For Patrik's pen cases that you pull
And tummies that are pleasantly full
For inks that are ordinary
And tricks extraordinary
Let's go to Bologna
It's also not long now
Till the Court of Gayumars is done
Then there'll be prints for everyone
Lots of books
Have a look
Lots of clockses
And magic boxes...
...I was asked to be inspired by Kent and make a minument - a small monument - so for this painting I used the famous maze at Leeds Castle. (Great Expectations No. 16 for Getting Lost in History: A Minument to Leeds Castle Maze - it was on show at The Beaney, Canterbury, UK).
Mazes and labyrinths have a long and ancient history particularly in Europe and the British Isles. Hasted’s History of Kent (1788) mentions a Mease Hill, which may have come from the Celtic maes, meaning ‘field’ (Matthews, 1922). The maze at Leeds Castle famously amazed and puzzled its own designer, Adrian Fisher, who got lost in his own creation. It is a unique maze in the world for its device linking a circular maze pattern (resembling the ancient Cretan labyrinth) into an overall square format. Furthermore, the maze at Leeds Castle has an amazing exit: we leave through a grotto made of shells and stones, wood and bones that incorporates a Green Man and other mythical creatures, thereby linking two very English traditions together in one piece. The dark yew trees that make up the maze have a long relationship with magic in Britain. This particular maze happens to be almost the same age as the artist, whose own personal history of being amazed starts with her parents living not far from Leeds Castle and for her this became an emblem of Kent, and by extension also of Englishness. ...
...the solution to the maze also glows in the dark...
…the Court of Gayumars translation-recreation painting is coming along. It needs a bit more time and love but you can see the finish line and the sense of it when it's finished; it won't look much different to this. What will be added are all the tiny small details and finishing touches...
...this is a great photo seen through a magnifying lens - it looks as though the colours are flying off the page...
...2024 is turning out to be quite a Year of the Scroll. After the Art of Attention: The Court of Gayumars comes The Art of Apprenticeship: 1001 Nights...
A virtual invitation to my studio practice online. Apprenticeships have a long history. Being an Apprentice is something really deep. It is a commitment and very meaningful. By allowing an apprentice to just ‘be’ there, absorbing via osmosis in the air or in the ether, the presence of art and the artist is a sort of silent transmission that is one of the deepest and oldest forms of teaching and learning. This is a rare opportunity to gain this kind of insight into the mechanisms of the artistic process.
The Subject
A chance to watch me not only paint live, but create live. Not recreate, but actually create from scratch. A chance to see the artistic process from its beginnings, and to gain insight, step-by-step, into the artistic mind and the manifestation of a creation coming alive from the inside out. I will create 2 long horizontal scrolls based on the 1001 Nights, in 2 different painting styles. The images will all flow into each other organically to make one large horizontal frieze that works as a complete painting and each session also works equally well as a standalone picture.
The Styles
The 2 painting ‘languages’ are, firstly, of course, Indo-Persian miniatures. Secondly, Chinese gongbi 工笔/工筆- ‘meticulous’ style painting. You’ll see me treating the same subject in miniatures (1st half an hour), and then in gongbi style (2nd half an hour). This is interesting in itself as a comparative study. For example, ‘a silver tree’ in miniature style. Then ‘a silver tree’ in gongbi style.
The Approach
The first few sessions will be artistic process-planning sessions and sketching and thinking. This is the private, inside stuff that the public don’t usually get to see and many artists don’t allow. I’ll have prepared images to draw, trace or transfer for each session thereafter, working steadily through the scrolls. A mixture of planning and ‘winging-it’ spontaneity. You do nothing but watch and ask and talk, like an apprentice. You don’t have to make anything at all. Open to all but please discuss with me first and email me....
...I cleaned my palettes for the first time since 2022 and I must say it felt good. I also organised them as you see. Turns out I have 78 colours - enough to create most things I want to create. You see my bias towards the cooler palette and I surprised myself with the amount of reds I've collected over the years. Yet I still see some missing colours, namely some earth colours. My specialist colour palette and handmade shell colours are of course not included here, although there are also some handmade paints within these (all those greens)...
…we turn now to handmade inks. Patrik and I were invited by the University of Bologna (the oldest university in the world!) to do an artist residency creating inks. We start with the so-called 'ordinary inks'...
...that is to say, simple coloured inks that stay the same on the page (this was not always the case... in March we will move onto extraordinary inks). Lead white and malachite...
...ink colour tests done with my Water brush, which is totally compatible with all water-based media including watercolour paints, inks and gouaches. More brushes and tools: https://www.theperfectbrush.co.uk/shop and here's the link to my Make a Carpet Page e-course. Once downloaded it's yours to keep forever: https://vaishaliprazmaricarpetpage.thinkific.com/courses/make-a-carpet-page or purchase some easy-watching, relaxing painting films.
Ink making
And below, replicating a pistachio green using malachite and saffron from Al-'Iraqi's treatise on inks. Then creating a range of violets and pinks. Working with historians of science and chemists was a real treat; I love interdisciplinary work. We were in a proper chemistry laboratory complete with white coats and gloves, and extractor hoods and Bunsen burners (you may remember these from secondary school/high school chemistry - which was the last time I was in a lab!). Where I would use shells or honestly any empty container I had to hand, we had proper repositories for mixing chemicals. These pigments and powders were all treated as chemicals, and the texts we worked from were alchemical - as I suppose they are - my contribution was as an artist and practitioner.
Building knowledge with the wonderful people at the University of Bologna and Philosophy department (where the History of Science is located) was a truly enriching experience. No one person can be a specialist in all fields of knowledge so I really enjoy working with other people's expertise; I learnt so much. Stay tuned for next month as I paint my ALADDIN toy theatre with these inks in turn. You can get your own toy theatre here: https://www.theperfectbrush.co.uk/product-page/aladdin-paper-toy-theatre...
More brushes and beautiful tools here
Get your ALADDIN paper toy theatre here
..I will share more in my taught classes of course as I usually do, as well as in this year's Colour and Poetry event on 21 March where I'll talk about Magic Inks (check the Slade School of Fine Art page for more up-to-date details). The books for March are a spring Book of Delights, because everyone needs a sweet treat and a bit of frivolity now and then, and the Book of Bridges - first forays into pop-up books, which is the eventual aim of the books this year.
Here's a dynamic list of pastries (dynamic because it's constantly being revised as Wikipedia collates data from around the world) - see if you recognise a few: Alexandertorte, Alfajor, Apple strudel, Bahulu, Bakewell pudding, Baklava, Bakpia Pathok, Banitsa, Banket, Bear claw, Beaver Tail, Bedfordshire clanger, Belekoy, Belokranjska povitica, Berliner, Bethmännchen, Bibingka, Bichon au citron, Bierock, Birnbrot, Bizcocho, Börek, Bossche bol, Bougatsa, Boyoz, Bridie, Briouat, Bruttiboni, Bundevara, Butterkaka, Canelé, Cannoli siciliani, Carac, ChaSan, Chatti Pathiri, Cheesymite Scroll, Chouquette, Choux à la crème, Cinnamon Bun, Coca, Conejito, Cornish pasty, Conversation, Cornulețe, Coussin de Lyon, Cream horn, Crêpes Suzette, Crocetta of Caltanissetta, Croissant, Croline, Cronut, Croquembouche, Curry puff, Dabby-Doughs, Danish pastry, Djevrek, Dutch letter, Éclair, Empanada, Ensaïmada, Fa gao, Fazuelos, Fig roll, Flaky pastry, Flaugnarde, Flaons, Flies graveyard, Franzbrötchen, Galette, Gâteau Basque, Şorqoğal, Gibanica, Gujiya, Gözleme, Gundain, Gustavus Adolphus pastry, Gyeongju bread, Haddekuche, Hamantash, Hellimli, Heong Peng, Hot water crust pastry, Huff paste, Inipit, Jachnun, Jalebi, Jambon, Jesuite, Joulutorttu, Kalács, Kanafeh, Karakudamono, Kifli, Klobasnek, Knieküchle, Knish, Kolache, Kolompeh, Kołacz, Komaj sehen, Kouign-amann, Krempita, Kringle, Kroštule, Kūčiukai, Kürtőskalács, Ladies' navels, Lattice, Leipziger Lerche, Linzer torte, Lotus seed bun, Ma'amoul, Macaron, Makmur, Makroudh, Malsouka, Mandelkubb, Mantecadas, Marillenknödel, Masan, Miguelitos, Milhoja, Milk-cream strudel, Mille-feuille, Moorkop, Muskazine, Nazook, New York roll, Nun's puffs, Nunt, Öçpoçmaq, Ox-tongue pastry, Pain au chocolat, Pain aux raisins, Palmier, Pannekoek, Pan dulce, Panzarotti, Papanași, Paper wrapped cake, Paris–Brest, Paste, Pastel, Pastizz, Pastry heart, Pâté Chaud, Phyllo, Pionono, Pithivier, Plăcintă, Poffertjes, Pogača, Poppy seed roll, Pot pie, Prekmurska gibanica, Profiterole, Puff pastry, Puits d'amour, Punsch-roll, Punschkrapfen, Qottab, Quesito, Roti john, Roti tissue, Roze koek, Rugelach, Runeberg's torte, Rustico, Samosa, Schaumrolle, Schnecken, Schneeball, Schuxen, Semla, Sfenj, Sfințișori, Sfogliatelle, Shortcrust pastry, Sou, Spanakopita, Steak and kidney pie, Strudel, Stutenkerl, Sufganiyah, Taiyaki, Toaster pastry, Torpil, Tortell, Tortita negra, Trdelník, Turnover, Utap, Vatrushka, Vetkoek, Viennoiserie, Vol-au-vent, Xuixo, Yurla, Zeeuwse bolus, Zlabia... The Delights theme is continued in March's TALES class which is the Ni'matnama manuscript of the Sultans of Mandu (British Library, Ghiyath Shahi), also containing medicinal remedies and quite hilarious aphrodisiacs, embellished with Persian picnics and all kinds of delightful treats and fruits I imagine myself cooking one day but that never happens. I have a dream hobby of replicating medieval manuscript recipes not only of inks and art materials (which I'm in fact currently doing) but also of foods: this has never happened and I don't think ever will unless I get some outside help. For now: in painted form only.
And a bridge book of bridges. Inspired by the ancient horizontal form of pothi books, the extreme horizontal format allows for the bridge designs to use the full width of the page. Bridges range from covered bridges to moon bridges to Medieval houses squished together higgledly-piggledly across the Thames or the Seine. From London and Paris house bridges to Chinese latticed bridges to Turkish tightropes - because Vehbi's Ottoman Book of Festivities includes many tightrope walkers, and because this is perhaps one of the earliest and crudest form of a bridges - our bridges span time and space and, like Tower Bridge in London, sometimes raise themselves up and down, in a pop-up sort of way...
Also a one-off class on the idea of magic boxes! The 1001 Nights is and was always an oral as well as written tradition, but in my visualisation also a nested 'Chinese box' one - the idea of a story in a story in a story. I think boxes are cool: https://www.vaishaliprazmariteaching.com/book-online...
Book classes
...Here are a couple of quick highlights from the British Library Fantasy exhibition. A manuscript painting of the Sindbadnamah - the book of Sindbad the sailor (coming later to a toy theatre near you, by the way!) and Andrew Lang's colourful books of fairytales, which also inspired our idea to do different colours of leather binding for our book classes. Then, Charlotte Bronte's tiny handwriting, Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast illustrations and beneath, the original map of Narnia as well as more Peake islands and seas. I love his floating islands on the crest of a wave. Sarah Peasgood's toy theatre production of Jorinda and Joringel, a Grimm tale she reinterpreted in the form of a toy theatre.
The Science Museum's exhibition on Chinese clocks from the Forbidden City. I was annoyed at one caption in particular: they very quickly glossed over a 'trade imbalance' between Britain and China and that's all that was mentioned - because of international trade today, of course. I was looking for one small word that was not mentioned in the entire show, and that was: opium. I will redress that imbalance myself in future artworks I'm planning. It's an important, dark and often deleted chapter of British history that is not part of the National Curriculum (then again, neither was the transatlantic slave trade when I was growing up, but I had an enlightened young white male history teacher who thought it was really important to teach us about that.) (His name was Mr Walters and he used to carry around a 2 litre bottle of water with him everywhere - the other important lesson I absorbed from him - and of course we nicknamed him Mr Waters).
Anyway, enjoy the silverware and clocks - I'm always interested in the back sides of things and you can see they also paid attention to these. Those moon gates are so iconic of China that in every other exhibition design related to China you find them. You'll also find them in my toy theatres because although they are a cliché they are also just cool. What is great about the Science Museum is the interactive displays where kids can learn the basic principles behind the machines. What is great about the idea of homeschool (preserved from the pandemic) is that the kids only have a vague sense that school should happen Mon-Fri, 9-3. I believe that it can happen anywhere, and I often give them workbooks to do around mealtimes and in restaurants, in the spirit of playing with time, as I do with my own work, life and the 1001 Nights. Workbooks for children today are colourful, well-thought through and I wish I'd had them growing up.
The monthly meeting will not be in Italy, but online. We can always meet across time zones!The monthly meeting link is also over at the Forum, which now is a real hub of information and you just need to scroll around or use the Search tool to find information. It's sorted into broad categories too. The Zoom link is via the Forum https://www.miniaturepaintingforum.com or here's the direct link:
Monthly Miniature Meeting 19.3.24 6-7pm London time - all welcome
Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/81359631508?pwd=UVNJVzNFa0tnYW1KOHZtMGM0c0lldz09
Meeting ID: 813 5963 1508
Passcode: 076159...
...Earlier in February we celebrated Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year as we should correctly say since it is also celebrated by many other cultures. We did more unusual traditions like making tanghulu 糖葫芦 - candied fruit skewers - and 3D sugar painting. I also made bird's nest soup to look and feel young again (just joking). I had it because I like unusual things like eating bird's saliva (pushing the boundaries of vegetarianism) and I haven't had it in years, and the main reason was I wanted to keep the birds' nests for future sculptures, so it was an honorary dish. My little one really enjoys painting and drawing with me, both inventing his own things and colouring in - a vital fine motor skill. He painted the stairs of my ALADDIN toy theatre in rainbow hues, each step a different colour because why not? Below you can also see how a toy theatre production works in progress - you have the colour-coded script which is also set to music on the side of the theatre. The performance side of toy theatres is something I haven't considered, and I'm looking for people to perform ALADDIN for me too (Pollocks will also be doing this) If you're interested in performing it, please get in touch!...
...Here in Bologna, Italy, the kids are doing non-toxic chemistry and seeing how purply-red cabbage juice changes colour to turquoise when you add an alkali (sodium carbonate) and to pink when you add an acid (vinegar) while Patrik works on his magic trick boxes (more on this later). I'm in the chemistry lab which is understandably out of bounds for little ones. We found another use for the bottom bookshelf: nap time! Look closely and you'll also see a Playdoh pasta maker which the kids adore - I thought, since we're in Emilio Romagna, the heartland of Italian food, they can play with something related. We are eating SO well here too, but don't get too jealous - it's raining a lot and fairly close to London weather. Bologna was originally a city of canals like Venice (for the textile trade) and then they were eventually filled in. Seen through this finestrella - little window - you can see one of the canals. There is also a leaning tower that is leaning more than the more famous Leaning Tower of Pisa (but possibly not as nice looking). I wanted to buy this Chinese shop sign I found in a Benetton store (!) but they said it was part of the original palazzo so although they didn't incorporate it into the store design (which would understandably be out of place) they just sort of plonked it in a corner... quite sad, and I wanted to rescue it, but since it was part of the original building they couldn't get rid of it...hmmm...
...walking around the city centre we saw the courtyard of the Anatomical Theatre. The presence of the University of Bologna, the feeling of learning and the Medieval and Renaissance eras. dominate this city, as do arches. Apparently there are more covered walkways here than anywhere else in the world. You see these noble families really wanted to make sure of their legacy - coats of arms even cover the ceiling!...
...Next month we continue making magical inks, magic trick boxes and other smoke-and-mirrors related artworks in this city of arches, as well as teaching a bookbinding workshop. Patrik and I took it as a good opportunity to see if we could teach abroad and to see which tools we could take in checked-in luggage (we usually travel with hand luggage only). The kids loved the baggage carousel at the end. Below are Patrik's sketches for our magic trick box - we are replicating a text from Al-Zarkhuri who wrote of a pen case that, when you lift the lid, the pens rise as if by magic. We are enjoying our time in Italy creating, thinking and obviously eating. The kids have yet to try the original spag bol, as we say in the UK (spaghetti bolognese). This is the region of mortadella and the reason I can't be vegan - Parmigiano reggiano (Parmesan cheese). Bologna has its own Tarot cards that can be used both for divination and the game of Tarocco, which is unusual (this is related to my Characters classes where we also explore the Tarot archetypes in relation to the idea of manuscript painting 'stock' figures).
Inkishly yours,
Vaishali Prazmari
P.S. Have you ever seen a Panther that is Pink? One of my favourite cartoons from childhood that I used to watch with my grandmother. The eldest is really into feather pens as well. He dislikes writing, yet it is such a pleasure for me and also a necessity for life along with reading and maths (he enjoys those), so this is absolutely non-negotiable and a source of tension between us. I am being the strict teacher mama and simply forcing him to practice writing (in a VERY small dose, literally the minimum viable amount!) in both Chinese and English, which are equally disliked. One way to entice him is to let him play with feather pens and, soon, interesting inks. Any other ideas please let me know! I bribe him with cartoons, which of course works every time.
