‘Tontelbos’ (Tinderleaf)

‘Tontelbos’ is the Afrikaans word for Tinderleaf, a fynbos plant that grows beautifully in the Silvermine area. The plant has waxy leaves with a wooliness below the leaves. In times past, people used this ‘wool’ to light fires, using a box called a ‘Tonteldoos’ (tinderbox). In the Autumn, the start of our rainy season, the Tinderleaf pushes up these interesting yellow flowers.

I used the theme to link with my Fire and Rain message along with fynbos plants. I find parallels between the physical world and the spiritual world: Do we not also go through fire to shape our character – to flower in the next season? Do we not also go through drought to appreciate the abundance – that provision or rain brings? Are we not also, like Fynbos is dependent on rain – dependent on a Higher hand to provide for our needs?

I used mixed media to create this work. In the background, I used deconstructed artworks, presenting the vertical lines of ‘rain’. The Tinderleaf plant is a drawing with pen and ink on 300g Canson water colour paper. I used oil paint to accentuate the rain in the background. The collage is secured with acid-free glue and all the pieces are connected using embroidery stitches. I used artist’s varnish to seal the entire work to protect the paper and embroidery.