April 15, 01

I didn't really go anywhere new but I did something new. Well, it was new for me. Actually it is very old.

The day started out partially sunny and I decided the sky had enough patches of blue to take some additional photographs for the book I'm working on. (Design and Layout.... I'm not the author.) I took a bus to Eminönü and walked to the Sea Walls. I've passed the Sea Walls many times on both foot and by vehicle. However, I hadn't really looked too closely. This time I had a mission; I needed a cool book-worthy photo of the Byzantine engravings that are scattered throughout the walls. There are many interesting bits and pieces of things in the walls. There are little pieces of carved marble, some interesting brick-work patterns, and occasional lines of Greek. I took a few pictures (including one of Mehmet the Conqueror, who put an end to the Byzantine Empire) and went on to the Bucolean palace ruins. While searching for a marble staircase (which I never find) I ventured through a trash filled doorway. Inside, there was a trash filled chamber with short fat columns. The room would have been interesting to investigate but the stench (and the risk of stepping in something extremly disgusting) was too great so I rushed back out into the sunlight.

Since I wasn't too far from the Küçük Aya Sofya, I decided to see if they were doing ebru today. The ebru people weren't there but as luck would have it, a tezhip class was just starting. After I looked at the works in the gallery, the professor asked me if I wanted to learn how to do it. I said, "I'd love to." She led me to a table and introduced me to another student. I sat down and we began.

Tezhip is the Turkish art of illumination (although I believe it started out as an Arabic or Persian art form). Usually you see it making up the frame of a piece of calligraphy or miniature. It consists of flower, cloud, geometric designs and some figurative patterns. It makes me think of a cross between Irish illumination (like in the Book of Kells) and Chinese painting.

First we drew leaves. These are very simple looking but I believe they are all supposed to look the same. Mine ranged from plump roundish things to feather shapes to something that looked like a deflated balloon. For homework, I have to produce a page of them (along with a page for each of the other designs I learned). The teacher asked me if I'd come every week. I asked how long the course lasted for. She answered, "Two years." I explained that I'd be leaving in the summer (when they take a break anyway). I told her I could take the course for 2 months and she said that was fine. One of the students had been studying for 2 months and she brought in a beautiful piece so there is hope.

The Küçük Aya Sofya Medrese is a lovely place to do art. It is a quiet garden courtyard with the Mosque on one side and the "cells" of the Medrese (a former Moslem Theological school, now transformed into artist galleries) on the other. One cell is a tiny cafe. In front of the cells is a covered walkway. We sit at a table facing the garden using the light of the sun to work on our creations while the birds sing. The other women taking the course were friendly. It is a wonderful atmosphere and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon (4 hours of it at least).

Epilogue: Unfortunatly, within a couple weeksI had to come to terms with the fact that I have no skill at tezhip and before acquiring one, I would need to at least acquire the ability to write neatly. Yes, I gave up and now am spending my free time learning Oriental Dancing which makes me feel a lot better than hunching over a table drawing leaves.