Family designs their Cambridge home to harness solar and artist energy
A ruler collection artistically assembled on the wall of a Waikato home provides visitors with a hint about the owner’s passion in life.
Di Tocker is an artist and her four-bedroom home is a mixture of creative thinking and functionality.
The wooden ruler installation in the hallway was a head turner for people visiting the house, which was one of nine on the NZ House and Garden Charity House Tour in Cambridge on Friday and Saturday.
The rulers were collected from second-hand shops during holidays around New Zealand over a couple of years.
The black walls also draw attention while a large painting in the home’s main living space is by friend and painter Jennie De Groot.
There are also many other artwork features around the house by Tocker too, who is a glass artist.
She and her husband Mike built the house in 2016 for their family, two daughters Rubie and Hazel, to move into from Ōhaupo.
The pavilion-style house is on a lane and has a quiet courtyard which leads to the front door.
The house occupies most the property's footprint but there are many small, outdoor spaces created, following the shape of the building.
There are spaces “for every season of the year”, Tocker said.
“We didn't need a lot of outdoor room because when we open the French doors, you feel like you are outside.
“The big thing for me is form and functionality, to have spaces that have dual-purpose if possible, that’s all the way through the house.”
Tocker said the family “begged and borrowed” from home designs online before they came up with a concept plan for New Image Homes in Hamilton to start work on.
“One of the things we did was to use classic 1970s brick that you might see while driving around in Dinsdale [in Hamilton].
“We didn’t want the house to be ultra-modern, to be a house stuck in one particular era.
“But we did want it to be a nod to that classic period.”
There is a swimming pool with rural views at one end of the property and at the other end, near the lane, a studio was built for Tocker to focus on her career in art.
She has worked as a fulltime artist for 18 years and been in business for herself for about 14 years.
Most of her customers are home owners and she also supplies work to five galleries around the country.
NZ House and Garden Editor Naomi Larkin said Di Tocker’s house is all about colour and artwork.
“I’ve heard people come out and talk how they can see Di’s personality in the house. It has nice artwork ideas, Di has got her own style, which people have appreciated.
“The beauty of this tour is that we have got a great range of homes, everything from a modern-day castle, a house wrapped in corten steel, a relocated church and here, an artist’s studio.”
Larkin said the tour in Cambridge was one of the first to sell out. The last time the Waipā town was part of the tour was in 2015.
There were other tours this year in Dunedin, Christchurch, Kāpiti Coast and Auckland.
“Interest has been phenomenal, we had to increase the tour from one to two days for Cambridge.
“People have this intriguing, voyeuristic interest is seeing inside other peoples’ homes and we like to say it's a chance to have a first-person look inside the pages of NZ House and Garden.”
Larkin also said it was a show of support for the tour’s charity, Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
”The partnership we have allows these tours to provide a lot of funding each year.
”This year, it is a cash injection of $110,000 as well as a campaign public marketing package valued at around $120,000.
”The foundation is an organisation we think is really important to Aotearoa, the work they do is important to so many people and we’re really happy to partner with them.”
By Lawrence Gullery, Feb 14 2021
Stuff News
Glass Animals on show in Wellington
Steph Lusted has gathered together many talented artists and craftspeople from around New Zealand to create work to the supplied theme 'Animalia' - a group exhibition of works designed to celebrate the Animal Kingdom in all its beauty and fragility.
Executed by a collection of artists working in a diverse range of media and handcrafts this exhibiton will be sure to delight you. Please note this exhibtion will not be available online.
I have 2 works in this group exhibition - 'Intimate Infancy' and 'Blended Family' are one-off pieces and priced at NZ$2400. Please direct all enquiries to Steph Lusted
Opening - Monday 2 November 4.30 - 6.30pm
Exhibition - November 3 - December 5
Steph Lusted Jewellery & Objets d'Art
17 Whitmore St
Wellington
Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Friday 10:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pm
Otherwise by Appointment
Telephone: +64 (0) 4 470 7555
After Hours: +64 (0) 21 068 2631
New Zealand embraces Indicator glass series
I am so very thrilled with the reaction to my new Cast Glass series - Indicators.
Born from ideas hatched while in lockdown The Indicators represent directional change, choosing a differnt path and forward thinking. The Indicator glass sculptures are all hand crafted in my studio from 'reclaimed' studio glass - the offcuts of lead crystal from my cast glass gallery works. Because they are from reclaimed glass I can offer these direct to you from my studio. Three of the first four are off to new homes, I couldn't be happier that my work sparks a connection in people.
Here's what one client emailed me today after making payment
"Hi Di. Proof of bank deposit attached. WOW cant believe it. He'll be our forever reminder of this 6 plus weeks at home (although scary, I've enjoyed hanging on the farm.and not commuting to work) he'll remind us of how we looked forward... in so many ways. So so so cool.
So many logical reasons not to... yet so strongly compelled to bring him in our lives.
THANK YOU"
And as promised I have completed the last video showing the studio processes involved in casting the Indicator series. If you are interested in purchasing an Indicator please get in touch. They will only be availabe when reclaimed glass stocks allow and I will be making to order.
Auckland Art Fair goes Virtual
As you may know the Auckland Art Fair was cancelled along with many other significant events. The organisers have now created the 2020 Virtual Art Fair. The online edition gathers 30 galleries from New Zealand and Australia who will each display the exhibition that would have otherwise been seen at the Fair, all viewable for free from your computer.
The Virtual Art Fair will be accessible to all, at no cost and from the comfort of your home from 11am on April 30.
Part 2 video - 'Indicator' glass series
In this next video I will show you the mold making process to create plaster/silica molds for my latest glass casting project, a new series of cast glass artworks called 'Indicators'. Born out of the need to be resourceful during the Covid 19 pandemic, I am casting a new small series of glass artworks using 'reclaimed' studio glass. Recycling the lead crystal off-cuts from gallery glass pieces will enable me to offer the 'Indicator' pieces direct from my studio and website www.ditocker.nz
In this video the molding process for creating kiln molds from plaster and silica materials will be thoroughly demonstrated, as will steaming wax from the molds, selecting and preparing the lead crystal for kiln firing and loading the kiln.
Check out my last video (part 1) where I discuss glass colour selection, my thought process behind designing a new series and share how I work with wax for the method of lost wax casting.
Part 3 will reveal the cast lead crystal pieces. I will divest the cast glass from the molds and look at glass polishing techniques.
I am taking expressions of interest for this small series as they will be limited to stocks of reclaimed lead crystal glass that I have on hand. To register your interest in purchasing an 'Indicator' piece please feel welcome to call or email me.
Indicator glass series - video part 1
I have just launched my first video in a while and it makes me a little uncomfortable. But I'm sharing none the less because I'm very excited to tell you about my new project...
On this video I share with you my latest glass casting project, a new series of cast glass artworks called 'Indicators'. Born out of the need to be resourceful during the Covid 19 pandemic, I am going to cast a new small series of glass artworks using 'reclaimed' studio glass. Recycling the lead crystal off-cuts from gallery glass pieces will enable me to offer the 'Indicator' pieces direct from my studio
In this video (part 1) I will discuss glass colour selection, my thought process behind designing a new series and share how I work with wax for the method of lost wax casting. In the next video (coming soon!) I will share with you the molding process for creating kiln molds from plaster and silica materials, steaming wax from the molds, selecting and preparing the lead crystal for kiln firing and loading the kiln.
Part 3 will reveal the cast lead crystal pieces. I will divest the cast glass from the molds and look at glass polishing techniques. I welcome your comments. If you like this video please share and more importantly subscribe to my channel for more updates from a Cast Glass Studio in Cambridge, New Zealand.
I am taking expressions of interest for this small series as they will be limited to stocks of reclaimed lead crystal glass that I have on hand. To register your interest in purchasing an 'Indicator' piece, flick me an email or pick up the phone.
Viewing glass artwork post-lockdown
Our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern let us know what the next 3 weeks will look like for New Zealanders yesterday.
Level 4 to level 3
For me, not too much will change at home; the 2 teenagers will still be learning from home and my husband will be working from home also - the cat will still be sleeping! The biggest change will be that I can now use couriers and dispatch the stack of parcels at the door.
Galleries and viewing glass
Galleries will remain closed for sometime yet, as normal shopping is not yet happening. I work with 6 galleries around NZ selected for their willingness to know me and my glass work well. These galleries all have great websites, and I do encourage you to browse online and make contact with them as I know they are missing instore visitors big-time. What better time to make changes and additions to your own home after you have been staring at these walls attentively for the past 4 weeks!
I have spent considerable time during lockdown updating my website, ensuring that all available cast glass artworks out there in the NZ galleries are visible online. The glass studio online gallery is up to date with cast glass pieces that you can purchase contactless through online shopping.
Making glass to order
It has become apparent to me that to move successsfully forward in 2020 and beyond, I will need to allocate my business dollars wisely. By making glass art to order I can do this. If I know that a piece or two in each kiln load is 'sold' before I create it, then my bank balance is working for me.
I welcome you to contact me to discuss your ideas for a glass artwork you maybe interested in. Remember enquiries do not equal obligation! I have a page dedicated to explaining the make to order process.
I'd love to hear from you!
I wish you well in your bubble till we can meet in person again.
Di
Testimonial for Fluid series glass artwork
I first saw Di’s glass online on Instagram. I work with glass myself and I particularly love pieces that are made by ‘working deep’. There is something so special about a deep cast piece of glass that has been lovingly coldworked to transparency.
When I saw Di’s cast glass work, I immediately connected to it, especially the Submerge series reminding me of the Polar places that I love. I also appreciate how incredibly difficult it is to create these cast glass pieces. Hours of painstaking work make Di’s cast glass artworks very special.
I purchased Submerge #9 directly from Di without seeing the glass as I live in England. Di’s communication was excellent, clear, and in tune with my distance and the fact that it was just before Christmas!
When it arrived my new glass sculpture was more beautiful that I had imagined. I filmed myself opening it (Instagram strikes again!) and I was literally speechless! The glass sculpture was fabulously packaged. The weight of it, the sound of it, the colours; it is an experience I won’t forget!
Purchasing this special glass artwork was a big outlay. I knew Di knew this too, which was lovely. But I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. In fact, I would have paid twice over I love it so much!
Eryl Holt, England
More testimonials