Expressing the Inexpressible 2
In my previous post I looked at an historical genre of Persianate manuscript paintings of the Night Journey or Isra and Mi’raj of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him). Most of these… Continue reading
In my previous post I looked at an historical genre of Persianate manuscript paintings of the Night Journey or Isra and Mi’raj of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him). Most of these… Continue reading
Some years ago, an inspired private collector commissioned me to do this painting. Its image online has since become very popular, with many requests for prints – so, I have finally decided to… Continue reading
The painting above expresses a profoundly sacred event that took place during the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) – the ultimate revelation. In the year 621 CE. Muhammad was… Continue reading
This month at Art Historical London, I shall be presenting the start of a mini-series of online lectures focusing on craft industries of the medieval Islamic world that filtered into Western Europe –… Continue reading
The star exhibit of the V&A Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art is a colossal Persian carpet made in the early 16th century for a reception room of the shrine of Shaykh Safi al-Din… Continue reading
This month I started something that has been in my mind to do for a while – organizing small group sessions in which people can understand and reflect upon objects in the Islamic… Continue reading
Here is a commission I undertook earlier this year for writer Shekhar Das. It is an illustration for a work on which he is currently engaged. This extraordinary vision comes from a chapter… Continue reading
I have spent many peaceful afternoons exploring treasures at the Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art at the V&A, partly in preparation for my Islamic Art History Courses at the City Lit, and partly… Continue reading
In October 2018 The British Museum opened a new suite of galleries for the display of the museum’s collection of Islamic Artefacts. Many of us had become familiar over the years with the… Continue reading
The City Literary Institute in Holborn, London, popularly known as the “City Lit“ is one of those wonderfully democratic institutions founded in the early part of the 20th century. It offers a wide… Continue reading
Inspired by Rajput Master Bannu, I painted this lavish vision in the early 2000s. My style and spheres of interest have changed since that time, because being an artist is a journey. But… Continue reading
Back in the 1990s, I had the privilege of being able to watch and learn from an hereditary master painter in Jaipur. The late Ved Pal Sharma, known as Bannu, was unique, in… Continue reading
I have curated a display of 15th century illuminated manuscripts at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, which will be open free to the public until the 13th January 2018. It is called “Making Manuscripts… Continue reading
Late last year I moved my art practice into Euroart Studios, run by artist Lorraine Clarke, my friend and fellow alumnus of Central Saint Martin’s Art & Science. Euroart Studios is a traditional… Continue reading
For the past six months I have been engaged in a Fellowship at the Bodleian Library’s Centre for the Study of the Book, University of Oxford. I have been researching a stunning group… Continue reading
Over the years I have run a lot of professional development workshops with artists, craftspeople, conservators and academics who wanted to learn the secrets of making finely ground gold pigments, such as was… Continue reading
On the left is my small collection of first edition books illustrated by Jean de Bosschere, published by John Lane and the Bodley Head between 1923 and 1925. They measure approximately 10 inches… Continue reading
To all friends old and new, and the wonderful people who have enjoyed this vibrant space with me over the years – It’s time to say farewell to my beautiful Bloomsbury studio in… Continue reading
Leonardo Da Vinci: The Mechanics of Genius is a temporary touring exhibition currently showing at the Science Museum, London, open daily until 4 September 2016. It inspires multiple visits. There is so much… Continue reading
Bridges Lecture Series I spent the last week of February in the land of maple syrup, ice wine and snow. The Bridges Lecture Series is a collaborative project managed by Professor Benoit Charbonneau,… Continue reading
I was thrilled when the Dulwich Picture Gallery requested the loan of my steel harmonograph The Iron Genie for an interactive installation in the gallery in October 2015. It was there to engage… Continue reading
ne of In a recent post I have guest-authored for the British Library Asian and African Studies Blog I was invited to write about some of the library’s manuscripts that I have found… Continue reading
Originally posted on The Book & Paper Gathering:
A guest post by Anita Chowdry My last few workshops on shell gold have been particularly rewarding as my participants have all been up for…
The Crypt Gallery at St. Pancras Parish Church hosts a rolling programme of exhibitions, and has become known as one of London’s coolest venues for self-funded shows mounted by artist collectives. This December… Continue reading
I have recently received some fascinating communications in response to my previous “Iron Genie” and “Ingenious Drawing Machines” posts, which the authors have very kindly given me permission to share in the current… Continue reading
I have always been fascinated by early photographs taken during the pioneering years in the nineteenth century… the images are so mysterious and beautiful – literally memories of a moment held in captured… Continue reading
The ultimate study of the harmonograph and its history is provided in a book entitled “Harmonic Vibrations and Vibration Figures” published circa 1909, edited by Herbert C. Newton of Newton & Co., “Scientific… Continue reading
A frequent comment made by viewers of the Iron Genie harmonograph in action, is that it reminds them of the Spirograph. Most of us are familiar with this childhood toy, which consists of… Continue reading
Just look at that – a beautiful precious Blue, its subtle variety of shades and striations, shot through with streaks of calcite and glittering iron pyrites, describing some imaginary landscape. It is the… Continue reading
Originally posted on POETOPOGRAPHY:
Last night after attending the private view of BEYOND FAIRYTALES at the Hardy Tree Gallery, I took my girlfriend Julie and my friend David to see Yeats’ flat at…
I had the privilege of hosting at my studio a small group of staff who take care of precious historical manuscripts at the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford. They came to examine and… Continue reading
An artist who had seen some of my previous posts recently gave me a tip-off about an antiquarian harmonograph book at a local Bloomsbury bookshop …. need I say more? Of course I… Continue reading
Bloomsbury is blessed with a wealth of superb second-hand and antiquarian bookshops, so it takes little encouragement for me to fuel my addiction to rare and interesting books. I recently hit a windfall… Continue reading
As I briefly mentioned the art of marginal design as one of the arts of Islamic manuscript production in my previous post, I thought I would share a few details from a very… Continue reading
Update 23 Feb 2014: Thankfully the conservation staff at the National Library and Archives and the team at Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation have managed to save all the manuscripts that were on display, though… Continue reading
The heavy steel harmonograph sculpture on which I have been working for more than a year is finally finished and working, and it is time to give it the debut it deserves! It… Continue reading
The crypt is guarded by a row of Caryatids; beneath their solemn gaze, great red doors of steel protect the subterranean mausoleum. The crypt is part of St. Pancras Parish Church, an iconic… Continue reading