Above: View of Balat neighbourhood from Lulu Ateliers head quarters.
There are lots of signs of spring around here these days and there have been for weeks. What a strange winter, if it can be called that. I was hoping for a cold week in March but I don’t think we’ll have such luck, I have a pair of doves on my balcony who have laid 3 small cream eggs in a potted plant that says, most likely winter will not be appearing this year. The blooms have broken open, the hills are green with spring growth and the air has changed. So I am embracing it! It has been a long while since I posted on my new substack or sent out a newsletter that I fear many of you have forgotten about me! I will be honest it has been difficult to get back into life after the passing of my father in October, my heart has been divided between too many places and people to stay focussed. But I am hoping the spring brings with it the promise of moving forward.
January 2024- Harvard Fine Arts Library, Boston
Here are a few snaps from the Flowers and Vases Concertina workshop with Harvard Fine Arts library at the Harvard Ceramics studio space, Each student made their own concertina sketchbook after finding their own niche and area of interest. I hope they are still working on their sketchbooks! We also focussed on using and understanding paints that are naturally sources and handmade which gives the artwork bold colour! I had a truly lovely time in Boston, the team at HFAL and all of the students/ attendees who braved the cold made the experience just that much better.
Note: I am hoping to offer this course as an online version hopefully before the end of 2024. So if you’re interested in joining that class email me to let me know you’re interested and keep an eye out for upcoming classes.
New Online Classes!
VCUQ- 8 Fold Rosettes
I have 2 upcoming online classes starting in a few weeks. I will provide links for more information and to sign up below. Should you have any classes please don’t hesitate to contact me by email laurelie.rae@gmail.com
This is a 6 week class that is beginning just after Eid/ Bayram finishes and ends mid June before school is out! We will explore 1 geometric pattern but 5 different ways, having the chance to investigate how each culture and empire used the same structure but applied their own visual heritage! Its going to be a lovely class, the class increases in complexity over the 6 weeks so it will feel like a natural progression making this class great for all levels.
Sacred Footsteps- Gunpowder Empires: Islamic Art Illustrated
This is something we have been working on for a few months! The wonderful folks at Sacred Footsteps and I have been putting together a class where you will get much more of an Islamic Art History background, while still getting to draw and create. Students will also be encouraged to keep a sketchbook during the process to truly get a chance to visually explore. This is the first time I am doing a 9 week class. It is a significant time commitment, but I haven’t found a class like this available! I am trying out a new format and I think it will be a great adventure. There is also student pricing available. All classes are recorded and made available to all students for up to three months after the course has finished. For more information and sign up, the link is below.
Geometry- earth Measure
Geometry-earth measure-is how I first became enamoured with an art that wasn't part of the cultures I was raised within. Enamoured, down the rabbit hole, coming up upside down just like Alice. The inexplicably intricate, forever repeating Islamic geometric patterns that adorned even the smallest, most forgotten corners of the mosque or medrese letting you know that nothing had ever been forgotten. A 15 year old love affair taking compass ruler and pencil. Geometry changes you, things slow down, you slow down, the world stops while the patterns reveal themselves line by line. In recent years I have become just as obsessed with the ornamentation of the geometry as I have the making of it.
In the short video I am prepping the pattern in order for it to be ornamented with Mughal motifs and colours similar to those from Lahore's Wazir Khan Mosque.
Current Happenings in the Studio…
Cities of Islamic Art is a new artist book I am working on in the studio in between everything else! I am planning on going into this project in more depth. For example I will explain the inspiration for the project, why I am doing it and how come I chose this way. It is a labour intensive project but I also believe it is something that needs to exist. Each pattern included on each page is cited, sourced and triple checked for accuracy. There will also be a study key so that the pattern can be found in their context. It is really enjoyable, but it does take about 4 days to complete a page not including research. I have some ideas of how to make this artwork available on a few different scales as an artist book of this size is quite a commitment. But if you have any ideas yourself of how I could more of my students and followers involved, please let me know! Leave a comment below, DM or email me.
And for all those celebrating during this wonderful season:
Norouz Piruz!
Happy Purim!
Happy Easter!
Ramadan Kareem!
Hope to see you all soon in class or in Istanbul! Keep well!
-Lulu