Monday, June 20, 2011

Gumnut necklace


They are writing " Humans Please be Kind to all Bush Creatures and don't pull flowers up by the roots" . Words to live by.

In early 2010 I made this gumnut necklace, and only just today finally documented it. It's inspired by May Gibbs gumnut babies (and kitsch vintage Australiana in general) , like a lot of Australians I grew up being read and when I was old enough reading myself the adorable stories. The first book of the series, Tales of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie: Their Wonderful Adventures were published in 1918 and its two sequels, Little Ragged Blossom (1920) and Little Obelia (1921). To this day they hold a special place in my heart, and I've been collecting any of the books when I find them and being gifted them by those who know I love them.
I made the gumnuts by sculpting a master out of plasticine looking at an actual gumnut for reference and copying every tiny detail, making a 2 part silicone mold of it and then casting them in resin. The little gum leaves ( that are not really visable in these photos)are made out of copper that I applied and kilned enamel to, the catch at the back is made from copper I oxidised. Since I made a mold I plan to make some more at some point.

Being Fierce.

One thing that always stuck in my mind was the gumnut babies super cute mega eyelashes which if you flick through the books you will notice straight away, particularly Little Obelia's, who is my favourite character and a massive style inspiration for me.




I'm planning to visit Nutcote, the home that May Gibbs lived in that has now been converted into a museum.
http://www.maygibbs.com.au/


4 comments:

  1. i have never heard about these books - maybe it is an australian thing? Looks really cute, though:)

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  2. haha it's a very Australian thing, all the characters are Australian animals like koalas, goannas, kangaroos, kookaburra's and the spirits of the Australian plants

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  3. WOW you´re so pretty, you hole look. I´m in love with it!!!!

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