SPOTS AND DOTS

Light of the Moon (detail) by Judy Martin


What is it about spots? There's something so appealing about them. Spots, speckles, dots..... and circles. Guinea fowl feathers immediately come to mind. Finding a guinea fowl feather even if I've found several in one day somehow feels lucky. It must be the spots!



Light of the moon by Judy Martin


When I discovered this painting on Judy's blog I felt the same way I feel when finding Guinea Fowl feathers. Lucky and uplifted.

Omo, Ethiopia by photographer Hans Silvester

I love Hans Silvester's photo series of the Omo tribe in Ethiopia. I have one of his books on my coffee table. It is fascinating .... and filled with spotty, dotty body painting. See more here.

Mobile Table(1) by Laura Howard

Laura Howard's felt art is as bright and cheerful as this photograph of her work table. See here at Lupin Handmade. I love this photograph! It would make a wonderful painting.

"Lupin Handmade is run by me, Laura "Lupin" Howard. I'm a not-quite-grown-up girl living in England who likes to make stuff. I drink a lot of tea, am partial to a nice bit of cake and am completely obsessed with felt."

Rainbow Circles by Laura Howard

Color Study (recycled metal) by David Buckingham. Costello-Childs Contemporary Fine Art

Fibonacci 31 by Jylian Gustlin


I couldn't resist including another piece by Jylian Gustlin . (See my Black and White post here).

Travelogue by Giles Bettison


"GilesBettison is a master glass artist from Adelaide, SA, Australia. He has evolved the ancient Venetian technique called "Murrini" or mosaic glass to construct patterned sheets from colored glass canes. He cuts and combines these sheets to build his luminous vessels piece by piece."


Tubule, Soft Cell Tissue Series by Jessica Drenk

Jessica Drenk constructed this piece from singed toilet rolls coated in wax.

CALLING UP THE SNAKES

It's been a good, productive day working out in the courtyard. I live for these long bouts of carving, alone with my thoughts .......

Well not completely alone.



As I bent down to pick up a few scraps of wood ...... hey that's not wood!

With my husband away I had to do the manly thing and manoeuvre the snake into a cooler box, slam down the lid and cart him off to the river before Bella the Foxy did him some harm. It was a good feeling watching him glide effortlessly through the fallen leaves .... poetry in motion.


27 th September: The snake has since been identified as an Olive House Snake. Not venomous at all and according to the snake expert .... a lovely little snake.

NATURE WALK

Assemblage Box by Gaby Bieberle. Do click on the photo to enlarge. Visit Gaby's blog here.


There's nothing quite like a nature walk for soothing the mind and clearing the way for new ideas. Julia Cameron suggests walking for creative renewal. "We speak of 'food for thought' but seldom realize that as artists we need thought for food. Walking, with it's constant inflow of new images, gives us new thoughts that nourish us. It replenishes our overtapped creative wells and gives us a sense of ... well, wellness."


Small Collector Box by Gaby Bieberle

I have found beautiful images which take me back to my childhood on the farm where I spent blissful days wandering through veld and forest, gathering treasures. I remember idyllic beach holidays pottering in rock pools, filling pockets with cowries and pebbles. My mind bubbled with ideas. I couldn't wait to get back to my notebooks and write them all down. Nowdays I keep a tiny notebook and pencil stub in my pocket when I go walking ..... and a folded packet for gatherings.

Maine Collective by Lisa. Mixed media collage/assemblage. Visit Lisa's blog here to enlarge the photo.

"Every year, as a family we spend a week in Maine on the cusp of summer ..... before the crowds arrive. It's a wonderful, peaceful opportunity to search for natural treasures hiding in the marshes, beaches and woods." - Lisa


Stones decorated with symbols 1 by Jos van Wunnik. See more of his intriguing work on Flickr, here.



Stone and Wood with Hole by Jos van Wunnik



Virgin Stone by Jos van Wunnik


Super Spore by Richard Shilling. See more of Richard's land art here on Flickr.



Colour Leaf Sun Star by Richard Shilling


And now for pure enchantment .....

Photograph by Jeff Owen Photos. Sculpture by Bruno Torf. Bruno's Art and Sculpture Garden, Marysville, Australia.

There are (or were) hundreds of the most stunning sculptures in Bruno's Art and Sculpture Garden, Maryville, Australia. Earlier in the year bushfires swept through the garden and destroyed many of them. Go here to see more..... I insist :-)

Photo by Gavin Anderson

LOVE IT, HATE IT, BUT MAKE IT

This week I've been feeling particularly scattered and running low on energy. I'm not sure if its because I have too much on the go, hopping from one thing to the other, feeling as if I'm working but actually ending up with little to show for it at the end of the day ..... or maybe I'm already talking myself into the hot summer blues. South African summers do tend to make me foul tempered but every year I give myself a good talking to .... "make the best of it ...there's nothing you can do about it". That doesn't always help of course.

I stumbled upon a quote that inspired me, on Judy Martin's wonderful blog.

"Make your work.
Make your work constantly.
Love it.
Hate it.
But make it." - Stephanie Diamond

That is what I'm going to focus on during the coming week.

Make your work.

Make your work constantly.

Love it.

Hate it.

But make it.

NOMKHUBULWANE

Last week we took a trip down to Durban to deliver a few of my carvings to the gallery shop and were delighted to see they were exhibiting one of Andries Botha's fantastic life-size elephants.

Nomkhubulwane is woven out of recycled car tyres.

"Nomkhubulwane is the Zulu Goddess of rain, nature, and fertility, and is regarded as the Mother Earth. She is believed to be capable of changing into different types of animals. The name Nomkhubulwane means "she who chooses the state of an animal." - Andries Botha.

There are currently 14 elephants made by Botha and his team. These are placed in many locations around the world.

This isn't the first time I have featured Botha's elephants on my blog. (See here.) These are the elephants that stole my heart. No wonder .....they are contructed of thousands of little pieces of wood and the longer they remain outdoors the more weathered they become.

The top three photographs are mine but the other photographs come from Andries Botha's website. Wander over to see more amazing work by this South African sculptor .

CARVED POCKET GODDESS - LUCKY DRAW

I was going to wait for my 200th post before having a giveaway but I'm experiencing such a warm feeling of gratitude toward all who visit my blog that I've decided to have a give away now as well as on my 200th post.

Being a part of this community is extremely rewarding. Many a comment has arrived at just the right moment to lift me up when my spirits are low or inspire me when I seem to have no creative spark or just to give me a nudge to remind me that "hey, there are good caring people out there!"

So, good people! ....the regulars who pitch up and leave comments post after post, others who visit when they have time, those who are followers, some who email me links and share ideas or post me mail art, cuttings, news and friendship ....and the lurkers who tiptoe in and tiptoe out again ..... I'm just so grateful that you would bother to read what I write or look at anything I happen to dish up on the page.

Leave a comment here before the 18th September if you would like a chance to win a tiny carved pocket goddess (6cm tall) and a few other bits and pieces from South Africa.

And the winner is ........ Jo Archer!

BLACK AND WHITE

Kuba Cloth (Bark cloth) from Democratic Republic of Congo. Hamill Gallery.


I may be obsessed by shades of white at the moment but black and white together have always made my heart race. I've been encorporating black and white pattern into my work for years (see my profile photo:-) ... from painting, beading and jewellery making to paper mache and carving.

Here are a few images that make my day. (Thanks to Leslie for emailing me some of the links and Donna whose interesting link list lead me to new artists)

Echo 2 by Graceann Warn



Recycled fabric by Jylian Gustlin

Counterpoint#5 by Janet Jones

Each other 2 by Helen Carnac. Vitreous enamels on steel.

Three by Nicholas Wilton

Charred black and white walls by Terunobu Fujimori

SHADES OF WHITE

My latest obsession is white and the many shades of white. The photograph above comes from an old paint catalogue which I saved in the back of a drawer. Apparently there are more shades of white available than any other colour. Looking into the photograph you can see so many different shades ...... which makes it really difficult to choose the best colour/s to paint my walls. Not that I will be painting my house any time soon since I'm still so busy with my carvings!


In the mean time it's inspiring just to wallow in all these fantastic finds ........ and wander over to my dear friend Leslie's blog, Textures, Shapes and Color, where she shares her ponderings and her beautiful paintings of a similar palette.

The pieces above and below are created by South African ceramisists, Gerhard Swart and Anthony Harris, who specialize in striking installations for walls and tables.

"Place setting...a spirit voucher" by Gerhard swart and Anthony Harris. 122 X 244CM, Earthenware Ceramic.

Plates by Clementina Van der Walt, a leading name in South African Ceramics. Kim Sacks Gallery.



White Exhibition at the Hamill Gallery

Waiting 2 by Nina Rupena. Oil and stencil on canvas.

White-Story by Susanne Carmack

Journey to Pawhuska by John Douglas. Miranda Galleries.

Colour of Words by Wosene Kosrof

Rainy Day Tales by Anna Torma. Hand embroidery.