wood). Barbed wire pyrography with copper metallic paint. Adorned with metal bull skulls. 19cm wide 10cm tall.

This bowl i turned from Rimu wood and then hand painted the design onto. 

This bowl i turned from mahogany and then designed and hand burnt the designs of the hedgehogs etc on the bowl. The small dish is turned from pine which i hand dyed and then burnt the design on. Alo the bangle I turned and burnt in Mahogany.

This pen holder I made with an antique glass florist frog inserted into my woodturning. The whole object is 13cm wide, 5cm tall. I made this for my son Liam Davies
My pyrography design is based on Maori culture:
1. The Korus (fern fronds) represent a mother and child.
2. The band around the edge of the koru (fern fronds) shows groupings of 3 lines. These 3 lines represent Whanau (family), Hapu (sub-tribe) and Iwi (tribe).
3. The small dots represent the stars in the sky and the large dots represent the Southern Cross constellation.
Did you know that the territory of New Zealand is made up of over 600 islands?
I turned this bowl with a steep volcanic shape inside. My pyrography shows some of the Islands (fern fronds) that make up the New Zealand territory and the Southern Cross Constellation that sits above those Islands. The outside if the bowl shows the seas that sit around those Islands. The bowl is 19cm wide and turned from Macrocarpa wood.
 Celtic Clock I turned on my lathe and did pyrography on. 13cm wide and 5cm thick. Macrocarpa wood.
​I turned this Rimu bowl below on my lathe and then did pyrography with a New Zealand theme. Fern fronds (koru), woven flax basket and the sea depicting a Nation of Islands. The bowl is 22cm wide.
I turned this bowl and designed the pattern of pansies sitting in a basket. I carved out the upper edges with my rotary tool and did the pyrography. Macrocarpa wood. 16cm wide and 10cm tall.
​Photos: turning, rotary carving, pyrography, watercolor painting.This dish is 19cm wide.wax.
Process: turning, rotary carving, pyrography, watercolor painting....I turned the dish on my lathe.17cm wide.
I turned this platter on my lathe from Macrocarpa wood. New Zealand is famous for its Manuka flower honey. So this platter depicts the Manuka flowers with a honeycomb behind it. The design is pyrography with gold metallic paint. 27cm (10 1/2 inch) wide. All my designs are copyright.
I recycled this hand turned wooden bowl after falling in love with the grain and knew I had to do pyrography on it. So the Zentangle fits into the 3 main areas of the wood grain shading. 27 cm wide (10 1/2 inches)
To purchase any of the artwork.
Please email Janet for details. ​Artwork can be posted internationally.
jmd@slingshot.co.nz
My Dad turned this macrocarpa platter 25 years ago. So I skimmed it clean on my lathe and burnt the Koru and silver fern pyrography design on it. 27cm (10 1/2 inch) wide. All my designs are copyright.
The koru (fern frond) in New Zealand Maori culture is a sign of new life and growth. In my design, the woven thread through the koru shows the life force of a person. The sections in the koru show life is an evolution of parts that have layers to each stage. The background is based on a kete (woven flax basket). It is believed that our knowledge learnt in life is stored in our own internal Kete. We are an Island Nation so water surrounds our beauty.
Wood turned Kauri plate 15cm wide. pyrography, copper leaf, acrylic paint. Janet’s original design.

The koru (fern frond) in New Zealand Maori culture is a sign of new life and growth. In my design, the woven thread through the koru shows the life force of a person. The sections in the koru show life is an evolution of parts that have layers to each stage. The background is based on a kete (woven flax basket). It is believed that our knowledge learnt in life is stored in our own internal kete.
Also see woodturning on my Pyrography page 
To purchase any of the artwork.
Please email Janet for details.
​Artwork can be posted internationally.
jmd@slingshot.co.nz