The material used for painting is just as important as the painting skills. In order to produce an artwork of high quality, that retains its luminosity and freshness over time, it is important to use the best possible material and to learn the traditional methods by which master craftsmen prepare their pigments from the earth and make them into paints.
During my MA course in the School of Traditional Arts in the Prince’s Foundation, I had the opportunity to learn from masters and traditional teachers such as David Cranswick from the UK, Ajay Sharma from India, and Farkhondeh Ahmadzadeh from Iran. I was able to draw knowledge from diverse cultures that still retain these past traditions, I experimented preparing gold, gesso, paper and paints with many old recipes.
Pigments
Working with natural pigments sourced and hand ground from the earth’s flora and fauna, minerals and metals, was really an enchanting experience, as this special connection brought me closer to the Source, and made me become more appreciative of the abundance and beauty of Divine Creation.
I use a traditional palette that consists mainly of: Lapis, malachite, vermillion, and ochres. I grind these pigments and bind them in gum Arabic before suspending in water.
Shell gold
My shell gold is powdered from leaf and bound by gum Arabic or honey. After grinding finely the gold leaves and adding a solution, I strain the mixture and filter it until only pure gold dust remains. Different alloys produce different shades: 17K green gold, 21K yellow gold, 23K red gold and 12K white gold. The gold is applied with a brush and burnished with an agate stone.
Raised Gold on Gesso
The gesso is a mixture that is made of plaster, sugar, titanium white, seccotine glue and red bole. It is a wonderful medieval gold gilding technique used to illuminate manuscripts. It is prepared and build up so that the design is really three-dimensional. When the gold has been applied and polished with a burnishing tool, it looks extremely thick and the curving edges of the design catch the light from many angles at once.
Paper
I dye paper with tea, onion skin, walnut skin, dried pomegranate skin, aubergine skin, safflower, or other natural substances to create the desired shade and colour, so that my illumination could rise from earth toned pages.It is then coated with layers of starch as it is very important to choose the correct size for making the surface smooth and perfect for the pigment to glide on. Once the papers are dry they are thoroughly burnished with an agate stone.