ELSEWHERE

Yam Cult Figure (mindja)

(Click to enlarge)

This is a Yam Cult Figure from the early 1960’s, or rather, this is a watercolour of one. The original was carved and painted in Papua New Guinea's East Sepik Province by the Warasei People.

It is a carving that was displayed during yam harvest festivals... The triangular designs below the face symbolise banana leaves, and the wave like form carved in relief running along the axis is a snake.
(Island Ancestors: Oceanic Art from the Masco Collection, A. Wardell, University of Washington Press.)

This week I have three large-scale mask paintings to share with you. This, I think, is my favourite; maybe because of its smile.

Hope you're having a great Tuesday.

Ancient Afghanistan #5

These are round bracteates (from the Latin bractea, a thin piece of metal) laid with turquoises and with granulated rim dating from the second quarter of the 1st century AD, and they are the last of my golden artifact paintings for the now.

Since finishing this impromptu series of watercolours inspired by the treasures in the collections of the National Museum of Kabul, I have begun painting several ceramic and timber masks from early oceanic cultures. I look forward to sharing them with you when they are finished.

Before I head back to the watercolour, those of you interested can follow Gracia and me on Twitter of all things. We're here. (Thanks to Twitter I now know (as I post this) that Ancient Hobbit-sized humans may have moved out of Africa earlier than thought. Marvellous!)

The next installment on The Fox and the Hare awaits you

A kaleidoscope of butterflies has arrived on the fox and the hare and they are ready for you to visit. No net needed, we've already caught them.

Gracia (whose butterfly collages, incidentally, are breathtaking), Elaine and I invited our dear chum Jurate from the Greville Street Bookstore to join us on this collective noun recently explored and she responded with some wonderful words and images. It was a thrill to have her join in on our project; I so admire her and her incredible intellect.

Enjoy.

Ancient Afghanistan #4

I feel as though I simply blinked and all of a sudden the Easter holidays are over leaving me full and groggy from all that good food and good cheer. The chocolate! I could not refuse. Not even if I tried.

Feasts aside, and on an unrelated note, here is my gift to you. Care for this golden bracelet from the second quarter of the 1st century AD on a Friday morning?

The actual artifact (which this painting is based upon) is made from thin gold thread with spiral ends twisted together as fasteners. The stones and fragments incorporated within the bracelet are turquoise, glass cabochon and amber, and ceramic too. Apparently each of those elements were originally ascribed with various magical properties.

Ancient Afghanistan #3

Here are two more watercolours to share with you before too many spiced hot cross buns are consumed this Easter. These two are from the second quarter of the 1st century AD.

Above is a pair of hair ornaments and below is a cast gold bracelet with turquoise details. Apparently this bracelet shows marked similarities with bracelets from the Siberian collection of Peter the Great in the Hermitage in St Petersburg.

Wishing you a happy Easter.

Ancient Afghanistan #2

My week of watercolours depicting ancient ornaments and jewels continues. These two flower shaped ornaments with pendants are from Tillya-tepa, grave VI, and they date back to the second quarter of the 1st century AD. The ornament below is also from the same grave and according to archaeologist was probably worn at the end of a sword belt.

From ancient Egypt to ancient Afghanistan

This week I hope to share with you several new paintings I’ve made based on ancient artifacts and golden jewellery from Afghanistan. Today’s watercolour is of a gold necklace from Tillya-tepa, grave III, and it dates back to the second quarter of the 1st century AD.