From a refreshing drink to beauty products as well as health purposes, the many uses of rooibos continue to bowl the world over.
Now the wonder plant is being used as a tool by a local artist, whose creations have caught the eye of international enthusiasts.
Zimbabwean-born artist Jeanne-Marie Webb, who lives in Cape Town with her family, has put rooibos centre stage in global art as she paints delicate images on rooibos teabags.
Her unusual pieces have been such a success that she held an online auction last week.
She has since sold 150 paintings to overseas buyers, and has been invited to the US later this year to share her technique with various studios.
Her year-long “One Face a Day” project was also recently exhibited in Cape Town.
Webb explained that her process involved using the red residue on rooibos teabags and combining it with a primer, which gave her the perfect skin tone for her portraits.
Her journey using this method began a few years ago when she was determined to find the perfect miniature substrate for her paintings.
“I happened to stumble upon a tattered old rooibos teabag one night while rummaging through one of my old paper boxes, and I thought: ‘Why not?’
“It proved to be the perfect canvas for what I had in mind and I absolutely love the concept of creating unique pieces of art on a teabag.”
Webb then began testing various teabags, but found that the red residue on rooibos teabags, when mixed with a primer, gave her the best results.
“I had no idea that the medium would become such a hit,” she said.
Once she perfected this technique, Webb’s “One Face a Day” project became such a hit that she received requests from others to join in.
“Scores of my Facebook friends asked if they could join me, which later evolved into an online workshop as I shared the process of how to paint creative portraits on tiny rooibos tea bags with art enthusiasts from around the world,” said Webb.
“The growing interest led to hundreds of artists flocking to buy rooibos tea on Amazon, and there’s no sign of this trend letting up yet.”
Webb’s online auction last week also saw about 130 of her pieces being sold to local art collectors.
She is also booked to do another online auction later this year that will include some of her other works.
Interested buyers can go to www.jeannemarieart.com for more info.