Path of SElf Discovery

Coral Tree Neckpiece, 2017 by Myself
Blackened Sterling Silver and Enamel

Still on a Path to Self Discovery

Ice Cream Bush. Beautiful Pink Leaflets and Stem

I was looking at some old pieces of mine and I remembered that this particular piece (left) stood out to me. I thoroughly enjoyed making this piece inspired by the indigenous Coral Tree. When I looked at this photo in the gallery of my phone, I saw a connection with Helen Shirk's piece in my previous blog post. Shirk also uses the technique of blackening metal and coloured enamels to create depth and layers in her pieces. So I will be carrying through this technique in my next design.

It almost felt like I hit a solid brick wall when it came to design influence, in the beginning of my Btech, I stated that I would like to use indigenous South African plants as design influences. However, I found it very difficult drawing inspiration from plants I've never seen, touched or experienced with my own hands and eyes. this lead me to take a little walk in my own garden. This is when I found this "gem" of a plant called an Ice Cream Bush (originally from the Pacific Islands). I fell in love with the speckled green and white leaves that lead into bright pink leaflets at the end of this plant's twigs. This is when it hit me. This beautiful bush may not be indigenous to my country, but it is indigenous to my living environment and I can pick off little stems and examine them in great detail to find design inspiration.