Category Archives: Flowers

Persia – Day 18 of 30 in 30

Persian Postcard. 4 x 6 watercolor and pen on 140 lb. cold press paper. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

According to Owen Jones in The Grammar of Ornament, Persian ornament is much less pure, and in great want of elegance. His chapter on it is rather short. Throughout, he is comparing Persian designs to those of the Arabs and Moors.

I think he did a great disservice to the designs of the Persian people. Whether that was due to a lack of knowledge, or simply a lack of interest, I am not sure. From the book; The culture of Persia may have seemed very exotic to the Victorian public, but the same could not be said of its political status. The British empire was at its height.

There are six plates included in the chapter. Each flooded with floras. Lavish and curly cue. Bold geometric tiles with abstracted floral motifs. Simple single stem repeats.

This card highlights designs from a Persian manufacturer’s Pattern-Book. Jones helped pioneer modern color theory. I am a little baffled that he could not find more to talk about on these designs. While some of them do remind me of “country cottage” they are flooded with warm, earthy color, and many are quite complex. Maybe it is the over abundance of feminine flowers that didn’t quite appeal to Jones.

The Textile Blog does not have an article on Jones’ Persian chapter. I am including links to some of the others.

Owen Jones and the Renaissance
Owen Jones and the Ornament of Savage Tribes

I have also found Illuminated Books has scans of some of the original pages from the book. Animation Resources has full color scans of the plates in the book, but the site’s authors have made their own comments on the content. They have laid it out on one page, and you can quickly scroll through it.

I am so glad for the new friends I have made in this challenge. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog and to share your opinion. I am glad that so many of you are enjoying these postcards I have created. Now I know that the recipients will enjoy them as well.

Have a happy weekend everyone!

Day 15 of 30 in 30

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Lotus. 4 x 6 postcard, watercolor and pen on 140 lb. cold press paper. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

My painting for today is another postcard for Kat Sloma’s Liberate Your Art Postcard Exchange. Kat has volunteers help her to sort and prep the cards for mailing. I am going to send extra cards, as a “Thank You” for their help in making the exchange possible.

I was looking through The Grammar of Ornament by Owen Jones today. One of my treasures. My brother treated me to it at a discount book store, years ago. Six dollars for an encyclopedias worth of design information. My inspiration today is from the section on Egyptian motifs.

The lotus flower was a symbol of purity and rebirth. Lotus is often seen with Papyrus in artworks, together they symbolize the unity between upper and lower Egypt. It takes several days for the lotus to rise from murky pond waters. Amazing flower don’t you think?

Hydrangea – Day 10 30 in 30

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Hydrangea. 4 x 6 watercolor on cold press paper. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

I kept it simple today, and I was able to paint three postcards. I’ll keep the others to myself for now, in case I need them for this challenge. I am still trying to lighten up and work loose. I was successful.

I used up the last bits of color I had left on my palette from yesterdays work. I resisted the urge to add more pigment. Very little paint forced me to work in soft layers.

Hard to believe we are nearing the halfway point in Leslie’s 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. Time does indeed fly when you are having fun!