More Guardians from A Atelier Das Arvores

There are two families of owls at the atelier. And they are very protective of their young.
Inspirational.

Guardians of Atelier Das Arvores

In these photos here we have Polo, a very friendly golden labrador. With boundless energy and ever vigilant, I don´t feel alone with Polo around.
Over the last half year I have been made feel very welcome at "A Atelier Das Arvores" of Iaris Cortes.
It is a near magical place that enchants you as enter the cool shade of this enormous tree house like ceramic studio. And as the sign says: "At GrandMa´s everything is possible".




This is the bee hive kiln. It is wood fired and, so I am told, takes three days to get up to 750. I am looking forward to the next opportunity to man the fires. Just imagine how big you can build your ceramic with this kiln cooking them! I easily fit standing up inside.




These photos don´t do justice to how magical this two storey tree house construction feels.
I hope it gives you and idea until I capture some better images.
As well as all our creations in ceramic and glass, done in the miraculous conditions of an open door Raku oven (!), there are the amazing spiders webs, orchids, bees nests and many many local trees.
The trees all with their wonderful fruit and flowers and plethora of inhabitants!
To try list of many varieties of ants, mantis, butterflies, midges etcERA...would just be silly ;-P
I hope you can imagine how they all help in increasing my wonder of nature when it comes to the creative process.

I am so grateful to Iaris and her Atelier. And really wish for its continued growth and success.

(as a side note my over-ten-year-old Cyber-shot finally gave up the ghost this week, sob! So let´s hope I can borrow images from other peoples´cameras.)

Fruit!

Fruit: Jack Fruit, these guys are big.
And once ripe what a bounty!

Starting with their fragrance they are distinctive in every which way.


The flesh is delicious and plentyiful. It can be eaten fresh or deep fried as yummy sweet chips, as they do in India.
The chestnut sized seeds can be roasted, offering much sustenance.
It´s a love/hate relationship people have with Jack Fruit, due to the pungent odour.
This latin American variety is nowhere near as strong a smell as the Asian variety.

Here we have "Jabuthcicaba"
(spelling correction and English translation pending).

Wow wee, what a fruit!
We will have to wait until the seasons come around again to see a photo of the incredible alien like parent tree; the fruit grow straight out from the branches.


The fruit is delicious, like sweet perfumed petrol. The skin, acrid and inedible.

These guys are so shiny and bouncy! Inspirational.








And a big favorite "Mamon" Papaya.

Like Mango, here in the Cerrado, they grow everywhere, from the tended orchard to the trash heap!

Their taste is a far cry from the dried version europeans know from their museli.
If you ever imagined you couldn´t possibly eat three kilos of fruit in one sitting, you won´t after having one of these in front of you.
And if you want to imagine the tree, think of "The day of the Triffids", without the nightmare blindness and with all fecund growth and height!

Fine Cerrado Trees

This Cerrado tree produces a fascinating seed pod.

It reminds me of da vinci´s helicopter, birds wings and nature´s ability to pack so much into a small package. Amazing.






Lets not forget the magnificence of trees.

These two are very typical of the region.
The growth seems so strong and slouthful.
An interesting combination (contradiction?) of powerful languid energy that never ceases to impress me.

These two particular photos I hope to transfer to large panels using a combination of engraving and fired enamels.

Spicy Cauliflower and Fish Stew

Here is a great way for cooking stew.
Good for Halloween and indeed all year round.

Next time I will use less water, and I am still in the dark on keeping the pH balance right.
Any suggestions?

Mangoes ! ! !

It´s that time of year again.
They´ve been hanging quietly in the trees everywhere, getting bigger and changing colours. And now they are just falling out of the skies.

Mangoes! They taste like barbequed chicken and perfume, for real! The ordinary mango is yummy and encourages flossing! and the "Rosa", wow wee!!
It´s no surprise (it is at first, mind) that neighbours are so protective of their "Mango Rosas" and that they are three times more expensive in the supermarkets. It´s because they are three times more yummy!

And what magnificent trees, they are throbbing with life. Birds, monkeys, insects, it doesn´t stop there.

Here, you can see six in a glass, yummy.
It´s a good time of year to have a plastic bag with you.

And news to me, pomegranet tea is great for sore throat. What a great fruit from such a straggly bush. And how useful a skin which at first seems only good for composte. Pomegranets will always remind me of my Gran, and I give thanks.
Bye bye ´flu, bye bye!

well tended

Well what a load of old...
More fruit and flowers to come!