Whip scorpion

I found a dead whip scorpion and wanted to dry it out in this position, so I could use it as a reference for mezzotints or an embossing of sorts.

Plastic plectranthus

There must be a way to make something like this with HDPE. ‘Something like this’ refers to the flower of the plectranthus (petiolaris). These are growing in spot on the windowsill, next to the orchids and the Mary.

I’ll have to melt and pinch the stem and separate the body - maybe with inserted paper or foil, like the back of the milk bottle brooches.

Scorpion?

In February last year (2013) I saw these scorpions in the white stinkwood tree.

They reminded me of the artist's mark of a, I think Nigerian, potter that I saw when I was a student. I thought the mark was wonderful in how it captured a visual essence of a scorpiion (nice spelling mistake!)

Patterns ... like elephant tracks

White Stinkwood in the morning - like elephant tracks

Elephant track in Imfolozi

First describe then explain ... first the 'what' then the 'why'. Does this mean that each blog post must have 2 paragraphs?

The White Stinkwood tree in front of the house provides perches and food for the birds and our early morning entertainment. We always have coffee and watch the sun rise and how the world wakes up. Staring at the stinkwood I noticed the twigs and the patterns that they make, and like when one stares at clouds and imagines all sorts of creatures, I see all sorts of things in these branches. I once saw a scorpion and it has now disappeared.

I think I knew that elephant tracks are like fingerprints, in that no two are the same and can be used to identify individuals, and Nunu confirmed it. I realised that these track patterns could be used as a reference when designing indigenous jewellery. A way of using elephants without being too explicit, which is one of the aims when trying to develop creative design; go beyond the obvious, beyond the cliche. Nunu then pointed out, to my delight, that the students have their own unique pattern references in the palm of their hands. 

Leaf patterns

Remember the mesopotamian trees



writing this on 20 March 2013... and I can't remember what I meant by the Mesopotamian trees... I think it had to do with carved relief slabs...

Chameleon

From Alson ... Sam with a chameleon that Alson (the gardener) brought

Doves

With the reference... A ring with a cast silver dove soldered on top

Kiepersol

References ... some leaves that I picked because they looked just right as references... I ended up using the one second from right for an embossing