African Mask

African Mask

Wednesday, 28 December 2011

All things bright and Beautiful

Whilst we were sailing from the Cook Islands to New Zealand via Tonga I drew and painted a Flame Lilly. The plant is indigenous to Zimbabwe, Africa and is in fact the country's national flower. Every person who has lived there and seen it growing in the wild is forever effected by it. the plant's colours are vibrant and the plant is wonderfully unusual, so I had a marvelous time painting it. I may paint others, because there are various types of the plant that produce an interesting range of different shaped flowers. So keep checking my shop to see the updates. :-D

A close-up of some of the petals
A close-up of the stamens.

Thanks for having a look. I'll be back soon. :-D

Thursday, 1 December 2011

The Protea an Indigenous Flower of Africa

I was surfing the net one day and whilst I was crusing through FaceBook one of my friends from way back when called me up on chat. Mary-Kate was so pleased to find me online and we had a great time. During this conversation she mentioned that she was redoing her home and wondered if I was going to do some paintings of African indigenous flowers. Well I told her that I'd been serously considering it but hadn't gotton around to getting anything done. She asked me to have a go at a Protea and a Flame lilly. She also wants a picture of Guinea Fowl and a Striletzia. Okay I replied I'll have a go at them. Little did I know just how involved the Protea was going to be. whew it took such a long time to paint and they way I decided to do it made it even more difficult. But I think all in all it has turned out very well.

So I made a small video showing the progress of the work. I hope you enjoy it :-D

Friday, 14 October 2011

What and Why... African influences.

I have wondered recently if the readers of this blog expect only posts about things African? If so then I think we should put matters straight.

I paint things found under the vast oceans that cover our world. I also paint African wild life and flowers.
Yes I am planning to be painting some African wild flowers.....soon I promise...
Anyway I digress, I will always have Africa in me, the vast lands, the sunsets, the hot, sometimes dry, summers and cold, sometimes icy, winters...the millions of stars I grew up seeing, not realising that many people never see stars, because of city lights.

A small section of Victoria Falls.
It's not a fire...it's a sunset

I was so very fortunate to have been born there and to have grown up in such a wonderful easy relaxed atmosphere. The thing is, I'm not in Africa any more so posts from me are going to have to be about what has influenced or triggered the eventual item I've finally created.
For example....the underwater creations I produce are and always will be inspired by my first visit to Mozambique, back in the early 70's...yeah it unbelievable how long ago that was..I'm surely a fossil by now :-D...anyway digressing again...Mozambique was a place we'd go for two or three weeks every now and then and it was there that first I was introduced to walking on the reefs,'with takkies on our feet' (sneakers or trainers to the rest of the world), to protect us from the sharp edges of coral and mussel shells. Our Mom showed us little tidal pools of water where sea anemones, snails, fish, starfish, tube worms with their gorgeous feathery tendrils all lived. I was mesmerised and my brother and I would spend hours watching them. We also learned how to collect fresh mussels off the reef and then we'd cook and eat them that night for dinner. It's not surprising that my brother is an Ichthyologist- Fisheries Scientist - today.
Clear waters.


As I got older I was introduced to snorkeling and a new wonder world was opened up to me. I was totally hooked on the ocean. The water there is so unbelievably crystal clear you feel as if you are floating on nothing. In 40ft of water you feel as if you can reach down and sift the sand through your fingers. It was the first and only place I've ever seen a giant clam. It was easily 4ft long. I've told others about it but I sometimes see a skeptical look in their eyes. Still, I saw it and that's enough for me.

In the Tuamotu's clear waters..lovely.
I thought that all of earths oceans were as beautiful as this, the coast of Mozambique...WRONG! I've been places where the water is so brown or green that you cannot see more than 1 meter in front of you..and still I snorkeled it to try and see what lives in that soup. This was not caused by pollution, but by rivers. When the river flows into the ocean..for example the Amazon or any of it's offshoots, there is a lot of debris from the forest that gets swept down and out into the ocean, so much so that for many miles around the colour of the water is permanently tinted.

There are other places such as Hawaii where the water is crystal clear but for some reason corals do not do well there and so you have be satisfied with the range of fish...of which there are many. :-D However I've been spoiled by Mozambique. My partner David, has dived in the Persian Gulf and he is waiting to see Mozambique, he thinks the Gulf might be better..ha ha

Now I dived in Tortola, BVI and was pleasantly surprised, snorkeled in the Grenadines and had happy time there too..oh yes also the Venezuelan Islands, los Roquos, Aves etc..and the ABC islands...and here in the south Pacific...great places to snorkel...BUT I am still drawn back to Moz. and my memories from there, and therefore even in my painting of ocean animals I am influenced by Africa.

So our posts here might not be about Africa per se but about something that we've created BECAUSE of Africa and it's influence on us.

I've recently finished a series of Starfish and have posted them up on my Etsy site. You may not believe me that these are real. I've written about them on another blog called Quilters, Fabric Art and Creative Sewing.  http:/sylviesdesigns.blogspot.com  You can see the photo's I took of them, there, along with the painted versions. The article is called, Starfish or Sea Stars. :-D

Friday, 30 September 2011

Welcome! To our newest Authors :-D

Well, I've finally managed to get into a place where I can sit and wax lyrical about some interesting people who have decided to join this blog page. Internet has been iffy for me these last few months, what with sailing about to deserted Islands, Atolls and Motus......not complaining mind you..but when we do get somewhere, where there is a connection i have such a back log of things to sort that time just flies by.

I have managed to upload the info on our newest Authors though and they are : La Antigua, Yasmintoo!, The African Diaspora, Vynns Ravelings and most recently B-Attitudes.

La Antigua makes some quilts, more bags but she also sells fantastic fabric imported from Africa....it''s beautiful stuff. Definitely a must see!
  
Yasmintoo! has gorgeous hand dyed silk and cotton fabrics for sale. She has also made some small works of fiber art . So tempt yourself and have a peek at her shop.

The African Diaspora hmmm well you just gotta see what these folks are making! Exciting tops and skirts and dresses..man the colours are just scintillating. Ever heard of the 'Mandella' shirt? well I saw a ladies version on their site...

Vynns Ravelings The Coolest Craziest jewelry ever seen. I just love the pale olive headdress featured in the ad down on the left side of this post. It's really something. I love her stuff! go on...yeah go on..have a look at it.

B-Attitudes Ahhh YES! This girl has the knack of creating the zaniest Sandals. She gets them in from Kibera, Africa. They are made for her by people she has gone over to meet personally and they have become friends. Yup! Check her shop out it's rather fascinating to see all the designs, and know that they are all carefully hand made.

Well there you have it :-) Items of beauty from far and wide available because of these lovely people.

I'm really looking forward to their posts.....I hope you are too :-D












Sunday, 18 September 2011

Kibera!

People have asked my why I care so much about Kibera and so I thought I would share the story with you. Kibera is a slum in Nairobi, Kenya which is said to be 1 square mile big and estimated to be home to people between 400,000 to 1,000,000 dependent on who is reporting the information. I met a young man through facebook some time back and we built a good friendship and eventually started communicating through skype. I would always ask him to describe his home to me, the people, land, food, music etc. He seemed to be optimistic but had struggles there which he seldom told me about. One day after burdens became too much he asked the question: " I wonder if God still remembers we are here?" It was in that moment that I felt something come over me (holy spirit for those that don't know) and I knew that was my personal charge to do SOMETHING to help. What I decided to do was ask how I can help. What we decided to do was build a collaborative which will enable artisans in Kibera to bring there work to the American market. They are so grateful and hope has been restored to them. I care because of they are my friends. I care because I am able to do so and provide them hope. I care because that is the person that I am. I care because my friend Kevin should me how to. If you look at my profile picture it is a picture of the curious children there in Kibera. Despite there grave circumstances, they possess some of the biggest smiles I have ever seen. I care because of them. If we do not take care of them who will? I encourage you to learn more about Kibera and to make a friend with someone there or work with an organization that is reputable. There are SO MANY organizations that say they are helping but if you ask the people they will tell yo that they do not receive the benefits or it is so random they cannot rely on it. I hope I have peeked your interest in Kibera and you do take the time to learn more. It is a beautiful place. More to come...

Friday, 2 September 2011

Flowers and books

Well it seems that things have been quiet here on the blog for a while.....seems we've all been rushing around doing others stuff and ignoring all you wonderful readers...shame on us!!! As you probably know I've been sailing from Panama to the Marquises...actually we are in Tahiti now...and have finally found a cafe where you can buy a beer and then go online..up till now we have been paying between USD$5.00 and E 5.50 an hour for internet, so I think that my excuse for not blogging is a great one...still I'll try and be a bit more active.... :-

So when we were sailing across that huge expanse of water I managed to find the time (it was quite an exhausting trip) to actually get some painting done....I had posted either on here or my other blog called ...umm what is it now...oh yes, it's Quilters, Creative Art and Sewing... :-D, a picture of a rose I was thinking of painting...well after a few abortive attempts I finally managed a few different paintings...so I thought 'd post them for you all to see...and criticise.. :-D





Other than these I haven't done anything new....oh I lie...I've written a fun little book that helps a person provision their boat, van, 5th wheel, land rover, whatever, for long trips...along with tips on how to keep fruit and veg free of mould without a fridge....and also some nice simple easy recipes that absolutely anyone can follow and enjoy.

It's called...Feeding the Skipper! :-D

Cheers all, hope you enjoyed this one :-D




Sunday, 3 July 2011

Out of Africa

Okay, I was not born in Africa. I was actually born in Madrid, Spain, which is not so far from Africa. There are only some 15 kilometers from the southernmost point of Spain to Africa and, besides, there still are two enclaves in Africa that belong to Spain: Ceuta and Melilla.
Now, my ancestors were born in Africa. Just because they may have left the continent 100,000 years ago does not make me less African, does it?
Truth be told, I have not lived there either. I spent one week in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1984, and one whole month in Mali, in 2001. That was it.
It was in Mali when I started buying African fabrics. At that time, I just loved them and had to have them, did not know what I was going to do with so many of them. I also learned the Bogolan technique from some artists and of course purchased some things. That trip was a life-changing experience in many senses. When I went back home, I realized something quite common in the Western style: people do not care very much about their clothes and their appearance. I mean, the importance of how we dress as a proof of respect for other people and ourselves.
I made some clothes for myself with those fabrics. People liked them, but some said they would not dare to wear those big prints and bold colors. Why?, I wonder. I guess it is because they do not want to draw any attention. Those colors and prints sure get attention.
I love fabric, all the fabric, but African fabric is always a joy for the eye, a celebration, a reminder of the harsh sun, wild storms, the sounds of balafons, koras and beaten drums.
The return to my ancestors' land.




These fabrics and more are available in my shop.

Friday, 24 June 2011

African fabric prints!

Have you ever noticed that African fabrics have an almost otherworldly beauty? Colors and designs and textures that a Western-raised person would never even consider combining all mingle in a wonderful, beautiful symphony. Even the very basic, functional items are adorned with beautiful designs.

The following two watercolors are part of a small series I am painting of children in Africa. Those who have visited my Etsy shop MossyRockDesigns may know that we are in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia, so my mind and my prayers have been dwelling on orphans. This, in turn, inspired these two and the other 10 paintings in this series.

This little ACEO was so much fun to paint, I think I will paint a series in the near future that shows several African women, each wearing differently printed clothes.

I carry my own son around in a sling all the time. This little guy doesn't look too happy about having his picture taken, but he is as snug as a bug in a rug.

If you would like to see more of the paintings in this series, please visit my art blog, HERE.

Saturday, 4 June 2011

Quilting in Africa.

When I lived in South Africa, in the '80's and '90's, I had a business called Iris Creations. The reason for the name was that both my Mother and I have Iris as one of our names. I dyed and painted the fabric and my Mom did the sewing. Then one day I realised that maybe I should know a bit about quilting seeing as I dyed fabric for all the quilters in South Africa, and some people internationally too. :-D

I hunted about and found a lady who taught quilting from her home. She did a 5 day intensive course with a small discount in price if I could encourage another person to join me. Well I'd already decided that my Mom and I were going to do this together so that was a nice little bonus. :-)

We lived in a little farming community about 80 km from Pretoria, the Capital City of South Africa. The course was in Pretoria, so that meant we had to drive in every day. This wasn't a hardship at all...my Mom and I were so excited about this, that we chatted and chatted and the trip passed in no time at all...
The course taught us 9 different types of patch working..we sewed a block of each type and then put them together to make a lap quilt.

The Patchwork that I found the most fun and of course the easiest was the Nine Patch. So I set about practicing it till, I think, I was fairly proficient. I then started to put together Nine Patch Kits, complete with instructions, selling them at the quilt shows and to quilt guilds around the country. This expanded into people asking me to design blocks with a specific theme, which I'd do..then I'd dye fabric for that theme, paint the blocks, cut all the pieces required and package them with batting, backing and instructions. It was fun but very time consuming.

One day my phone rang and to my surprise the caller was a lady from South Africa's Leading Needlework and Craft Magazine, Talking Threads! She'd heard of my quilts and wanted to do a story on them. I was flabbergasted and enormously flattered all at the same time ;-)
We got together and did the interview. I was asked to write up a tutorial on how I made these quilts. I didn't have a camera in those days, so I had to manipulate the whole thing through the computer. They loved it. I  was so excited! Then I didn't hear anything for a while. I was immersed in my work and so time flew by. Several months later they called me and ordered a whole lot of the Nine Patch Quilt kits. I asked what was happening and they said that they wanted stock for when the edition # 20 came out. I got all excited all over again, and was even more busy trying to deal with my regular orders and all this as well.

What they hadn't told me was.......................... My quilt was going to be on the front cover of the Magazine!!!  I was totally blown away when I found out!
The front Cover.
 Inside the Talking Threads was a full three pages showing my quilt and how to make it. Because the Talking Threads had stocked up with the kits..people could get them at a reduced price, a great bargain for beginner quilters.
My Quilt.
 The fabric had all been dyed by me and then stenciled on top of the dye. I had designed 4 different quilts so that people would have a choice.
Other Choices.
All in all it was a great time for me. My business was doing well and I was one happy lady. ;-D

Recently I tried to find out if Talking Threads was still pumping out their fantastic mag, but I couldn't find anything online. Not that, that means anything really..but I did wonder.

Still sailing....this is a scheduled post..just to keep you all on your toes.. lol


Tuesday, 24 May 2011

My African Quilt!

Long long time ago, back in the day when ...oh sorry wrong story..ahem..*sheepish grin*
In 2001 I dyed some fabric. Then I stenciled some designs onto it. I painted 6 panels with what was almost African rock drawings..but a bit more... today ..is the only word I can think of. It was a lot of fun. I showed the pieces to my Mom and we discussed how it should go together. Then I put it aside...various things were happening in my life, my son got married, I went on to a sailing school on a Coastal Skipper's course for a month to gain experience on large keel boats. Up till then I'd only sailed small dinghy racers. Suddenly I was offered a trip, from Durban, South Africa to Chesapeake Bay near Washington DC. All I had to do was help sail the boat there. I jumped at it and my life turned upside down...what to do with the house, the car etc..I solved it all by handing the keys to my son and said.."here you go my boy..how about taking over..not sure when I'll be back..maybe never....I might like it out there you know"....ha ha he he he ..

Anyway I digress, I'm always doing that..:-p...here are some photo's of the quilt and then some close-ups of different sections.
My African quilt in our Aft Cabin.
One of the hand painted blocks.

Another of the blocks.

Still another.. :-)
Notice the tiny loin on the gold square?
This is the lion...

 There are other animals in the other corners.
A Hippo yawning...

An Elephant.
A Giraffe drinking..

A Warthog mom and her babies.
 These are stencils of different homes built around Africa. Some of them are beautifully painted with designs in bright colours.
This is an overall view of the quilt...taken on the boat outside.

An overall view.
This quilt has been everywhere with me..usually it was stuffed into my back pack and dragged around from boat to boat..whichever one I happened to be working on at the time :-) I also often threw it into the washing machine along with other stuff...no protection and not on the delicate cycle...I decided that it would be a good test to see if my colours lasted..and I'm very happy with the result....:-D
.
No, I'm not back in circulation yet :-D I wrote this whilst still in Panama and the scheduled it to post today..Just to keep you all on your toes. :-)

Sunday, 22 May 2011

I say "Watercolors" - you say "Water Colours"...

I love encountering examples of different spellings of the same word - just like the [toe-mah-toe] vs. [toe-may-toe] pronunciation differences. :o)

Thank you, first of all, to Sylvie for the warm welcome.

I have enjoyed browsing the posts by other members - you are all so very creative and talented!

My name is Katie, and you can visit my Etsy shop HERE. I'm a stay-at-home mother of two sweet little boys, and I have a wonderful computer-geek husband who loves spending time with his boys while I hide at my art table and paint. We are currently in the middle of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia.



My passion is painting watercolor illustrations - mostly of children, but I don't let that limit me. People frequently comment that watercolors (water colours) are so difficult to work with. I really don't think so - once you have developed a method.

I used to work mostly in acrylic paint, but then I had kids, and there was the huge green acrylic paint stain on my livingroom rug -incident, courtesy of my son trying to paint a yellow balloon green with my paint. Water coloring has the advantage that you can do it virtually anywhere, can interrupt your project at any time (without having to worry about drying out and ruining your paint brushes, or wasting paint), and clean-up is quick and easy!

Water coloring is so much fun, I hope everyone will at least give it a try.

If you are just starting to explore watercolors, I recommend starting with a few small ACEOs, which are 2.5"x3.5" in size. With a pencil and a ruler, draw the outlines for 3 or 4 ACEOs onto a piece of watercolor paper side-by-side with a small white edge around each. In this small size, you don't even have to worry about properly mounting the paper onto a board, you really can just use some painters tape all around the edges to affix it to a flat surface.

One of the advantages of this small size is that you are really just painting a few small doodles - you can work quickly, and actually FINISH your projects. I really hate unfinished projects - who wants to come back to a project months (or years) later, when the spark of imagination has moved on?!

Here are a few of my tricks/methods:
1.) Plan your layout. Use a hard pencil to make fine pencil lines of your subject. Don't bother about too much detail.

2.) Use a very fine, waterproof, acid free black pen to draw the outlines. Do this when you have a steady hand (NOT after a cup of coffee, or after lifting weights). You can add as much or as little detail as you like. Or, just skip this step altogether if you don't want black lines.

3.) Start with the lightest colors, and work your way up the color scale to the dark ones. Watercolor pigments can lift right off your paper and swim over onto other parts... so if you want pure colors, you want to make sure to start with light colors. Green is notorious for lifting back off.



4.) Make sure you let each color dry completely before starting the next! (Unless you are wanting your colors to swim together, which can be very attractive for backgrounds and some parts of the foreground!) I'm an impatient person, so THIS is why I paint several paintings at a time - I work on the next one while letting the other one dry.

5.) Know when to STOP. With watercolors, LESS is often MORE.



6.) Enjoy yourself, experiment (use some table salt for interesting backgrounds, let some paint flow together, explore different subjects), and HAVE FUN! There isn't really one "right way" to paint with watercolors. I'm self-taught, and learned through experimenting. There are also lots of library books and "how to" websites out there.


I like to paint things in little sets of 2, 3, or 4 paintings. The "Hair Time" paintings (my current best-seller in my Etsy shop) came into being as one of these sets.

7.) Protect your art by either spraying it with a non-yellowing fixative, and/or storing it in an acid free plastic sleeve. Make sure to sign, date, and label your art with pencil on the back. It's easy to keep track at first, but after you have painted 600+ paintings, you really can't remember when you painted something. It's also important for the purpose of collectors - they want to know when your painting was painted!

8.) Don't be afraid of failure. If you look on eBay, ACEOs of all skill levels are being sold. I don't love every single ACEO I paint. If I dislike one, I don't spray it with fixative, but wait a few weeks, and sometimes rework it, or change it completely by adding other media. I try very hard NOT to outright throw a project away. Years later, one of these imperfect projects may become your favorite.

If you want to sell your art, you can either sell the original, you can sell prints (or both). I have found that you get much better prints from taking a well-lit (daylight) photo of your painting than if you try scanning. Scanners really do not like watercolors. They don't pick up light blues and other pale colors, and they make color edges look more pronounced.

What is your favorite medium for your art? What is your favorite subject?

Welcome to Mossy Rock Designs!

Just in Time! That's what it is. She emailed me last night...and we are setting sail today..finally..:-D So here we have our newest member of the blog.
Have you seen her ART? Great Water colours! Water colours is the hardest medium to conquer ..I should know because I'm an artist and I'm still trying to get it right...

There you have it....some more interesting stuff is going to be posted for your entertainment. :-D
now what picture can I post here..hmmmmmmm.......
My favourite of her pictures is the Chamelion ...I love it..I think I'll post a picture of an African Lizard...they grow to about 12 inches long.

Lovely pretty lizard. ;-)
Welcome!  we're looking forward to your blogs.

Monday, 16 May 2011

Attempts at Making Clutches

Okay... I never said I was a sewer, but I love to take on new projects and making handbags is something I've been trying to learn. The one clutch is double sided with beautiful shades of blue on one side and orange on the other. The other is made with some of my favorite fabric, Seminole fabric. It has a matching coin purse inside. I think they're nice. What do you think?


- Kamilah

Friday, 13 May 2011

IF MY PARTNER FARMS FISH AM I A FISHWIFE?

In this household we raise fish, earthworms, the roof, thorny issues....
But I am in my lofty tower sewing, painting, singing and having conversations with my African Inguni dog about colour and fabric choices.

The household meets in the evening for sundowners, dinner and discussion. We go over productivity. We compare the mouthbrooding of 300 fish spawn with the almost but not quite completed belt or handbag to be listed on Etsy. Someone suggests offering free fishlings with every belt. Others think a handbag full of tilapia mossambica might be a big draw card. I am stuck with the question of shipping.

The next day I return to my eyrie and begin to sew a wall hanging in warm African tones. The motifs are fish. Delicious chocolate, bronze, raisin, truffle, papaya are the fabrics that come to mind. The colours are edible. The fish are edible. The question returns; if my partner raises fish am I a fishwife?

A bit of Africa on the far side of the earth.


My brothers and I don't get to see each other very often because we live in different sections of the globe, different time zones, and one of them is a whole day ahead of me. Anyway one year when his birthday came around I decided to have some fun and so I painted him his own special card....it had an African theme to it of course.
I sent it to him along with a 'T' shirt that I'd bought...yeah I know..should have painted the 'T' shirt as well, but the one I got for him was very nice.

So it's just a bit of fun to make you all smile ;-D
Enjoy your day!

Wednesday, 11 May 2011

WELCOME! to Africa Pintail.

We have a new addition to our family. Welcome welcome welcome Africa Pintail. This creative lady lives in South Africa. So she has immediate African inspiration all around her...well most of the time. If you live in a city, they are like most city's around the world.....buildings, roads, traffic...not my cup of tea :-D
I think I speak for all of us when I say that we're happy to have you aboard and hope that you have FUN fun fun posting here.
I wondered if your shop name was after the Pin-Tailed Whydah? Such a beautiful African bird. I've put a link to African birds on the blog, under the heading "Extremely Interesting Links". :-D
Click HERE to listen to one singing.... at least I hope so...my flash player needs upgrading..so I haven't seen it yet.
See you soon.

Tuesday, 10 May 2011

True LOVE

Starting a business as a jewelry designer comes with a risk that you won't find in any textbooks on "How to Start a Business" or "How to Write a Business Plan". The risk I'm talking about is falling in LOVE... falling in LOVE with every piece you create. I believe every jewelry artist, creator of wearable art, and creators of art in general whether wearable or not is always in that all too well known space. What space you might ask? Let me take you there: You've selected the right colors and chosen the right patterns; measured and prepped; counted and strung, or weaved, or whatever; tied your last knot, or crimp, or... are you there yet? If you create other art you know the routine all too well also. The irony is... you should be falling in LOVE with everything you create. That's a sign that you're doing something right. Keep it up and everything else will fall into place.


For example: These earrings, they took a couple of hours to make but every minute was filled with excitement to see the finished product. They also took me to that "place" and I've decided that I want to share my LOVE for them with someone else who's feeling the LOVE.


Monday, 9 May 2011

WELCOME to Kamicoo Designs.

Yet another wonderful creator of things bright and beautiful has asked to be our latest Guest Blogger!!! YAY! We are happy about this, yes siree :-D
We're looking forward to reading your posts. So go for it and enjoy yourself. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me via my email :-D
Cheerio for now.
Join us do..come on in. :-)
Sylvie


Monday, 2 May 2011

Inspiration from Africa.

Hi,
I make blocks for people who sew. Sounds weird doesn't it. ha ha.. Blocks you think, what type of blocks?..can't be wood blocks....:-)  Well they are squares of fabric, 7.5 inches square and 9.5 inches square.. "Oh squares! well why didn't you say so in the first place?"...
"I know, I used to say that..but I've learned that in sewing circles, they are called blocks".
"Ahhhh okay..and so?"

At first I hand dyed the fabric and then hand painted sea creatures on them. Then someone said "Not everyone likes sea creatures you know"...hmmmmm Okay, I put on my thinking cap and eventually it stopped sleeping, struggled awake and gave me an idea. Let me try and paint African Wild animals and see what reaction I get to those. So far the reaction has been fairly good, and of course, I'm hoping for it to improve. haha.

Have a look at these then: The left hand column is from the range called "Late Afternoon". And the right hand column is from the range called  "After the Rains".
Buffalo.
Buffalo...
Elephant..there is one more.. :-)
Elephant.
Giraffe...
Giraffe...
leopard...looking at you. :-)
Leopard...
Lioness and cub...
The cub needs to have her nap.....shhhhh
Rhino...
   
Hey Dude, you want some grass?
The wild life have had a hard time with poachers in the last decade...but there are some dedicated people out there trying to keep them safe. In South Africa, there is one guy, Ian Merrifield and his wife running a charitable organisation called Daktari Wildlife Orphanage and a Bush School where he teaches children the importance of the wild animals to their culture and way of life. This is very important work.

Now why did I mention that? One of my brothers used to be a Game Ranger in Zimbabwe. He was always watching for poachers. The are the bane of the Rangers existence. My son and I used to go and stay with him. I felt so privileged you know, to be "behind the scenes" as it were...But in all the times I did stay with Kevin, I never saw a cat in the wild...not because there were none, but because they hid away..:-p not fair...I'm just going to have to go back to have a good look one of these days :-D





 :-D That's the range at the moment....If there are any requests I shall seriously consider them....leave a comment :-)
Have a great day!