Prehistoric Proteas

The paper proteas that we have been making have been such fun to design.  This ancient flower, which has been around since the days of Gondwanaland is also known as the Sugarbush or Suikerbos, because of the sweet syrup that can be harvested from some of them.

Using sticker backing paper, which is unrecyclable, because of its paper and plastic layer has been a challenge, as the plastic wax side resists all glue and paint. 
But the paper side has been a wonderful canvas to work on.  Some of the proteas have had their petals painted pink.
Christy Kiggan has worked to colour the petals of others in a different and more exciting way too.  She has used beetroot to make dye, and has dipped the petals in this dye, until the colour shows right through to the wax layer. In this closeup you can see the difference between both treatments [and the faint logo on the recycled paper]

These are all part of the new Freshly Found Recycled Paper Flower range, which will be launched at the Design Indaba Expo at the beginning of March.  
And this is where it has all been happening.  Here's the work table.  Although it could be classified as messy, I had to take a pic .  I found the colours and rhythm of the petal shapes quite pleasing.