Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Turkish Marbling in South Carolina

South Carolina's Greenwood Today reports that Girl Scout Troop 172 recently had the pleasure of working with award winning artist Dot Moore. Moore worked with the scouts to create a one-of-a-kind Turkish marbling paintings.

Paper marbling is a method of aqueous surface design, which can produce patterns similar to smooth marble or other stone. The patterns are the result of color floated on either plain water or a viscous solution known as size, and then carefully transferred to an absorbent surface, such as paper or fabric. Through several centuries, people have applied marbled materials to a variety of surfaces.

One method of marbling more familiar to Europeans and Americans is made on the surface of a viscous mucilage, known as size or sizing in English. This method is commonly referred to as "Turkish" marbling, although ethnic Turkic peoples were not the only practitioners of the art, as Persian Tajiks and people of Indian origin also made these papers. The term "Turkish" was most likely used as a reference to the fact that many Europeans first encountered the art in Istanbul.

I've never attempted Turkish Marbling - have you?
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