Mary Barron is the Flying Arts Artist taking part in the Sam Rit Residency and Cultural Exchange. Here she talks about how her latest workshop went in this rural Thai community.

More wonderful completed pieces came back today – the beautiful multi-coil based baskets started in the last workshop.

Today we made coiled newspaper jewelry: pendants and earrings. The participants are keen to each have a set of jewelry like mine to wear to the project event and exhibition of the creations from the workshops. We will be coating them with Shellac and making cords for the pendants in the next workshop.

The participants are wonderfully happy with their work. One woman looked at the second earring she was working on, sighed, then exclaimed, “It is even more beautiful than the first one!” They all roared with laughter.

When she finished it, she held up hers beside one of mine and asked, “Which is mine and which is the teacher’s?” They all laughed even harder. We have been having so much fun in the workshops.

In January and February 2016, Queensland’s Flying Arts Alliance is undertaking a cultural exchange and artist residency in Sam Rit Region in North Eastern Thailand, supported by the Australia Government through the former Australia-Thailand Institute, now merged into the Australia-ASEAN Council, and part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.