Artifacts

Cutting the reverse applique.



















First part cut.



















This is where the idea came from. A Pre-Columbian gold alloy ornament from the Central Bank's gold museum.

I don't think this first piece will go anywhere, since it was more about experimenting with a technique, to see if the idea might work as I wanted it to. Now that I know it can work, I can spend more time on the initial design stage ('coz this first little figure was not well plotted). I'm happy with the effect, the primitiveness. I'm surprised at what can be achieved with just a simple buttonhole stitch. I'm also thinking this "same color on same color" idea is probably going to feature alot in this year's adventures. Still wild about texture!

Shining through

We are still away, up here in Cerro Osa, with our friends Kory and Saima of Friends of the Osa, a local conservation NGO, that we often collaborate with. I was taking some photos of the work they've been doing here renovating one of the visitors houses, when I spotted this...



















The afternoon sun, forming pools of gold on the walls of one room. I had to explore and this is what I saw. Ok, so not the best quality images... but just look at that light and those fluid forms!























































Following on here with other glimpses of gold, today I finished stitching the basic outline I've been working on - the black on black piece - and I've now cut the reverse applique...















... allowing the black and gold cloth to show through.

Tomorrow I will upload more images. It's only 8:00pm, but everyone else here is already in bed. Hot days and lots of hard work. That'll do it!

DO

Tomorrow we have to leave for the weekend. I'm looking forward to visiting the friends where we are going - although it's business, it will also be a pleaure - but I'm exhausted from always travelling, and being away from home so frequently. All three of us are. Makes it hard to be creative, consistant and productive. After this, I just want to stay at home, but will have to do another cross-country in the first week in February. Humph!

I'm starting small. Black stitches on black cloth. Black and Gold.















I've had this fabric remnant for months and didn't know why I'd bought it. Now I can do something with this. It's a strange cloth of metallic satin. It does this...















... and it also does this. (Oh! look at that, it's kind of like an eye!)















I'm doing layers...















and playing with that thing about same color on same color, changing the surface texture.



















Totally unrelated (apart from the black and gold that is), but fabulous nonetheless: A riotous rooster from the village. Isn't he splendid?