Creating a golden world

The word gser in the Petsug script
meaning 'gold'.

The Creation process of the calligraphy art piece called "Primordial Purity, Golden World"

First calligraphy in black ink that is set out with ample space to draw in a swirling leaf like pattern to be later painted and gilded. This particular calligraphy style is called Petsug script, that has a compact square bold character, purposely placed irregular as if to dance across the paper. The text translates as "the mythological golden basis/ground of our know world, that is glorious and magnificent"

Other calligraphy painted with a latex rubber masking fluid that resists any water based paint. The above detail shows the rubber mask being removed with an eraser to revile the clean white paper below. The below image shows the calligraphy in full, these words at the top of the piece are painted in a long tailed form of the cursive Drutsa script, known as 'round tailed Drutsa', that translate as 'universal, common ground of primordial purity'.

Shades of yellow ochre pigment provides a suitable base to apply both gold and copper leaf. The top and bottom calligraphy together translates as 'The universal basis of primordial purity (of our mind/being). The glorious golden ground (of our world).

Above, a detail showing gold and copper leaf mapping out the swirl pattern.

A mass of swirling gold and copper leaf reflects the light brightly on the rough texture of the water-colour paper, where light is not reflected the swirl pattern appears darker than the background yellow ochre. 

Primordial Purity, Golden World.

The universal basis of primordial purity (of our mind). The glorious golden ground (of our world)

The splendor of the universe, our world, from where we are born and return, can be experienced by us from a sacred viewpoint of our innate purity that is naturally within us. This interrelationship between heaven and earth evokes the creativity of man, expressed in words and the beauty of calligraphy.

The uppermost line of Tibetan cursive script that soars high in the sky translates as “universal, common ground of primordial purity”. Below, as if dancing among the swirling energy of the earth are black letters that translates as “the mythological golden basis of our known world, glorious and magnificent”. 

ⓒ Tashi Mannox, 

53x76 cm Dutch gold and copper leaf on a ground of acrylic paint.

Limited edition prints are also available of this art piece and two others that feature in the Sharjah Calligraphy exhibition, for all enquires and to place an order for a print, please contact Tashi Mannox here.

The word 'truth' in an ornamented Petsug script style, this is a detail of a larger art piece created for the Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial 2012. this is also available as a limited edition print and is shown in full, featured here.

All images shown in this post ⓒ Tashi Mannox 2012