27.11.22

One Painting 15 years to Completion

 

The Empress Moon Meditates Upon the Rose of Gratitude: Oil on 48"x36" canvas by Minaz Jantz

A question often asked of artists is, "How long did it take to finish a work of art?". 'The Empress Moon Meditates Upon the Rose of Gratitude' answer... 15 years including changes along the way. 

The Empress Moon Meditates Upon the Rose of Gratitude: 48"x36"x2" Oil on Canvas by Minaz Jantz

The Empress Moon Meditates Upon the Rose of Gratitude
48"x36"x2" Oil on Canvas with gold and silver leaf

Just as the often-asked inquiry of how long it takes to make a painting is also another question of how an artist becomes inspired long enough to stick with the concept to complete a painting. 


Inspirations for painting, The Empress Moon Meditates Upon the Rose of Gratitude

The back story * 
The Empress Moon Meditates Upon the Rose of Gratitude, is a lightning strike moment in 2007 connecting my love of beauty, nature, and the nude as my unique spiritual symbols to meditate on earth's glorious manifestations. 

2007, I started this painting just before our big trip to Europe. My father died suddenly on the day of our flight. I flashed back while on the plane inviting his spirit to travel with me while  I was remembering our Airforce life living in Europe as a kid. Forever grateful my parents took us, kids, often on trips traveling around Europe. We lived in Belgium and Germany in the 1960s where the results of war still lingered and yet the modern era shifted gears. All the seeing and experiencing Europe as a kid is embedded in my sense of aesthetics reflected in my creative visions.

Images of 2007 trip to Europe


The compositional layout was inspired by a trip to Europe in 2007, viewing the medieval religious icons of Europe's museums and churches. Most icons had gold leafing that shines an ethereal glow around the enlightened being. The colorful images are painted with natural pigments mixed in egg yolk called tempera. The symbolic images & colors would follow the annotated precise rules of a religious visual language. Besides having icons created for reasons of prestigious adornments for the churches, the icon had a practical reason to offer bible stories to the illiterate. Everyone entering the church is offered 'sacred seeing' with enlightened visual messages and many forewarnings. 

Medieval Sacred Icon

If you would like to read more about the practice of medieval-style icon paintings, this website has in-depth research into medieval icons. Sacred Icons the Ultimate Guide


Close-up variegated gold leafing surrounding The Empress Moon

Close-up featuring the variegated gold leaf for a blazing moon glow.

The modern-day-inspired icon I created was made from modern materials like oil paint on 48"x36"x2" cotton canvas with a variegated gold leaf for a blazing moon outlining the nude empress.

Vancouver City Skyline & Full Moon 2002's

GOOD morning moon of Vancouver B.C. skyscape 
views out the loft window on Pender Street. (early 2000's)


Seaforth Nova Scotia skyline & full moon.

Good Night Moon, peering out the window Seaforth, Nova Scotia,

The moon is always an inspiration for me to watch. Living in a loft on the top floor with 20 feet high draped windows to open is to reveal the changes in the Vancouver skyline over the years. Occasionally, early mornings might catch the moon sneaking across the city to disappear behind the mountains. 


East Vancouver loft at 1220 East Pender Street 2008

2008 East Vancouver loft I nicknamed the LOFTY PALACE 
with its 20 feet, leopard pattern drapes  & blue velvet fringed arched pelmet. 
 
Pencil Drawing, 'Growing Roots in Seaforth' by Minaz Jantz

Pencil Drawing from inside the house looking out the window at the magnificent view.

We moved to Seaforth, Nova Scotia in 2011. I love to watch the moon showcase its magnificence out my Nova Scotian bedroom window where the moonbeams merge with my auric field, as I fall into a deep sleep. I purposefully have no curtains in our Nova Scotian house. We are able to watch the ever-changing weather and sky over the Atlantic ocean all hours and days. 

Life Drawing Nude of Melanie @ 1220 East Pender  loft.

Life drawing model Melanie at a session in our east Vancouver loft.

Figure-life drawing sessions have always offered challenges focusing the eye and hand coordination. With repetition and practice over time, one hopes to get a few lines down to express the moment before the model has changed position. My mind can have no thoughts of distraction except the visual focus in front of me.  Usually, a group of us artists hires life-drawing nudes for a few hours at a time to not only bare their skin to us but more importantly, share their unique vibrations that somehow influence our drawings. It is an amazing experience with an emotional impact that anyone interested in drawing should challenge.


Fushia Rose @ East Vancouver garden

Fushia Rose is grown in an East Vancouver garden.

The Fushia color of the rose is symbolic of gratitude and the rose is the perfection of nature's beauty. The Strathcona neighborhood in East Vancouver at that time and space when I lived there was a photographer and garden dreamland walk-about to view all the mature gardens growing vast varieties of plants. Every day I would walk by a neighbor's house who was a gardener of calla lilies and roses to admire the perfection and color that was absolutely breathtaking. I captured a few photographs of her plants to eventually use in my paintings. 


East Vancouver Studio & Seaforth Nova Scotia Studio

Moving art studio & unfinished painting from Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast.

The unfinished painting was always propped on an easel calling out to me to finish it. I thought many times to abandon the painting to cover it with gesso and make a totally different painting but the gold foil would be a problem and so it sat longer in the queue of what to do!

Close-up of designed borders for painting.

Border Curtains & new variegated foil... still unfinished but on its way to completion.

Occasionally the original symbols of the painting would catch up to the NOW time. Finally, a commitment of symbols called out to finish. It wanted curtain borders & new variegated gold foil which said, YES> this is the direction, keep painting.

Seaforth Studio on easel soon to be completed 2022!

Close-up of Empress Moon's headress & jewelry.

Close-up of Empress Moon, her headdress & jewelry.

Close-up of Empress Moon, dragonfly, tattoo and ring.

Close-up of Empress Moon, dragonfly, tattoo & ring.

Close-up of fushia rose gold shimmer.

Close-up of Fushia rose with hints of gold flake glazed 
over the petal tips which shimmer in the room's reflective light.

The Empress Moon Meditates Upon The Rose of Gratitude by Minaz Jantz

Completed November 2022
The Empress Moon Meditates Upon The Rose of Gratitude
48"x36"x2" Oil & foil on canvas

The Empress Moon Meditates Upon The Rose of Gratitude visually communicates my life journey fused with moments of enlightenment, courage, and gratitude. 

Beauty Inspired, Minaz Jantz


4 comments :

Lori said...

During my many visits both West and East coast I've seen this unfinished work of art. It is a truly dedicated artist that does not abandon the piece & move on to new. It is a journey of love shown on the canvas. She shimmers.

Artist Minaz Jantz said...

This painting is in the background of a few photos over the years. Shimmer is what I was aiming for, thanks for the comments Lori.

Anonymous said...

Such a colorful painting, your are truly an artist who has the passion, and thought of what you see and do, the beauty in everything. Awesome job.

Artist Minaz Jantz said...

Thank you for taking the time to view my art and to share your comments which gives me encouragement to keep painting and sharing!

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