@keratonin / keratonin.tumblr.com
one of the coolest things about smocking is the use of a print as a preexisting grid or pattern
polka dots become flowers, gingham becomes an isometric grid, stripes become whatever you want
i actually read a blog post where a lady tried smocking for the first time in forever & said “i dug out some old spotty fabric because i’m too lazy to draw all those dots”
(Image description, and close ups of elements, behind the cut)
I have been obsessed with the idea of Paul as the Rebis, the Great Alchemical Work, since the moment I read the birth scene (a few weeks ago now). It just fits too perfectly, and I am sure it is not a coincidence. From Wikipedia:
The Rebis (from the Latin res bina, meaning dual or double matter) is the end product of the alchemical magnum opus or great work.
After one has gone through the stages of putrefaction and purification, separating opposing qualities, those qualities are united once more in what is sometimes described as the divine hermaphrodite, a reconciliation of spirit and matter, a being of both male and female qualities as indicated by the male and female head within a single body.
I wanted to do it in a style evocative of the time that alchemy was ‘popular,’ and include imagery evocative of story elements surrounding Paul’s birth and origins. I looked at a lot of medieval illustrations, especially woodcuts, for inspiration. This took me 84 years to do, so I hope you will enjoy! :)
