Tropical days.

This year we have decided to take a sabbatical. A little less commercial design and more focus on art, as we always wish to do, but interruptions thus far continued to thwart our intentions and any real progress.

We plan to journey through different parts of South Africa, and to document the landscape, it's plants, animals, the weather and it's social landscape. Making art that uses the various minerals, plant matter, natural materials and whatever inspires from the earth of an area to reflect that area.

We are currently in the South Coast of Natal, trekking its beaches and dense bushes, ranging between Clansthal and Pennington with our home centered by a more rocky beach between Park Rynie and Scottburgh.

Upon our arrival we were a little winded by the high humidity that comes along with intense summer heat. We oozed down the Natal roads into our new home, and for a few days struggled to adjust to the sensation of the melting man, as though dipped in sugar and salt and caramalised. When the heat finally gave way to rain, the tropical trees gave off a delicious scent of fruit salads and pina colada!

This is the pathway that we walk to the beach. Inside these dense plants there are rich animal life.

Dense tropical forests grow next to the beach, consisting of a variety of plants with broad leaves, fruit trees, aloes and creepers. These forests, brimming with life, breathes and pulsates as one organism. This specific photo shows how the droplets accumulate on the spider webs next to the coast. 

The beach is full of life with fish, crabs, shells and signs of coral everywhere. The natural patterns, colours and textures are almost overwhelming. One can spend a lifetime admiring everything that washes ashore.

We've already seen so many different crab species, and their claws scattered between the shells.

Specific to where we are staying we get large amounts of pipe coral that washes out onto the beach. I absolutely love the texture and colour of these corals. What I also like about this is that it is pure calcium and may contribute to an exciting sculpture... Watch this space ;)

The area offers a lot of inspiration for our art. Currently we're busy getting our heads around what we're going to do. In the meantime we are taking photos and capturing textures with pen drawings in our sketchbooks. Be sure to check in every now and again to see what we are up to.

Till next time.