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Boa Tassel (formerly called 'Anaconda Tassel'!) |
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This tassel includes:
Length: 11" (28 cm) Photo courtesy of Robert K. Liu/Ornament |
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| Item #201
Lost in Fire Please click on the image for detailed photos. |
This magnificent tagua nut ("vegetable ivory") carving was made by the Wounaan Indian carver Armando Cheucaran. You can view more of these fabulous carvings at Red Horse Ranch. Each one is a unique work of art. The life in this little snake is hard to imagine until you hold it in your hand. The artist captured the roiling energy of a big snake to perfection! This one has quite a sweet expression on his face, he isn't at all scary. Please realize that the carver found this creature inside a large nut. A tagua nut has a hole in it which you can't see until you start carving. To me, the artist's ability to wrap the form of this creature around the natural opening in the nut is a mark of genius. Then he colored the snake beautifully. The quality is simply outstanding. Because of the excellence of the carving, I used the best materials I could find to enhance its beauty and give it a home, including hand-made glass beads by Karen Ovington and Stevi Belle, an ancient pendant, etc. I shaded the snake with a little tree of gourd stitch. (Yes, some call it peyote stitch. A Native American beadworker instructed us in the distinction: peyote stitch is used for Native American Church ceremonial objects. Otherwise, the same technique is referred to as gourd stitch.) Though I at first called it an anaconda, I have now been informed it is a red-tailed boa. Now the question everyone asks: what do you do with a tassel like this?? Tassels have long been used to decorate drawer pulls, to attach to the wine cellar key, hang over a bed post, on a light or fan pull chain, on a wall hook... wherever a spot of color and interest would be welcome. Unlike a necklace you wear only occasionally, a tassel is always available to cheer up a little spot in your home. Ideally you will keep it out of the reach of cats and youngsters, and somewhere that it won't be subject to a lot of banging around. Tagua, while durable, is too soft for a keychain, purse ornament or other use that is subject to a lot of wear and tear. Please give this handsome fellow a place in your home. |
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All designs © Mary Hicklin 2001-2004
Tagua
carving signed "Armando Cheucaran arte: Wonaan Panama"