Rogan-painted panel
the object
The paint stands above the surface. Run a finger across it and you can feel every line as a raised thread. That is the method, not a coating applied afterwards.
Radially symmetrical, because half of it was made by folding. The centre was drawn first and the outer arms were laid down one at a time, then mirrored in a single motion while the paint was still live.
Framed behind an open mount rather than glass. Glass flattens it and touching it will flatten it too; there is nothing over the paint.
- Dimensions
- 380 × 380 mm in a plain wood frame, 26 mm deep.
- Material
- Castor oil paint, cotton
- Finish
- Paint sits proud of the cloth. Do not press it, and do not glaze it.
- Variation
- The thread is drawn out by hand, so its thickness changes along its own length.
- Lead time
- Six weeks. A panel this size is several days of drawing.
the tradition
Rogan art
Nirona
The stylus never touches the cloth. The thread is placed.
Castor oil is boiled for days until it thickens into a resin. A small amount is worked in the palm, drawn out into a fine thread on a metal stylus, and laid onto the cloth. The stylus never touches the fabric. The thread is placed, not painted.
The painter works outward from the centre and then folds the cloth over on itself, printing a mirror of everything drawn so far. Half the work is done by the fold. In Nirona the craft has been held by a single family for generations, and for part of the twentieth century they were close to the last people practising it anywhere.
the maker
Abdul
Painter, 34 years, Nirona.
The thread he pulls is finer than the family standard, which is why the leaves close.
This object is not yet for sale.
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