Art with Snakeskin and Elephant Dung

Deborah Ramos art intrigued me, so I asked a few more questions about her technique and the paper she uses. Here's what this talented lady had to say about her art.

1. What medium do you use in your artwork?

I use many.... I love to play with acrylics for their vibrant colors. I use gouache, watercolors, colored pencils, and my alltime favorites, the caran d'ache wax pastels. I do mostly collage, incorporating natural elements along with my various paints, pencils and caran d' ache. I make handcast paper using barks, plant matter, even shedded snakeskin. All of my pieces include somewhere, shedded snakeskin, representing the sacred feminine (from my ball python), and a handprint, representing the power of the self.

2. Do you have plans for illustrating your own work?

I wouldn't illustrate my childrens stories, simply because I don't believe my type of art and style would be suitable. I find that the most beautiful artwork can be found in children's books. I think there are artists that could do a much better job than I could! My art is a little too "out there" for childrens books!

3. What are you using your giraffe picture for?

I have written a childrens book, about traveling across Africa and observing the animals in their environment. After many rejections, I decided to turn it into an art project, a handmade book, using handmade papers and vellum, hand stitched together. I am also a calligrapher, so the lettering is being done with a dip pen, using gouache. The graphics will be applied to the African handmade papers. Its a work in progress that I started years ago....my divorce kinda squelched the creative juices for a while! But I'm getting ready to jump back into that project. I have hopes of exhibiting the finished piece in a handmade book exhibit. I attached a photo of the cheetah, which is done with gouache, watercolor and colored pencil on African paper called gazelle grass. I love the names!! And there will be an elephant on elephant dung paper! No smell!