Whirling Arabesque
Oil and gouache on canvas
A few years ago artist Sama Mara created an animation using Whirling Arabesque for a theatre production on the life of Khalil Gibran – ‘Rest Upon The Wind’ which is still on tour now. The animation started with the heart of the Whirler alone as the seed with the body slowly growing like a plant out of the heart, the beautiful 12 fold geometric pattern behind changing colour in undulating waves of light and dark. This provided the backdrop for the scene where Khalil reflects on his past and present and is a turning point in his story.
I’ve painted quite a few different versions of the ‘Whirling Arabesque’ all with there own subtle meanings. A few can be seen below. I’ve also produced a series of silk screen prints.
