About Me

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Hi, I'm Maree Clarkson! I’m passionate about sketching and painting, chickens, animals, birds, nature, Moleskine note books, the beach, crystals, succulents, useless information, technology, blogging, my MAC, my Land Rover, positivity, gardening and discovering anything new in life! Living in Africa is something very special and I am constantly delighted, amused and amazed by the things I see, do and experience. Join me in some of these experiences. I am a Watercolour artist and Watercolours are my preferred medium. For me, the unpredictability and uncontrollable nature of watercolour makes it the most exciting and expressive medium of all. Having a certain picture in your mind and then seeing something slightly different, yet wonderful, come to life, is a thrilling experience! With watercolours, no two artists can produce the same result, the paint will just not allow you! Click on 'View my complete profile' to see a list of all my blogs.

Tuesday 29 March 2016

Rattail Cactus sketch

Ink sketch and watercolour on Amedeo 200gsm

Sketch of my Rattail Cactus (Aporocactus flagelliformis), on my patio (Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa). It is fairly easy to care for and maintain. It grows stems up to a four feet long, that hang and display brownish colored spines, which are terribly sharp and fine and somehow manage to get everywhere when you’re handling it!

The flowers are an absolutely beautiful (2in – 4in / 5cm – 10cm wide) pink tubular type (see photograph here) that usually bloom in spring for up to 5 days. These flowers will grow from any part of the stem, 4-5ft long, and you can expect plenty of them. Similar to many other cacti, they are very easy to grow indoors and outside (as long at the temperature is not too cold outside.

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