House No. 41: Kerala Houseboat

 

House No. 41: Kerala Houseboat

ink, colored pencil, and watercolor on paper, digital layout
8.5 in. x 11 in.
041/365; 02/10/11

In Kerala, India, waterways are a major source of transportation, and the backwaters of Kerala may be cruised by houseboat.

The boats are made with coir and bamboo and held together by knots. Some of the boats are up to one hundred year old.

Many of the boats are very decorative and the coir is elaborately woven and appears delicate, looking almost like lace. What a romantic way to travel.

House No. 4: The Dresden Walls

House No. 4: The Dresden Walls

repurposed paper, foil, and miscellaneous scrap on chipboard

6.5 in. x 6.5 in.

004/365; 01/04/11

Being a human magpie, I collect every shiny thing that I come across. I have organized boxes of paper, candy foils, laminated papers, the interiors of tea bag envelopes ...

For today's house, I thought that I'd break into my collection, which actually includes a few pieces of Dresden foil scrap that I didn't end up using. The metallic paper being an homage to the Dresden handicraft, I decided to make today's home in one of the styles of Saxony.

I find the most unique part of the house's collage, and what makes it look like the houses of that region, is the foiling of the half-timber that ornaments the walls.

Update 04/20/2011: Better photo.

Now with 100% more natural light.

 

Ahh. So much better.