Challenge of Color Blog Hop

Here goes another blog hop!  Erin Prais-Hintz is hosting her 3rd annual Challenge of Color Blog Hop.  Imagine 80 artists all joining together in a learning experience, because Erin’s challenges always have a learning process.  This year the challenge is Earth as Art.

The Earth As Art image gallery is a group of over 120 pictures taken from the Landsat series of Earth observation satellites since 1972. These pictures of the unique features of our beautiful planet are a vital resource for understanding scientific issues related to land use and natural resources. If you have time, check out the page.   The images are just gorgeous!

Each of us is assigned a color palette and a place on the map, a total surprise to us.  We travel there via the internet and design a piece inspired by what we learn.  My region’s palette was from the Namib Desert.  Wow!  I never heard of it!  This will be fun!  Here is my palette.  Gorgeous color!

my color pallette

So, off I went, in search of knowledge

The Namib Desert: 

You can find this desert along the southwest coast of Africa in Namibia.  It’s  about 43 million years old and is often called the worlds oldest desert.  It is relatively   unchanged in its present form for the last 2 million years. The Namib is an huge expanse of moving gravel plains and dunes of all shapes and sizes that stretch along the entire coastline. The most widespread and dominant type of desert sand dune are linear dunes, with crescent shaped dunes common along the coast and clusters of star dunes, such as the towering horseshoe of dunes.

The  entire western section of Namibia is comprised of the Namib, which spreads beyond the borders of Namibia and flows into southern Angola and the northern Cape Province of South Africa. There are rivers flowing unexpectedly across an ancient landscape, its dunes, plains, rivers and a foggy coast have all contributed to support an outstanding and fascinating array of bizarre desert flora and fauna.

Evidence of humans living in the Namib through time extends back to the early stone age era. But perhaps the most documented of mankind’s existence can still be seen today in the many rock paintings,  stone circles, tools and pottery that have been discovered over the centuries. The most famous rock paintings are at Brandberg and Twylfelfonten.. The Topnaar are a well-known clan of long term residents of the Namib. More famous for living in the Namib-Naukluft Park, there are at least a dozen villages scattered along the lower Kuiseb River today.  There are about 400 people of the 3,000 members of the Topnaar tribe living in the desert.

The harsh environment challenges man and mammal alike. Vegetation and wildlife are seemingly scarce in any desert and this is one of the most harshest environments in Namibia. It is a very dry place with low and unpredictable ranges and amounts of rainfall varying from zero to over 100mm. Rain and the chances of it become less towards the coast. It is fog that provides reliable moisture and as with the central Namib area, a fog belt can stretch some 20 and 30 km inland and on occasions further inland.

The southern Namib is home to over 600 species of plants, the central Namib 400 species and some 1,000 species in the northern Namib. Despite being starved of water for most of the year, succulents and shrubs still survive in ridges and valley floors during periods of extremely windy conditions. One of the most awesome plants I saw was this “living fossil” a succulent that has been around since prehistoric times.

Isn’t this weird and beautiful?

Okay……….enough of the learning, let’s make some jewelry!   Here’s how my thought process worked.

Since this is such a harsh land, relatively untouched by industry or technology, the people would have little use for ornamental “bling”, fancy stones or precious metals.  In all probability, they would use base metals like copper or bronze and natural fibers and bone.   Oh, you know I do love the tribal thing!

My focal of the main piece cames from Susan Lenart’s Industrial Chic line at Micheals Craft Store.  It has a really primitive look and not a precision tuned vibe.  I used some of Marsha Neal’s silk cords from the Elven Woods palette.  The green, dark gray and cream seemed to go with both the focal and my pallette.  The beads, also from Micheal’s, have a metallic look and reflect the colors of the Namib pallette.  The bracelet is very simple, again using the silk cords and beads with the coil clasp echoing the coils of the focal.  Looks tribal to me!!!

Namib Necklace

Namib bracelet

You know, once I get going on one of these challenges, I don’t stop!  I made two other pieces, both using focals I made myself from Bronz Clay.  I love the little cave man stamps I used.  I put two different patinas on the bronze and the bone beads using pinotage and verdigris Gilder’s Paste which makes a really soft patina.  I thought the pinotage reflected the red earthy color in my palette and is meant to honor the primitive folk who left the cave paintings.  The verdigris reminded me of the “living fossil” plant and is also in my pallette.   It is meant to give testimony to the endurance of this plant that has survived as long as the cave paintings, maybe longer.

Verdigris cave painting

detail of leather links and bone beads pinotage

WOW!  What a long blog!   I hope you’ll take some time to visit some of the other 80 participants in this fun blog hop!  I’m off to do that now!

OH, I almost forgot!   I’m having a giveaway!   Each person who comments on this blog will have their name put into a hat.   If you are a jewelry maker and participating in this hop,   you will win some special beads I got at the gem show last year.   If you are not a jewelry maker/hopper, you will win a pair of earrings!   Actually, that is two giveaways!    Yay!!!

Here are the other hoppers.   Some of them may be having giveaways also!   Go check them out!!!

Erin Prais-Hintz http://treasures-found.blogspot.com/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color-reveal.html
Rebecca Anderson http://songbeads.blogspot.com
Kris Auderer http://strandedinthecity.wordpress.com
Chrizette Bayman http://beadsoupmix.blogspot.com
Lori Bowring Michaud http://artfullyornamental.blogspot.com
Courtney Breul http://beadsbybreul.blogspot.com/
Lynsey Brooks http://yellowunicorncreations.blogspot.co.uk
Stephanie Buss http://maxandlucie.blogspot.com
Iveth Caruso http://www.creativeatelier.net/
Shannon Chomanczuk http://www.formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com
Lisa Cone http://inspiredadornments.blogspot.com/
Cece Cormier http://thebeadingyogini.com
Lori Dorrington http://lorisglassworks.blogspot.com
Dawn Doucette http://designsbydawnmarie.blogspot.com
Jeannie Dukic http://site.jkdjewelry.com/blog/
Kim Dworak http://cianciblue.blogspot.com/
Beth Emery http://storiesbyindigoheart.blogspot.com
Janice Everett http://JLynnJewels.blogspot.com
Pam Farren http://www.re-maker.blogspot.com
Donetta Farrington http://simplygorgeous-donetta.blogspot.com
Gloria Ferrer http://judetaama.blogspot.com.es/
Cherrie Fick http://designsinthelight.co
Therese Frank http://www.theresestreasures59.blogspot.com
Patty Gasparino http://www.mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com
Tanya Goodwin http://pixiloo.blogspot.com/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color.html
Ambra Gostoli http://chicandfrog.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/3rd-challenge-of-color
Jess Green http://tabbiekoshka.blogspot.co.uk/
Denielle Hagerman http://somebeadsandotherthings.com
Mary Harding www.maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com
Karla Hartzog http://www.karlakrafts.com
Kim Hora http://www.kimmykats.com
Brandi Hussey http://brandigirlblog.com
Emanda Johnson http://ArtemisiaStudio.blogspot.com
Jennifer Justman http://soulsfiredesigns.blogspot.com/
Sue Kennedy http://suebeads.blogspot.com
Ema Kilroy http://emakaye.blogspot.com
Lee Koopman http://Stregajewellry.wordpress.com
Linda Landig http://www.LindasBeadBlog.com
Kirsi Luostarinen http://kirsiluokorut.blogspot.com
Cynthia Machata http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com/
Alicia Marinache http://www.allprettythings.ca
Beth McCord http://www.ebbeadandmetalworks.blogspot.com
Mary K McGraw http://mkaymac.blogspot.com/
Karen Mitchell http://www.overthemoon-design.com
Cheri Mitchell-Reed http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com/
Aimee Moisa http://threecatsdancing.blogspot.com
Karla Morgan http://www.texaspepperjams.blogspot.com
Penny Neville http://copperpennydesigns.blogspot.com
Becky Pancake http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com
Kashmira Patel http://sadafulee.blogspot.com
Alice Peterson http://alice-dreaming.blogspot.com
Kayla Potega http://www.teejewelry.blogspot.com
Debbie Price http://greenshoot.blogspot.co.uk
Bobbie Rafferty http://beadsong.blogspot.com
Caron Reid http://caronmichelle.blogspot.com.au/
Nicole Rennell http://nicolerennell.com/blog
Cynthia Riggs http://cynthsblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/3rd-annual-challenge-of-color.html
Andrea Ross http://silvermapledesigns.blogspot.com/
Sally Russick http://thestudiosublime.com
Annie Scherz http://www.studioluma.ca
Pam Sears http://crazycreativecorner.blogspot.com/
Renetha Stanziano http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com
Sandra Stein http://sannipanni.wordpress.com
Kristen Stevens http://kristen-beadjourney.blogspot.com
Tracy Stillman http://www.tracystillmandesigns.com
Sherri Stokey http://www.knotjustmacrame.com/2012/11/challenge-of-color-reveal.html
Lola Survillo http://www.beadlolabead.blogspot.com
Kay Thomerson http://KayzKreationz.blogspot.com
Jo Tinley http://daisychaindesignsjewellery.blogspot.com
Emma Todd http://www.apolymerpenchant.com
Cory Tompkins http://www.tealwaterdesigns.blogspot.com
Pam Traub http://www.klassyjoolz.blogspot.com
Melissa Trudinger http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com
Michelle Tucker http://michellescreativemusings.blogspot.com/
Shelley Graham Turner http://www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com
Monique Urquhart http://ahalfbakednotion.blogspot.com/
Rachel Van-Walsk http://balancedcrafts.com/blog
Patti Vanderbloemen http://www.myaddictionshandcrafted.blogspot.com
Lesley Watt http://thegossipinggoddess.blogspot.com
Lynn White http://lynnwhitejewelry.com/Lynn_White_Jewelry/Lynns_Jewelry_Blog/Lynns_Jewelry_Blog.html
Joan Williams http://www.lilrubyjewelry.com