kilnpriestess

This temporary concentration of metallic laced water collected on the beach at Berakas, Brunei Darussalam in a location that was a bit of a trek away from the popular BBQ and playground area. This is why it was left undisturbed by people. Several weeks after my serendipitous photo session I returned to this spot, however, the little mineral pool along with the several tons of sand that once supported it, had all been washed away because of flash floods caused by the winter rains. The only evidence marking the mineral pools location was the still visible form of the bleached tree, which was now laying in the mouth of an estuary. I hope that that after the big rains end in Feb. that the South China Sea tides will return the sand that was washed away. Maybe we that happens the metallic minerals that were leached out of the clay and badlands formations will start to build up once more.

This photo was taken high-up on a clay and sand embankment over-looking the South China Sea. Pitcher-Plants can be seen dangling over the water carved clay wall on the left-hand side of the image. These very tough plants grow in very poor soil and they gather the nutrients they need by capturing insects in their fluid filled pitchers. The insects drown and their nutrients are absorbed by the plant. The drawback of pitcher-plants is that they support the full cycle of mosquitoes that thrive in the liquid environment of the plant's modified leaf containers. The plants benefit from the biological activities of the mosquitoes.

This clay and found-object sculpture was formed courtesy of nature. In the winter months (just a figure of speech--there is no winter in Borneo) it rains more heavily than usual. This causes a lot of erosion along the beach where natural and human made debris pile up.

Coated with iron and other minerals this rocks gain their extraordinary colors after being being basted and baked untold times under the hot tropical sun. Many of the rocks look as though they sport a raku patina.

Rich in visual elements, the eroded clay landscape of Berakas Beach is home to pitcher-plants, geckos, and monitor lizards.

Rich in more than just oil,the tiny country of Brunei Darussalam hosts large tracts of pristine rain forests and is bounded on one side by beaches that give way in places to wind and water carved clay formations. These mineral stained formations with their sparse patches of pitcher-plants and other tenacious foliage are the subject of this album. I am exploring the clay landscape through photography because of its enthralling beauty. Furthermore, I am also painting landscapes from my photographs.