Eye of Ra is the second in an Egyptian series. The 1st was Lotus Flower, both using gold and black as its primary colors. Eye of Ra seemed to be the natural direction for me to go after producing the Lotus flower. The whole lure of Egyptian culture is just too alluring not to do an entire series. I had to dive into a major part of the culture. Eye of Ra seemed to be the natural direction for me to go because of the significance to the entire culture as a whole. The Sun god Ra is believed to have ruled over the sky, the world, and the underworld. You can find out more about Ra.
As I started I wanted to make a piece I would personally hang. I chose turquoise, black and silver. I went to town making sure the lines matched as much as possible to the original piece. Hearing lore about how each area of the eye meant a special area of Ra. Check this out to see what I mean. I needed to see this piece come to life. Luck would have it that Nicolette was present, her watchful wife’s eye caught how the silver was not really working for the piece. I went with her suggestion to switch it up with gold. Not only would it be more historically accurate, but the piece would then match the series. I often think of her as my own Mrs. Hitchcock, as he leaned heavily on his wife, Alma’s eye when directing anything. Mr. & Mrs. Hitchcock were an unbeatable team. I invite you to read about it here. Thanks to Nicolette’s suggestion, the piece came alive. Now the problem of silver became a tool to let the gold shine even more. The silver acted as a brightener for the gold and added a luster to the piece that is very common to Egyptian pieces.
I figure the gold accent is making this piece stick out and really helped me to develop this piece. Eye of Ra really helped me to gain a new love for my Egyptian series of art. It was a great learning experience on how to use a metallic color amongst other nonmetallic colors. You can actually see how it has brightened up Mid Century modern 1. You can see that painting here. Since playing with the gold was so fun, I think I’ll try experimenting with it in other artwork of mine. After my long break I am very happy to tell you that my hand eye coordination is still good and steady. It’s a scary thing to not work for a while and then start up again. I feel so successful when it all falls together into place like Eye of RA did. Here I was able to let some of my rigidity go in place of the shine from the glow. I was able to capture the fine edges of the eye, while still allowing for the ease of repeated non perfect edges. The contrast worked well for this piece. I am seeing that the color makes the biggest impact. Whether it is a finely controlled line or a little looser, the color tends to affect the way the piece is taken in by the eye. I was able to see the gold pop as much as the edges of the eye; almost as if to say that the two had balance in the separate worlds they take. One being the rigid center of the eye, the other being the almost man made frame of gold and black. I knew the color choices that Nicolette had suggested matched perfectly with the direction I wanted this piece to take. Respectful, playful, and fun. All three were soundly in place.
I was surprised by the fact that I would hang a piece with gold in my own home now. If only I had a room with the Egyptian theme, or a library in need of a flair of cultural significance to the world this symbol brings. No matter what, I now am a believer in the power of the pharaohs and the power of the Eye of Ra. The beauty of Egypt has brought me to a higher understanding and use of gold in my artwork. With this particular piece, a dressing room would light up. A bathing room would become more relaxing and the hallway would be much brighter with the amount of shine and glorious turquoise the eye of Ra has. Take a look at the gallery, and don’t forget that we can also make a print if preferred. No matter which direction you intend on going, remember that this and all other works on Simondeville.com are made with attention to detail and love.