The Exhibition....

The Third Panel..

3rd panel: A prince from the Qajar dynasty

Sometimes it just Doesn't work !!!

I decided not to have any stones on the crown, because I realized that it drives away all the attention from the Shirin's face.

Before making this decision :

- I tried shiny stones...... which didn't work.

- I tried plastic stones both shiny/translucent(Vintage looking).

- I also sprayed paint on some of the stones and tried to give them antiquity with the use of sand paper, but the result wasn't what I had in mind.

So a new lesson: Things do not always turn out the way you think they would but to realize that you first need to explore.

  

The ancient Technique...

The ancient Technique...

While I was researching and interviewing some of the professional Iranian painters, some of whom were miniaturists, I came cross an ancient Persian painting technique that we don't use anymore. 

In this technique, while the painting is still wet the artist grinds gold paper over the painting; this technique can also be applied on dried paintings; however, the painting should first be brushed with some oil or terbantine.

So I used this unique technique to give an ancient look to my painting.

Techniques...

Since my painting is a combination of old and modern, I had to apply the same concept on the techniques :

1. Build up the painting layer by layer.

2. Using the  background color for the old looking parts and glazing for the shadows and the facial details.

Also following the Qajar's portrait style, disproportional.

3. For the modern panel I use thick paint with sharp colors.

4. After finishing the wood work part of the painting, I poured  Terbinatine on top and tapped with brush. 

...................After the painting is dry: (to give a modern look to the painting)

  Brush the top of the painting with lots of Terbinatine and use chunks of paint, mix the paints together with the brush very gently and then start to move the canvas up/down and let the paint run to the other part of the painting... This technique helps to get those lines that you can see in the image that I call "Modern crack forms."

................Final touch; 3D elements

  Choose the right size/color stones and accessories for parts of the crown and the garments.

  Use fabric paint for some parts to decorate the fabrics.

............... and life goes on.......

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Inspiration..

I got my inspiration from the Qajar Royal family, who created the Qajar Dynasty and ruled Iran from 1794-1925.

That Era revolutionized fashion and jewelry design; they used to decorated the fabrics with precious stones, gold and silver threads, which is amusing  how they came up with these techniques and designs at that time. So I always wanted to preserve these designs and keep what we had alive. I've been working on this idea for such a long time; and this project is a starting point for me to peruse this.

Shirin

Shirin's Eyes

The First Panel

Iran Pol e Firouzeh (Iran, Bridge of Firouzeh)

Brief explanation;

• I'm doing a 3 panel painting (60*120 cm), oil on canvas.
• Named: Iran Pol e Firouzeh (Iran, Bridge of Firouzeh).

IN a sense that Firouzeh is a precious stone, originated in Iran. With this title I'm trying to introduce Iran, as an old country with rich culture, unique and meaningful traditions, despite the fact that all we hear now is about it's political situation.

• The painting has a narrative theme, portraying  Iran's new generation (specially females); who are looking forward for modernism but at the same time preserving and respecting the old traditions.
• Choosing my characters wasn't really hard, because I was looking for the ideal characters and finding such is usually easy.

                         1st panel: An ideal, modern guy that suits today's standard.

                         2nd panel: The prettiest  and the most famous face of the Qajar era; her name is said to be Shirin; and been married to Mozafaredin shah. (Second important king of the Qajar dynasty) 

                         3rd panel: A prince from the Qajar dynasty. 

• Creating the right Composition was the most challenging and time consuming part of this project, because beside keeping the balance and making it look interesting; I needed a composition that would tell the story clearly.

Elma Hashemi's Biography

Elma Hashemi is a painter born in Tehran, Iran in the year 1986, Being raised in a house full of paintings, sculptures, and fabrics from famous artists, collected by her art and antique lover parents, she always has an ambition and love for painting. She declares, "I always wanted to see my paintings hanging on our house's walls along with those from other great painters and witness the admiration in my parents' eyes when looking at my work."

she studied basic art skills in Tehran at the age of 10 and manifested her passion in traditional Persian paintings by creating several Persian miniature paintings under the supervision of a miniaturist master. 

She started her professional education in art in the American University in Dubai majoring as a Visual Communication student in the year 2005; a phase in her life that she views as a great opportunity to experience new art techniques with the support of her adroit and concerned professors. During the four years of her studies she had the chance to improve her painting skills every summer with the famous Iranian painter, Mr. Iraj Shafei.

She first exhibited her work in an exhibition called " In A Box," at the Traffic gallery in Dubai, U.A.E; in an attempt to support underground painters. Her works are unique and attention-grabbing in ways that they are a blend of modern western world and traditional paintings of the past Persian royalties. Her works exhibit a contemporary as well as a nostalgic mood complemented by the noble sensation suggested by the use of semi-precious stones and Swarovski crystals in her work.   

The first step

• Concept: Painting... 3 Panels(60*120 cm)... oil on canvas.
• Title: Iran, Bridge of Firouzeh.
• Work Based on ancient persian painting (Qajar dynasty), Researches in history of Iranian art and interviews.
• 1st Critique ......................  Sunday Oct. 21st
• Artist Statement..............  Sunday Nov. 2nd
• 2nd Critique ....................  Tuesday Nov. 11th 
• Submitting day due .......   Sunday Nov. 23rd  

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Senior Project

• Deciding on the concept.
• Researching, exploring, brainstorming.... (sketching)
• Coming up with a finalized idea.
• Finding a suitable title.
• Scheduling.... to meet the deadlines.
• Taking the first step: starting to work.
• Recording the process (Documentation)
• Welcoming the criticisms.
• Finishing the work 1-2 days ahead of the due date.*
• Handing in the project.

*I usually manage my time in a way to finish my work 1-2 days ahead, so that I would rest my eye only to check it again for final touches.