Design of the Month · November 2013
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"God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth"
For centuries, art and beauty have been a part of everyday life in my homeland of Iraq. We are surrounded by rivers, date palms, flowers and arabesque minarets; these were the backdrop of my life during my formative years. My passion for art did not develop suddenly, but gradually and pervasively. Among the arts that I paid particular attention to were pottery, ceramics, glass painting, enameling and painting on fabric, and I've tried to keep current with the latest trends.
I work in food analysis and quality control, and the analytical skills I use in my job I bring to my study of the arts. After seeing how pottery was baked and glazed, I was fascinated and then determined to learn more about this craft. Fortunately, I was able to find many books about art, ceramics, glass and macramé at the library of the British Council in Iraq. I also learned by going to museums and conferences, and I was lucky enough to know a ceramicist who got me started in the right direction. Another artist friend recommended that I take coursework in ceramics and Arabian calligraphy, which I did for two years.
When I came to the USA, I found it very easy to develop my hobby, because there are many arts and crafts shops that have courses. In Lexington, Kentucky I attended a course in hot glass at Flatwater Spirit Studio. Here I expanded my knowledge of working with glass; for example, the importance of COE in glass fusing. I was advised by owner Lynn Griffith to try designing glass patterns using Glass Eye 2000. I thought at first that this might be too difficult, but I downloaded the trial version and gave it a whirl. I went through the 20-lesson tutorial, and as I became familiar with the software I was so impressed that I purchased the Standard Edition. Eventually I upgraded to the Professional Plus Edition so that I could have more features, and they're worth it. I love the tools in Glass Eye 2000: stretching, resizing, adding text, flipping, drawing and coloring. There are so many varieties of glass and color that I get overwhelmed sometimes, but that's a good problem to have!
The design presented here consists of sacred text placed between two sets of mosques and minarets. The text means "God is the Light of the heavens and the earth; He guides to His Light whomever He wishes" and is derived from the Ayat an-Nur, which is the 35th verse of the 24th sura of the Qur'an. Adjacent to the text are palms, a blessed tree found throughout our country. The dates from this tree helped the holy Marīam (Mary) deliver Jesus without difficulty. We often use blue when writing sacred text because that color is considered a deterrent to evil spirits. Here is the design again in a modified version:
~ Hana Kanbour
About the artist
Hana Kanbour is an artist from Iraq. She especially enjoys ceramics, painting on glass, painting on fabric, macramé, enameling and jewelry making. She has Bachelor's in Education with an emphasis in home economics and nutrition. She works on analysis and standards for foods as part of the Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control (COSQC). Hana also loves gardening, both indoors and outdoors. She feels that life would be meaningless without art and nature. You are invited to visit Hana's Facebook page or to send her an email.
This pattern may be used to make one or more artworks for sale or personal enjoyment. This pattern may be printed for personal use only and may not be sold or given away in printed or electronic form.
Each month we feature a project designed using Glass Eye 2000. Do you have a project to share with the world? Contact Dragonfly Software and your creation might be our next Design of the Month.