The Other Eye of Ra

Last November, when Win and John were visiting, she and I set to making tandem pieces of art. Just the other day, I finally completed mine ... 

THE EYE OF RA   mixed media   24" x 9"

In 1996, when Bill and I were resting in Bali, after trekking in Nepal, I found some fabulous fabrics. I bought them regardless of the fact that it had been years since I'd sewn any garment - and that hasn't changed! Rummaging through the box, where they have sat all these many years, Win and I were inspired by this fabric ...

Looks Egyptian, but seriously I purchased it in Bali!

We selected tall, narrow canvases and a vertical format, then painted the top of the canvas to match that luscious, burgundy background.

Win applying texture, with molding paste, around "the eye"

I'm removing the tape after painting the textured area

After coating the back of the fabric, with medium, (to prevent fraying) we cut around the heads of the characters on one of the border-like, horizontal panels making an elaborate frieze of them. This was adhered to the canvas with medium.

The EYE and the frieze 

Laying down another section of the fabric 

We created ankhs using Sculpey, a type of polymer clay that can be baked in conventional ovens.

Win painting her ankh

This is as much as we gone done, together, in November

My ankh, painted and in place

We painted the very bottom of our canvases black and into that we carved hieroglyphics.  Mine are barely discernible. I considered colouring them in, but decided against that in favour of having a quiet place for your eye to rest. If you could read mine they translate to love.  

To see Win's finished Eye of Ra please click here for her post on the project.