Armed Bird's Nest in Acacia Bush, Chili
by Marianne North
1870
Oil On Paper
Marianne North (1830-1890) was a remarkable Victorian artist. She travelled the world in order to satisfy her passion for recording the world's flora and fauna with her paintbrush. The result of these journeys can be seen in the Marianne North Gallery at Kew, Great Britain where many brightly colored paintings of flowers, landscapes, animals and birds are arranged. There are 832 paintings, all completed in 13 years of travel round the world.
Marianne was rare among women of this period. She traveled unaccompanied and visited areas virtually unknown to many Europeans. She was at her happiest when discovering plants and painting them. She spent nearly all of her time abroad in the wild, surrounded by the habitats and plants she captured in oil paint.
Her work is is permanent value because of its scientific accuracy. She documented plant life in all parts of the world, before photography was a practical option. Some of the plants she painted proved new to science and one genus and four species were named in her honor including the species Areca northiana, Crinum northianum, Kniphofia northiana, Nepenthes northiana, and the genus name Northia.
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| floral focal is by Mary Harding |
When I saw this beautiful ceramic floral focal by Mary Harding, I new it was perfect for a necklace inspired by this painting. I was drawn to the golden yellows in the painting and focal. Harding's focal is the same bright shade. I thought it was a good choice for the necklace because of the color and the prominence of flowers in the painting.
The painting also has shades of blue in the sky and lots of tans and browns in the birds's nest as well as in the Acacia bush. Once again the focal by Harding is a good pick because it has some subtle blues in it. Marsha Neal's hand dyed blue silk along with blue stones pick up the blues in the painting. I used some tan ceramics, jasper beads, and brass to work in the browns, tans and beiges. I also added a brass leaf toggle to continue with the floral theme.
I think yellow and blue colors are perfect for the spring and summer. This floral necklace would make a lovely gift for Mother's Day. What are your thoughts?
