Transcriptions #13: Phoenician Shalom
Transcriptions #13: Phoenician Shalom
18” x 24” x ¾”
Original mixed media painting on canvas
Phoenician Shalom features two prayers for peace but with a twist. I translated the prayers into the written language of the ancient Phoenicians.
The painting was inspired by an image of The Copper Scroll which was found along with the Dead Sea Scrolls. When the scroll was unearthed, it could not be unraveled without being destroyed. So instead, they sliced the sides, cutting strips that could be laid out and read. The painting’s 5 canvas cloth strips represent an ancient deconstructed scroll, painted to resemble tarnished copper.
The strips are sewn onto a textured and painted stretched canvas with the sides painted to match the overall painting. It is signed and dated on the side of the canvas.
I really got a kick out of working with a language that is no longer used and rarely ever seen. Did you know that most of our modern alphabets have their roots in the ancient Phoenician language? The alphabet developed widespread use because of the extensive maritime trade of the times.
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Related Paintings
12” x 12” x ¾”
Original mixed media painting on canvas
Om Sarvesham Swastir Bhavatu was inspired by a YouTube video I came across of Tina Turner chanting this Peace Mantra with a group of children. Their interpretation was so beautiful I immediately decided to create a painting featuring the mantra.
The attached book is sewn in place above three canvas cloth panels hanging from a twig. The following words are repeated on two of the hanging strips of canvas cloth (on the right and the left). They represent the mantra's meaning.
"May there be happiness in all
May there be peace in all
May there be completeness in all
May there be success in all"
The center panel displays the text in Sanskrit. Both the Sanskrit and the English transliteration can be found on the open book. The background canvas is textured and painted. The sides are painted to match the rest of the canvas and the signature and date can be found on the side.
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18” x 18” x ¾”
Original mixed media painting on canvas with a simple wooden frame.
Pater Noster (Our Father) is the third completed painting in the “Transcriptions Series.” I was awakened in the middle of the night with images of two paintings begging to be created. This was one of them. I chose the Lord’s Prayer as the focus after coming across a site sharing hundreds of translations for that prayer. With printouts of 20 of those languages in hand, I began to choose the layout for the painting. I ended up using 8. Pater Noster is "our father" in Latin and Avinu is the translation in Hebrew.
The background is textured and the handmade book is sewn onto the stretched canvas. The sides are painted to match the painting and it is signed and dated on the side of the canvas.