More Bunting and the Painted Anvil
2007 was a really wet Glastonbury. In the run-up days to the festival my daughter and her friend had been holed up in her camper van working on a secret project which turned out to be the most beautiful bunting for me, which still festoons my festi set-up. Made of brightly coloured funky-foam, it features hammers, saws, top hats, bowlers, wine glasses, wine bottles (full and empty) and of course, anvils – and in amongst the inevitable black anvils, were bright pink ones.
“Oh, I really fancy a pink anvil.”
“I’ll see if I can blag some paint.”
It was the year Banksy had created Boghenge and there was no shortage of graffiti artists so a short while later, ever the expert blagger, back she came with paint and proceeded to up-cycle my anvil, its stand and the forge in shocking pink with a hibiscus flower pattern over the top. It was stunning and attention-grabbing. Suddenly she was in demand.
She painted Tools for Self-Reliance’s anvil with zebra stripes and their concrete covered bicycle wheel (which drives their pedal powered forge) with a spirals of footprints, human on one side, animal on the other.
Other anvils got more floral designs – and it was astonishing how many anvils there were.
My anvil has had many of my daughter’s paint incarnations since then – working on it wears and burns the paint, but it still carries the last one, which I will be loathe to cover over. A very talented artist friend painted it in purple and silver with some of my daughter’s own beautiful mandala derived designs, as a surprise for her glorious wedding which we celebrated in part as a blacksmith ceremony in bright August sunshine on top of a Welsh hillside with the strong spirit of family and festivals running through us.
Kate The Wordsmith 