W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm
MY SKETCHBOOK -- Paintings and jewellery from nature - Original watercolour paintings and unique hand-crafted jewellery by South African artist Maree Clarkson
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Bluegum bush at the dam
W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm
Not far from us is this dam with a lovely blue gum bush on one side. I used to sketch here often a few years ago, but now the dam wall is broken and there’s only a stream trickling through when it rains. A great loss to the environment, as it used to offer food and shelter for all sorts of wildlife from Egyptian Geese to a plethora of water birds and lots of small mammals. The price we pay for progress…
Aloe marlothii
W&N watercolour on Bockingford 300gsm
One of the most stunning plants in Africa is the Aloe marlothii. It is found from sea level to high hills in South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique. The plant usually grows to a height ranging from 5-12 feet, but have been known to reach 6m! (As it grows more tree-like, dead leaves remain on the trunk in habitat as a defense against animal munching.) They put out a flower that is a branched candelabra-shaped with yellow to orange flowers. The mountain aloe is undoubtablty one of Southern Africa ’s most rewarding aloes to grow and adds an interesting slant to aloe culture.
Given to me by a dear RedBubble friend, it has now survived three Tarlton winters and heavy frost and I am absolutely thrilled that it is now established - the flowers are wishful thinking on my part, I’m hoping for some flowers soon!
Common names : mountain aloe (Eng.); bergalwyn (Afr.); inhlaba or umhlaba (Zulu)
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Cactus Trichocereus
“The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland.
The fool will try to plant them in the same flower box.
The florist will sigh and add a wall divider and proper soil to both sides.
The grandparent will move the flower box halfway out of the sun.
The child will turn it around properly so that the fern is in the shade, and not the cactus.
The moral of the story?
Kids are smart.”
― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration
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