MOTHER an illumination on parchment

Love came and emptied me of self,
every vein and every pore,
made into a container to be filled by the Beloved.
Of me, only a name is left,
the rest is You my Friend, my Beloved.
-Abil-Kheir

My newest Etsy listing is called Mother. It's an illumination from about 8 years ago which I have never wanted to part with until just recently although I have had several offers to purchase it. The time just feels right now to send it into the world.

Mother (c) Sybil Archibald

This piece is about the nature and source of the creative process.

All the materials used are handmade from medieval recipes which are deeply linked to spiritual symbolism.

It is painted on sheep skin parchment which, for the medieval artist, represented the body and the painting the soul.

I made these paints myself from azurite stones, different colored earths and metals. The grinding of the deep blue azurite stones into pigment is a meditative process which helps me to clear my mind and enter fully into the creative process.

The 22k gold leaf is applied to a raised bed of gesso. This gesso is likened to the clay from which the Divine formed Adam the first man. To activate the glue in the gesso, the artist must breathe on it. When the artist breathes, it symbolizes the Divine blowing the breath of life into Adam. Gilding is not easy. It requires the proper deep diaphragmatic breath or it will not work. To create this breath, the artist must achieve a calm focused meditative state. For more on the meaning of this process see here.

The style of the painting is influenced by medieval Armenian manuscript illumination. When I paint, it is my goal to step aside and allow mentally unfiltered creativity to flow through me. I do not plan my work, I just sit back and enjoy the process!

Don't forget to stop by and see me at Art of the Spirit, my blog on my journey using art as a spiritual path.