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

Owen Jones considered the Alhambra unsurpassed perfection. His chapter on Moresque ornament in The Grammar of Ornament shows designs from only this location. He devoted more attention to this one building than he did to many of the entire civilizations he addressed in the book.

The Moors followed a strict set of principles in their constructions. This same was true of their use of color. The laws of nature were observed, and color was used to further define architectural features. Literal depictions of living forms were forbidden by their faith. They focused on geometric patterns. Written inscriptions were ever-present as a reminder that no matter how inspiring the building created, “there is no conqueror but God.”

I love the warm, earthy tones of the plates in the book. I added a bit of the coast to my palette. I started this design in Photoshop, creating the pieces as I would for a fabric repeat.

Pattern pieces

My awe for complicated repeating patterns remains intact. I spent more time trying to duplicate this pattern, than I did painting it. And this is simplified from what appears in the book. Once I had the pattern set, I transferred that to the card, and applied color.

This painting lacks perfection, but it is pretty.

I was hoping to get ahead on the challenge today. I should have known better than to take on a mathematical design and think it would be quick. Oh well, I still had fun!