Scallop Symmetry (#9 Weekly Art Project inspired by the Alhambra)

 

Before I leave the inspiring Generalife Gardens and head back across to the main area known as the Alhambra, there was just one more thing I felt I HAD to try as my muse.  The Gardens are set out  symmetrically, and dotted along at regular intervals are shallow scallop edged fountain bowls.  Simple in design, but stunning in effect.

For this week's art practice I wanted to work with the scallop bowl shape & symmetry, whilst maintaining a colour scheme that captured both the hard surfaces & the greenery.

I haven't taken photos of my many pencil drawn variations, so you will just have to trust me...there were a few! I had settled on one idea & began the process of measuring & drawing it up as a pattern, when I looked at it & thought...NO!  I just didn't like it, so I went back to the drawing process and came up with something new.  

This is how the cutting back went...

It was good to use the last few scraps of my pebble print in the corners & I think they add interest & texture. Fabric textas were also useful here to add some last minute details, where I might otherwise have used handstitch if I'd had more time. The cutting itself took a long time, but I feel it was worth it. It does what I wanted it to do; remind me of those shallow water bowls & the symmetry of the gardens. A good place to end the Garden exploration of the past few weeks.

PAVILLION PATTERNS (#8 Weekly Art Project; Inspired by the Alhambra)

 There are a few different garden areas in the Yannat Al Arif (Generalife gardens) and one of the most breathtaking is the Courtyard Of the Sultana.  It's beauty lies not only in it's planting & use of water, but in the exquisite pavillions at either end & the corridors that flank it's sides.  These are rooms that provide shelter from the elements, but are also open to enjoy the gardens.  Decorated with exquisite carved plasterwork, they set the scene for what we'd be admiring later in the Nasrid Palace of the Alhambra.

For this week's art project I wanted to capture both the use of pattern in the decoration of these spaces, and the sense of being both inside & out of doors.

I began by looking through my photos of the site & drawing some of the patterns I liked the most.  This led me to observe that the original artisans were very skilled in effectively using scale & sizing of patternwork.  Into these intricate patchworks of pattern they also allowed spaces where the eye could rest & prepare itself to change from one pattern to another.

It took several attempts to find a combination of patterns that suited what I was trying to express as well as being possible to produce in a 20cm square.  I was relieved to finally begin! Here's how it progressed;

I couldn't help myself, I had to finish it off with a few pearls!

I am very pleased with this outcome.  It was a good exercise to create these repeating patterns in two colourways & I think the combination works well together as well as expressing that sense of an interior & exterior space. The layering took a lot of concentration today, but I'm glad I put the effort in.

WATER (#7 Weekly Art Project; inspired by the Alhambra.)

 

One of the most stunning features of Yannat al Arif (Generalife gardens) is the use of water.  In a dry part of the world it is a treasure, so the garden design that included many water channels & fountains was not only destined to impress with it's beauty, but  signify great wealth.  The sound of flowing & dripping water is both soothing & camouflaging.  This camouflage feature was particularly useful back in the day, as the gardens were where secrets were shared & plots planned without fear of anyone overhearing.

I was particularly pleased with the photograph above.  It not only captured the essence of the place, but it highlighted the beauty of the water.

For this week's art project, I chose to focus on water and use the photo above as my guideline.

I started with drawing, which in turn, led to getting the viewfinder out & doing even more drawing.

During that process I wondered how I would represent the water & could I make it look like droplets.  Remembering that I had some gilding flakes, I did a small sample, using vliesfix & then glue as adhesives.  During this time I also discovered a silver shiva oil stick that has been hiding away for a million years.  That too was a possibility & was added to my sample.

Finally I had a direction.  Here's how it went.

This was the finished result.

Whilst the gilding flakes really do look like water & if you look at it long enough you'd almost swear it moved....I REALLY didn't like this outcome. It didn't work for me, even though it wasn't dissimilar to what I'd planned. I didn't like the shiva oil sticks, they were thick & clumsy to use. I didn't like the upper green corner & I didn't like the gilded flakes even if they looked realistic.  I think the problem here was the design not knowing what it was supposed to be; abstract or realistic.

Unusually for me, I had finished the weekly art project earlier than usual, so theoretically had another hour & a half  before needing to return to domestic duties.  Could I try again & do another project in that time?

I returned to my favourite drawing.  As you can surmise it was drawn rapidly with felt pens. The most interesting part of this drawing are the grey lines representing the water.  Could I try a more stylized representation of water?

Well....I could certainly try! With Christopher Plummer having just died, the appropriate song came to mind... "let's start at the very beginning...a very good place to start...."!!

Yes!  I like this one, even if a couple of my lines are a bit wonky. The background is less of a feature but still represents the place & the moving arcs & parabolas are more interesting here. I'm so glad that I decided to try again.  This whole experience highlights the value of samples.  They may not guarantee that things wont go amiss when working on an art making project, but they certainly help in the whole decision making process. It has been a lot of work, but definitely worth it.