Issue14

Maeza Teach yourself to art

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Editors note

MAEZA

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Content

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https:// www.kickstarter.com/ projects/291635396/ what-a-mess-a-pop-upmisadventure-book

http:// mrjakeparker.com/ inktober @mwashburnarts

@5ampopup Follow the final week of the campain on Facebook

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Left page Olympic Rings by Tracey English for Brazilian friend who went to the Olympics with his friends.

Judo, tribute to sloveninan womens for gaining two medals by Mateja Lukezic This page Simone Biles by Catarina Oliveira for awesome motivational quotes

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Left page Rio 2016 Olympian Kids in Sandbox by Jackie Ling This page Rythmic gymnastic ferry by Jelena Jordanovic-Lewis „what looks effortless is a result of hard work“

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Honey bear by Julie Cossete print in MAEZA #9

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My love for Edgar Allan Poe started when I was 12 years old. After finding a really old copy of his short stories I felt a kinship with the author within the pages of his dark and twisted world of 19th Century America.

For me, living the life as a young goth kid in a small New England town, Poe opened up a whole new world to me. Edgar Allan Poe has always been one to my stir my imagination. The more I learn more about his short and tragic life, the more I love him.

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Portrait of lady Ligea

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Late lady Ligeia death bed ghost

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This haunting story tells of a man

gravely ill. In a state of shock, he watches

who's young beautiful wife, the Lady

over her death, doing nothing to help. As

Ligeia, suddenly dies, he goes on a

she awaits her untimely fate, her husband

desperate journey to see her again. He

still dreams of his love Ligeia.

loses himself in drink, drugs (Opium),

Mysteriously, upon the corpse of his

and, deep loneliness. Eventually, with a

newly dead wife, something seems to stir,

heavy heart, he remarries to another

and her cheeks begin to flush, where

woman, The Lady Rowena, a woman

upon the face of Ligeia appears. And the

whom he never truly loves. Thoughout

man must question, has his love returned

this new marriage, he yearns for his first

to him or a perhaps it is just a fever of an

love, Ligeia. After only a few weeks of

Opium dream?

marriage the Lady Rowena suddenly falls

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"Yet, although I saw that the features of Ligeia were not of a classic regularity When the opportunity to illustrate

-although I perceived that her loveliness

one of his stories came up from maeza, I

was indeed 'exquisite', and felt that there

jumped at the opportunity to really study

was much of 'strangeness' pervading it,

one of his stories. I chose the story,

yet I have tried in vain to detect the

'Ligeia', (1838) which is one of my, and

irregularity and to trace home my own

Poes, favorite ghost stories.

perception of 'the strange'. I examined

Person description in the story as

the contour of the lofty and pale

reference.

forehead --it was faultless-- how cold

There is no physical description of the

indeed that word when applied to a

man in the story, who just refers to

majesty so divine! --the skin rivalling the

himself in the first person, so I envisioned

purest ivory, the commanding extent and

the writer throughout the story. For

repose, the gentle prominence of the

Ligeia, the description is intense, "There

regions above the temples; and then the

is no exquisite beauty," says Bacon, Lord

raven-black, the glossy, the luxuriant and

Verulam, speaking truly of all the forms

naturally-curling tresses, setting forth

and genre of beauty, without some

the full force of the Homeric epithet,

strangeness in the proportion.

'hyacinthine!'"

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I chose to illustrate Edgar Allen Poes Ligeia in an almost muted way, using cheifly dark blues, purples, and, various shades of black watercolor and gouache paint. I chose a few of the scenes that stuck out most in the story to me: Ligeia being called to the spirit world, the Opium dream, and, when Ligeia 'returns' to her love. I tried to convey the emotions of the characters in each painting, both worldly and otherworldly.

In the more colorful portraits, I've illustrated 'the man' as a sad version of Poe.

Through the story, I was able to do a bit of historical detective work. I researched fashion, home decor, and a bit of the history of Opium. Poe writes in a very descriptive style, and it is wonderful to imagine the world that he creates. I hope you enjoy what I have done with this incredible Victorian Goth tale.

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In the portrait paintings I wanted to depict their sweet married life, before all the tragedy takes place.

In 'the death of Ligeia', I painted her hearing the final spiritual call before her death, where she is in a spiritual ecstasy. The man watching is disbelief from afar.

The second scene the man is lost in a Opium dream, his love lies

over

him,

harshly

darkening his world.

The last scene, in which Ligeia, returns was a bit difficult to depict. I illustrated this quiet spiritual moment by adding just a small amount of a enlivening pink hue to the face of the deceased showing that Ligeia had returned.

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Before the advent of book printing, books were handwritten and many could be classed as works of art.

The entire process of illumination was very time consuming and expensive, consequently many of the books were only available to wealthy customers or were used for liturgical purposes.

When book printing became available some of the early printed books resembled the old illuminated manuscripts.

Despite all efforts, the art of illumination gradually declined and with them

Intro

the need for scribes and illuminators disappeared slowly. Illuminating letters remains however a true art and virtue to persuade.

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The art of illuminated letters The magic of decorated letters in old manuscripts and bibles enchanted Chrissy Murphy and inspired her to follow in the footsteps of scripter from 12th century. Today her letters and ornaments truly radiate a fascinating aura and proof her talent.

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Today we have mass produced books using standardised fonts from beginning to end... it's all about profit margins and cost efficiency.

I'm not a publisher so I have no interest in cost efficiency but I am an artist and I have a great interest in beauty. Illuminated lettering is a love of mine. Old manuscripts and bibles of the Middle Ages are of such beauty, and this beauty is rarely seen today. As an artist I want to engage the viewer and lead them to a place where they

History

can catch a glimpse of the beauty of yesteryear.

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So what is illumination?

like the Bible. Most of the books were used

Illumination is the art of

by priests or monks for liturgical purposes,

decorating books with

like the Book of Kells, an irish manuscript of

colour and gold or silver.

the four gospels,

The divine purpose of

The word stems from the

artistically

illuminated lettering is lost

Latin word illuminare,

reknowned for

meaning 'to light up'.

its celtic knots

Imagine opening a book

and interlacing patterns. By the 12th century

and be greeted with gold

books were beginning to be made for private

or silver shining off the

individuals. A great example of an

page—This is an

illuminated manuscript created for a private

in today's technological world. I have a deep desire to see it return

experience. Margins filled with ornamental

individual is the Book of Hours, a personal

designs and flourishes demonstrates a love of

devotion book created for a wealthy

the text it accompanies.

layperson.

One purpose of illuminated lettering is exalting

The divine purpose of illuminated lettering is

the text, for example the Bible is considered to

lost in today's technological world. I have a

be the Word of God. In ancient times a lot of

deep desire to see it return, exalt text, and,

the illuminated lettering was in religious texts,

engage the reader in its beauty.

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Scribes and illuminators went to incredible lengths to produce the work they did and they did not have the range of materials we do today.

The footsteps of ancient letter painter

Ancient pigments and tools

Inspiring ancient skills

Many of their pigments were plant and

I began to develop a deep appreciation for

mineral based, requiring grinding to a fine

the work of the scribes and illuminators, the

powder and mixing with egg yolk or white to

beauty they created using primitive methods

act as a binding medium. Their colour palette

was

was limited compared to today's standards.

magnificent works of art, on par with some of

impressive.

They

were

producing

They work on vellum, a parchment made

the great artists of today, with such basic tools.

from calf skins, made their own inks, and,

Although they have long since passed away,

wrote with feather quills requireing great skill

their work still inspires, as it calls me to

and care to carve the required nib.

appreciate the tools I have, and be better at

Gold and silver?

what I do.

Unlike past scribes and illuminators, I don't

Literature

use gold or silver leaf to gild my letters. I work

I must give credit here to Margaret Morgan

exclusively with a paint pen and Prismacolor

and her book entitled "The Bible of Illuminated

coloured pencils for colour work.

Letters".

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It has been my go to guide for

teaching

myself

illuminated

lettering

and

I

reproduced many of her designs during my recent

Literature about illumination

100 day lettering project. Working with something so

Margaret Morgan The Bible of Illuminated Letters

ancient and beautiful affects you in a special way.

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I was personally challenged, to keeping with a spirit of authenticity I carried out some research and decided to create my own ink.

How I make my own material Preparation A friend sourced me some coal and I ground it with a mortar and pestle to a fine powder, added some water and a drop or two of vinegar to turn it into ink. Vinegar adds stability to the ink and making it permanent when drawn on paper. To begin with I found my ink kind of grainy, further straining resolved that problem.

Consistency I was fortunate in my first attempt that I made my ink at the right consistency. As with any ink used by a dip pen, consistency is key to enabling a good flow of ink running between the lines, so I would adjust the consistency through adding more water or ground coal depending upon its need.

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Storage My research reccommended that the ink should be stored in an airtight container away from direct sunlight. The ink stores well however each use needs a drop or two of water added for consistency purposes, and the richness of colour can be compromised. I now make a new batch each time I need it.

Burning coal Another method I noted, required burning the coal before grinding, and I believe this would probably enable a finer powder to be achieved, meaning the ink may not be as grainy. I plan to try this method in the future. /

Conclusion As for the results, I am absolutely amazed at the richness of the black, it is as good as any of the inks on the market today. However, overall, it doesn't compare to whats available to artists and calligraphers today. I believe we are working with some of the finest quality products... as we should: we have has had centuries to perfect them!

Having

said

that,

you

can't

beat

authenticity and if you want to walk in the footsteps of the ancients, then try working with the tools they did. It's humbling, inspiring and a great way to develop your artistic abilities.

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About my work I love repetitive patterns, ornamental design, and, flourishes. I have also been working on calligraphy.

I recently completed a 100 day lettering project in which I focused a portion of it on illuminated lettering. I did this to give myself a firm grounding in the principles of this art, so I can begin to blend it with my own personal artistic flavours.

In the future I hope to learn gilding with gold and silver leaf and to work on vellum. It is my intention to blend all of these flavours together, engaging the viewer in an experience of extravagance, beauty, and, exaltation of the written word.

There is a verse in the Lords Prayer that says, 'Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven' (emphasis mine). I believe Heaven to be a

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place

of

extravagance,

beauty,

and,

exaltation. To be gifted with the ability to be able to communicate this to others is an incredible privelege. My hope is that my work testifies to this, and that the work of the ancient scribes and illuminators before me is honoured through my work. They laid the path, I am walking it..

The

majority

of

work

Where you can find me?

I

do

is

commissioned and on artists tiles (square

My illluminated letters will also soon be

cardstock in a variety of sizes). I have been

available through my stores with Society 6

working on illuminated letters for people as

and Red Bubble.

gifts, it's something that's unique and

If you'd like to follow my work and be

personal. I also have work available for

kept up to date with what I'm up to,

purchase through the local art and craft

follow me on facebook, instagram,

gallery in my town, so if you're ever headed

pinterest, twitter, G+, and, tumblr, just

through Tully, NQ, pull in to the Tully Arts

search Chrissie Murphy Designs.

and Crafts Centre and have a look around.

I blog at www.chrissiemurphydesigns.blogspot.co m where you can also subscribe by email.

Stop on by, say 'Hi' and have a look around, I love it when friends drop in.

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Bio Chrissie Murphy is an emerging North Queensland based artist who works predominantly with pen and ink and coloured pencil. Chrissie started repetitive drawing therapy in 2013 to help aid the healing of symptoms associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and in doing so, discovered her passion. Since that day, she is rarely seen without a pen in her hand and has really blossomed as a lettering artist and calligrapher. Her business, Chrissie Murphy Designs has online stores with Society 6 and Red bubble, she has a strong social media focus and her fan base continues to grow. If ever you’re in North Queensland, Chrissie’s work can be viewed at the Tully Arts and Craft Gallery, on the Bruce Highway in Tully.

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(1992)

Sonten

Lora italic Old English Text MT Book Antiqua

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