Amongst the Mangroves

As an artist I get obsessed about things.  My latest obsession (and distraction) are the seeds of the Red Mangroves.  These can be found bobbing around our local mangrove creeks and in tidal flows.

My obsession really started during a recent kayaking trip to North Stradbroke Island.  The waters there are clear with lots of marine animals, invertebrates and plants - a wealth of inspiration and interest to an artist like me.

The selfie stick comes in handy when kayaking !
I'm hoping that I don't drop my phone in the water
as I take the photo....

Paddling up a beautiful little creek off Amity Point.
Can you feel the serenity and peacefulness from the photo?

I love the prop roots of the Red Mangrove.
So architectural!
Perhaps my next obsession.....?

Just passing by a mangrove tree at high tide and spotted
these little guys, difficult to photograph because
they kept moving around the other side of the tree from me.

I jumped out of the kayak at a sandbank to photograph the beautiful
mangrove seeds that have dropped from the trees.
This one still has its 'cap' on.

Here is a bit of information about the Red Mangrove Seed -

Flowering occurs in winter, with the production of a single-seeded, brown, oval-shaped fleshy fruit during summer.

Seeds germinate on the tree (vivipary), which results in the appearance of a long, green, rounded propagule (seedling) about 30 cm long. The propagule protrudes through the wall of the fruit to hang vertically beneath it. This buoyant germinated seed is the first stage of the root system.

- Qld Govt, Department of Agriculture & Fisheries 

Tidal detritus on the sandbank - a goldmine
of inspiration and musing....

Back in the studio, playing with drawings of the seeds.
I like the idea of oversized mangrove seeds on
a full sheet of watercolour paper.

More play, this time with monoprint and watercolour.
Didn't quite work but still lots of opportunities to work into it further.
Playing is tough, persistence and keeping an open mind is key.
Not everything works, but it helps to sort things out in my head.

More monotypes, now playing around with the idea of drawing.
I've been obsessed with circles and mandalas lately, so
these are popping up in my latest work as well.

Using drawings from my sketchbook as a reference, I'm
working into my monotype print with a detailed pencil drawing.
I'm using my magnifier to get into the detail. Very handy tool!