THE AFRICAN AESTHETIC

East African spices. Image from Akhaya Cookery School.

I am besotted with the African aesthetic,

whether in architecture,

contemporary art and craft,

interior design,

or fashion.

I am stirred by the colours,

the organic textures, shapes and patterns,

the earthiness

and the African Make-Do aesthetic.

This post doesn't even reach the tip of the iceberg but it's a proe (as they say in South Africa) ... a small taste.

This is such a beautiful image of African telephone wire baskets but I can't find the source. If the photographer come's across this post I would love to give him/her credit.

"Africa is great at improvisation, at making

something astonishing from

whatever is at hand.

It does not need expensive materials.

Africa has a genius for recycling.

It has taught me to discard nothing

as I can find a use for it later.

"African Make-Do" is the name

I have given this aesthetic." - Andrew Verster, Artist

Path to Peace Baskets. Read the story at this wonderful blog, here.

"It's the startling use of colour that

we get so right. You see fearless

combinations because there are no rules,

even though we do have cultural traditions.

Sometimes the beauty of African colour can make

you uncomfortable - and yet stimulated."

- Karen Roos, Editor, Elle Decoration South Africa

Yoruba Quilt from Anthropologie

"It inspires with its colors.

The tones may be subtle,

as if bleached

by the intense heat, or the colours

supersaturated like an explosion

of wild flowers in twilight.

The real beauty is how these colours go together...."

- Quotations from the book Africanismo

Alan Donovans house in Kenya. Click here for more photographs.

Kuba Shoulder Bag. See more bags using African textiles here.

Interior Designer, Aline Matsika uses African accents in many of her interiors. See Aline's website here.

Kuba textiles add an exciting element to interior design. I particularly like the muted Kuba (Tcaka) upholstery and the shoowa cushion above.

Corrugated iron frames. See website here.

Yvonne O'Brien Interior Design. See website here.

Designer, Marzia Chierichetti' s retreat in Kenya. Click here to read more.

Mango wood and aliminium bowls by Marzia Chierichetti. see website here.

Aline Matsika Interiors. See website here.

Aline Masika Interiors. See website here

If you like the African aesthetic take a look at my Pinterest board,

South African/African Style from time to time. I will be adding more images as I find them.

Another must is Tapiwa's wonderful blog African Daydreams, here.

Aline Matsika Interiors.

LIGHTLY CHILD, LIGHTLY

Decoy Duck by Nathan Lynch. See Nathan's website here.

"Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Even though you're feeling deeply, lightly let things happen, and lightly cope with them on tiptoes and with no luggage, completely unencumbered". - Aldous Huxley

Molly with Nathan Lynch's Decoy Ducks. See more here.

It's that time of year when I feel as if I'm wearing concrete boots. Last year my friend and Life Coach, Leslie suggested that it could be a seasonal thing for me....... a combination of hot humid summer and burn out. This makes perfect sense, since every January/February I feel this heaviness and in fact brace myself for it .... blaming Christmas and all the rushing about. I know that I push myself until Christmas trying to get through all my commissions in time. This year I seem to have gone over the deadline and am still trying to complete commissions. The humidity isn't helping either!

I found this image on Pinterest.

Knowing that it is a seasonal thing doesn't make it any easier but I am able to look at it from a lighter perspective, if that makes any sense.
Web Feet Duck Bum by Tom Moore. See more of Tom's wonderfully whimsical glass creatures here.

The Aldous Huxley quote sings in my ears ..... "Lightly child, lightly" ... while I search for images to lighten my mood. I'm drawn to those artists with a wonderful sense of humour, and let me tell you, it's well nigh impossible to feel heavy for long.

Another glass piece by Tom Moore.Read more here.

Tweet Tweet by Tim Hawkinson. See more here.

Ceramic creature by Jeannie Pappas. See more here.

This member of the Omo Tribe made me smile. I found the image on Pinterest with no links.

SCRATCHING THE SURFACE

Karen Kunc. Woodcut, etching and beeswax

No poetry today.... just thoughts .... ideas...

Trapping fleeting memories ...

of experiments with sgraffito on wood.

Enjoying images

of all the creative ways

artists scratch into or onto a variety of surfaces.

Paper, leather, wax,

clay, enamel, wood, stone, metal plates,

plaster, walls, sand.

Incised and painted wood panel by Cecil Skotnes

Ellen Johnson at Anderson O'Brien Fine Art

I love Ike Bushman's work!

Ike Bushman
Ivo Stoyanov. See more of Ivo's work here.

Rebecca Crowell. Scratching into wax.

Sgraffito Landscape by South African artist Walter Batiss. See more here.

Warding off Evil. Intaglio print on paper by Katie Kiley

"Kiley states that her art is about communication; the need to share something important and personal. For years, she has searched for imagery that conveys the thoughts, emotions, and spiritual insights that fascinate her. This search has led her to explore the imagery of the hand. She is particularly intrigued with gestures and their meaning."

Sgraffito pots by Demon Potters. See website here.

Ceramics by Lari Washburn. See Flickr photo stream here.

Sophie Milne. See website here.

Enamel Bowl by Helen Carnac. See blog here.

Stone Eye Idols excavated at Tell Brak, Syria. See here.

Landart by Andres Amador. See more here.

A PLACE YOU CAN GO

Photograph by Michel Poisson. Flickr photo stream here.

There is a place you can go

where you are quiet,

a place of water and the light

on the water. Trees are there,

leaves, and the light

on leaves moved by air.

Birds, singing, move

among leaves, in leaf shadow.

After many years you have come

to no thought of these,

but they are themselves

your thoughts. There seems to be

little to say, less and less.

Here they are. Here you are.

Here as though gone.

None of us stays, but in the hush

where each leaf in the speech

of leaves is sufficient syllable

the passing light finds out

surpassing freedom of its way.

- Wendell Berry

(I found this poem at this beautiful blog)

Digital print by Fiona Watson. See Flickr photo stream here.

Digital Print by Fiona Watson

Valley of the Ghosts by sasanester. See more photos here.

Jon Roman. See Jon's Flickr photo stream here.

Sue Lawty's pebble mandala. Read about the Beach Project here .

Photo by Jim Champion. See Jim's Flickr photo stream here.

"Be secluded in your secret heart-house,

that bowl of silence... " - Rumi

I found this photo on Tumblr. Photographer unknown.

"There is a silent self within us whose presence is disturbing precisely because it is so silent: it can't be spoken. It has to remain silent. To articulate it, to verbalize it, is to tamper with it, and in some ways to destroy it ". - Thomas Merton

David Severn. See more photos here.