Oshiwa
Creating textile-stamping blocks for use on fabrics as well as paper, Oshiwa is a carving workshop based in Namibia. Established in 1994 by by Anita Brandt, the stamps are the creations of Kavango woodcarvers; Paulus Mutunda, Dhumba Joseph, and Joseph Kanwa who originally started out by producing hand-carved photo frames before turning to the textile printing blocks. Meticulously hand-carved the designs are based on whatever the artist feels compelled to carve at that moment, and each stamp bears the name of the carver written in pencil along the side or on the back.

The stamps are available as individuals or as part of a complementary set and there are many designs to choose from; and although most of the designs are one-of-a-kind running themes do occur, such as geometric patterns that are great for creating borders and stylised depictions of local flora and fauna. The stamps are made from African Wawa wood, which comes from Ghana. Wawa wood is soft and pliable making it perfect for carving the intricate details; the wood is treated and comes from certified sources controlled by the Forestry Department of Ghana. Textile stamping reminds me of my 'O' and 'A' Level art classes where I would get lost for hours experimenting with fabric designs, and uses for Oshiwa's stamps goes beyond the obvious, press them into clay or soap to add unique designs to your creations, frame them to hang on the wall, use them as decorative accents to edge a mirror, or even inlay into table, door or wall surfaces protected with a glass overlay if need be. And if getting to grips with stamp making proves a bit too much, then Oshiwa also produces beautifully printed finished textiles for retail.

Sadly, the economic downturn has taken its toll forcing a slowdown of production due to too many unsold stamps having accumulated, a situation that has seen the carvers having to look for other sources of income away from the Oshiwa workshop. Oshiwa has managed to secure a partnership with Rayela, an American-based company, which sells the stamps through an Etsy site, however despite this the workshop in Namibia still has its ongoing maintenance costs that includes, promotion, production and development factors, which can eat into profits.

...you could have fun with these stamps and once done frame them as a reminder of your artistic endeavours.

Forest Mosaic
I tend to associate mosaics with water, probably has to do with the fact that I have mostly seen them in bathrooms, kitchens, fountains and adorning the sides of swimming pools; but from a visual point of view the patterns and colours seem to have a distinctive flow to them when forming what ever subject matter is being portrayed. Courtesy of SafariFusion's blog, I came across some beautifully detailed mosaics by Namibian company, Forest Mosaic. The finely crafted mosaics are the work of Chiharu Rosenberg, a Japanese mosaic artist who relocated to Omaruru, Namibia where she now has her studio.

Influenced by the essence of Japanese art; the simplicity, skill, space and balance; coupled with the subject matter drawn from her surroundings Chiharu handcrafts her mosaics for residential, public and commercial spaces.  A selection of designs are available to order or contact Chiharu directly for a custom design. Chiharu works with ordinary household tiles, recycling old ones in addition to using other types of materials; all of which are hand cut without the aid of power tools and meticulously applied to delicate shapes like flower petals and fern leaves; her work portrays an abundance of richly hued and textured flora and fauna. 

The 'Flower Series' seen above, was inspired by an Elle Decoration South Africa, Spring Issue magazine cover, which Chiharu so taken with she sought to reproduce it, sending the resulting artwork to the magazine.

...mosaics alive with colour and detail

Ibenstein Weavers
With a weaving heritage spanning over 50 years, Ibenstein Weavers is a family owned business located a hour’s drive from Windhoek, Namibia. Run by Anne Ramdohr, the great-granddaughter of Ibenstein Weaver's founder Marianne Krafft, high-quality carpets, wall hangings and runners are created using Karakul wool which comes from the Karakul sheep, a species not indigenous to Namibia, but one that was first introduced into the country in 1906 from what is now Uzbekistan. The company also produces fabrics from natural yarns like cotton, bamboo, wild Kalahari Silk and linen.

The first carpets started out using a knotting technique, later switching to weaving a process, which takes less time and uses less wool. In the early days abstract geometric patterns formed the main designs created using natural colours. A while later Marianne began experimenting with various forms of yarn dyeing; and inspired by their surroundings the weavers started to add animals and other forms of flora and fauna. Described as the ‘heart and soul’ of the business, 17 weavers currently work for Ibenstein Weavers, some of whom have been with the business for several decades, and over the years a community has grown up around the Ibenstein Weavers farm as many of the weavers have settled and raised families in the area. Having all learnt their trade in-house the weavers bring their passion and creativity into the designs they produce; whether weaving intricately detailed carpets or spinning the yarn for the fabrics.

Like finely detailed paintings that use yarn as the medium of choice, elements of Namibia’s landscape and wildlife are beautifully portrayed in rich textures and colours; this is what makes them special.

The Shining Light Awards collection
It is a sad fact that a large part of Africa’s mineral wealth gets mined using local labour and is then usually shipped out to the benefit of a company which is often internationally based. Diamonds coveted all over the world for their brilliance and perceived value are one such mineral, part of an industry that has been tainted by oppression, violence and corruption, serious issues often overshadowing the achievements being made in nurturing local talent. First launched in 1996 by the Diamond Trading Company - part of the De Beers Group, The Southern Africa Shining Light Awards were intended as a platform to showcase to the world the wealth of design talent available in Southern Africa with regards to jewellery design. Partnering with local design schools and industry experts, the awards originally ran in South Africa for eleven years until 2008/2009 when they were expanded to include entrants from the Diamond Trading Company’s partner countries Botswana and Namibia. The Shining Light Awards committee also awards financial grants to chosen students to help them continue with their studies.

The latest 2010/2012 Shining Light Awards Diamond Design Collection consists of 30 spectacular pieces; 10 designs from each of the three countries set with a staggering total of over 25 thousand diamonds. Included are: the ever popular brilliant white diamonds as well as natural black, natural brown, canary yellow and cape coloured diamonds. So sit back and celebrate a selection of winners, the next generation of emerging talent from some of Africa’s leading diamond producing countries.

BOTSWANA:

NAMIBIA:

SOUTH AFRICA:  

...amazing, do check out the rest of the winners and their designs online.