May
My Delta collection has been inspired by the breath-taking Okavango Delta in Botswana.
This vast inland delta system found in the North of Botswana, Africa. It forms part of the Kalahari Desert.
My Visit
I was lucky enough to visit in the wet season 2018. I am an avid wildlife traveller. This area is known for one of the richest densities of mammals in Africa. It not a surprise that it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. As a National park area, the animals are free to roam without barriers which is quite a rarity in Africa today. I will return if the opportunity arises in the dry season also visiting Namibia.
The delta is only accessible to visit by boat. Makoro are the traditional dugout boats that are used for camping trips. They allow you can be fully immersed in your surroundings. Encountering hippos and baboons first hand is quite an experience!
We opted to also see the river from the sky to show the true scale of the Delta in the wet season. Large formations of vegetation with zigzagging and meandering streams with clusters of animals dotted sparsely including giraffes and hippos. Mesmerised by the vibrant greens and turquoise blues it was natural for me to want to capture this wonder in my glass art. Cliché maybe but I have never seen anything like it.
My Glasswork
It took several attempts to create the right vision for my collection as I wanted to do justice to the vibrancy of what I saw. I settled on a beautiful chrome green glass powder and a combination of 4 different blue glass powder colours. Using the watercolour style technique used previously for my Coastal Curlew collection, I built up layers of coloured powders using sifting techniques on clear glass sheet that I had cut into the chosen shape.
