Listening - watching
taking a moment
drawing the world
finding the way to connection
again and again.

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visit my website – BarbaraBash.com

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Earth Boar banners

Each year I create banners for Sky Lake Meditation Center
for Tibetan New Year / Losar / Shambhala Day.
This year the celebration was on February 5th.
 
I begin by going on the internet to gather ideas
for the animal and element of the year.
Then I start to sketch out designs and play with the banner form.

 This year, 2019, is the Earth Boar / Earth Pig / Earth Sow year .

The banners measured 22" x 6' and were painted on an earthy red fabric.
The paint was sumi ink and white acrylic. 

I started with ancient Chinese pictograms.
There is something so distilled and essential about these shapes.
I combined the pictogram for Earth and Pig 
so that they shared a common line in the center.


Next I let the letters stack and interact 
using a contemporary form of the Medieval Uncial alphabet
that seemed to fit with the shape of pigs.
The boar head became a decorative touch.


Then a lively italic script took charge 
and the boar became mask-like and mysterious. 


Here the numerals dominated
and created spaces and edges to play within.


Then some pigs showed up - 
floating and connected by a thread of vertical letters.


And Earth Mountains appeared 
with the boar and numerals becoming a kind of seal chop at the bottom. 


And finally - leaping and running pigs.


May this year bring us all some enlivening wisdom
and steady perseverance !

3 comments:

  1. I love these! The red background is gorgeous, and each banner conveys such a distinct mood or energy. I feel more connected to the possibilities of this new year now. Thank you!

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  2. These take my breath away! Thank you for sharing them.
    Kathy

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  3. These banner images are earthy and magical.
    Love them all, especially the flying pigs - such joy.

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