Artist: Janiece Murray
Title: Yasoow (Jesus)
Medium: Original Handmade watercolors on paper stained with handmade pinecone ink
Size: 14x11 inches
Artist Statement:
I recently had the opportunity to learn about an area in Samarkand, Uzbekistan where masjids and other religious buildings are adorned with banna’i - calligraphy abstracted into graphic designs made with brick work. These designs are often the name of a prophet or offering praise to God. Inspired by this, the idea came to create my own version. Through the help of a friend, I learned that Arab Christians would call Jesus Yasoow, and how to write that in Arabic. I was able to create this design in square Kufic script, sometimes known as masonry script, and painted it on paper stained with handmade ink, in the blue and turquoise emblematic of banna’i.