Day 29 - Twisty Kenyan Soapstone Thing

[vilakins]

I wasn't feeling well for some of the day and also had to go out, so I cast about for a quick subject for today's naarmamo. This is an ornament my brother gave me a few years ago, a lovely smooth golden thing made of some sort of smooth shiny stone with tiny little mottled marks on it. It didn't look right till I found a suitable brush and added speckles in a darker and a lighter colour.

[Edit] I have been told that it's a Kenyan soapstone loop, hand carved, and sold by Fair Trade. This makes sense because my brother's bought me other beautiful things from the Fair Trade shop.

Twisty Thing



My brother and I have similar taste. He once gave me a book I already had, another time we exchanged identical presents, and he's also given me a straw-fired vase which beautifully matches another vase and cat I have in the same finish. :-)

My NaArMaMo 2009 Gallery is here.

Comments

[toft]

It looks like a pretzel! I want to eat it. I love the texture.

[vilakins]

It is a bit pretzely! It's really quite shiny and smooth, but with these lovely little speckles and hint of grain. It's a very edible colour too. :-)

[ultrapsychobrat.livejournal.com]

Oh, very neat--love the finish and shadows and mind twisty shape.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It really needed the speckles and highlights to look rounded and right. :-)

[jecono.livejournal.com]

Very pretty! Are you and your brother close? It sounds like you are. :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

We don't see each other that much, but we've always got on very well, having a lot in common.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

Oh pretty! You have some wonderful ornaments :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I think you'll like tomorrow's ones. :-)

[san-valentine.livejournal.com]

I thought it was two, fairly straightforward interlocking loops at first. Then I looked again and realized it is one continuous thing, and went 'Aaaaa !" as my brain tried to make sense of the different planes.

Again, you've successfully captured something with a difficult perspective, and again also, achieved a lovely sense of texture. You're really rather good at this art thing, you know.

My brother gave me an ornament of a simplified, fat cat for Xmas a few years ago. His wife had tried to dissuade him, as she didn't like it. Chris was right though. I love my Fat Cat. He sits on top of the wardrobe with Buster, the Stoned Ginger Cat, who's clearly done far too much catnip and is about to zoom around the house, breaking things. Together they guard my wooden chalice, which is also up there.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I have some beautiful, very simplified cats, but didn't think they'd come across in drawings well, being marble, terracotta, and white stone and thus not having many features. I do live their elegance and smoothness that demands a stroke though.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Inedible Pretzel! Mmmm, toasty golden and speckled with salt. :^)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

The golden-brown colour is very edible!

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

I like that. It's rather reminiscent of Escher.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It is! And it's completely symmetrical through one plane (rotate it 180 degs). You can get quite different looks by turning it: two Ds, a pierced loop. This view showed it best though.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

I've seen those before, they do look very good. I think it's soapstone and googling led me to this ad (http://worldofgood.ebay.com/Handmade-Kisii-Loops---Fair-Trade-From-Kenya/270428861309/item) on eBay.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes! I think it's soapstone too; it has a similar look to some green soapstone bookends I have, with the little speckles. So it's from Kenya? THen it goes with the lovely pink, probably also soapstone Kenyan cat I have, whose very minimalist and Egyptian looking.

{[Edit] And I see it's Fair Trade; my brother has bought me beautiful items from Fair Trade in the past. This is definitely it!

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

If its soapstone then its more likely to be carved. i love these sort of sculptures they are so cool to touch.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I thought it was carved, and it does look like other soapstone things I have. Thank you, people.