Anyway, my inspiration was "rainforest". Don't ask where that came from, I have no idea - maybe because it was on wood?!?
We had decided not to use Powertex this time, so I went for some texture paste through stencils, some skeleton leaves, hessian flower shapes, plastic frogs, wallpaper, string, and a wooden spider (courtesy of Lin).
I used quite a few layers of acrylic paint, and drybrushed with irridescent green and copper.
I then decided to fit all the panels together, as I thought it looked better. It was a bit of a struggle, but I managed it, though I don't think I'll be able to get them apart again!
Both Lin and Linda decided to start with all three panels together, but didn't get anywhere near finished, so no pics to show.
As I had somehow come up with the rainforest as inspiration, I did some research.
We all know about deforestation and the problems that can cause. Fifty percent of the world's plants and animals can be found in rainforests. They extend from as far as Alaska and Canada to Latin America, Asia and Africa. They nurture thousands of plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth, besides providing food, water and air to the rest of the world. And temperate and tropical rainforests play a key role in climate change, helping to regulate the Earth's temperature and weather patterns.
New ideas are being proposed to save rainforests. For example, government and companies are finally starting to recognise the value of goods and services afforded by healthy forests, including carbon storage, buffering against flood and drought cycles, and safeguarding water supplies.
Another recent development has been the acknowledgement that local and indigenous communities are often some of the best stewards of forests. There is a growing movement to help these communities win the legal right to manage their traditional lands instead of letting the government hand out concessions to companies that clear forests for plantations.
Forests are being monitored far more effectively than just a few years ago, knowing what is happening to forests empowers us to do something about it.
Do I see a gecko in there? It's a fabulous triptych. Really lovely and goes so well with the wood background.
ReplyDeleteOne of the worst places for deforestation is South America. The various government there have allowed thousands and thousands of acres be designated for cutting rare woods, logs, and whole forests. I'm so glad there is finally some common sense in preserving these beautiful and necessary places. In the canopy alone, there are thousands of birds and hundreds of animals that can only be found there. Thanks for sharing this beautiful art and being a good steward yourself in telling everyone how important those rainforests are.