Botanica at SJSU Library, Casting Results, & A Great Website

There is a wonderful exhibition on botanical illustration on view at the Sam Jose University Library. They have samples of pressed flowers and a fantastically beautiful book on succulents which I am trying to aquire.

I was able to cast my flower in a first round of test casting and had some great results. Gomphrena seems to be generally built for easy casting. Some ofthe other flowers like roses will take more work to figure out. I'll be working out the kinks in the coming months.

A while back I found a website that was selling cast gold Taíno deities and zemis - Tainogallery.com. I found this website and bought a couple of pieces when I was doing research into indigenous people from the Caribbean - Arawak / Taíno and Carib / Kalinago. They are beutiful and come in gold and darkened clay. I was able to make a mold of one I bought for a friend to invest it and cast it in silver. I'm not sure if they are still makingshipping these pieces but I love that they are spreading knowledge of the indigenous culture that existed in teh Caribbean before colonization. The research into those cultures is very important to me. Check out the description from the website below.

"TainoGallery.com presents a variety of handmade artwork which represents the culture and heritage of the original indigenous inhabitants of caribbean islands of Cuba, Quisqueya/Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and surrounding areas including northeastern South America.Work done by Taino artisans in the Dominican Republic has received international recognition in Brazil, Canada, Germany, Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.

Famous dignitaries, including Hillary Clinton, have visited with Taino artisans in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, recognizing the significance of their work in preserving Taino culture.Gallery artisans unite clay, fire, and natural materials to connect you with this authentic source of Pre-Columbian Culture. Your Taino Gallery purchases support efforts to preserve and promote Taino culture, as well as the continued growth and development of rural and indigenous communities throughout the Caribbean and Latin America."