God is in the details

Bringing together two of my passions, geometry and architecture. This is my first multi-level stencil composition. Inspired by the architecture and geometry of Moorish Spain. This was the first stencil I completed on canvas and sits proudly on the wall at Mum's place!

I have also stenciled this composition onto canvas board, but found it bled too much. There's a lot to be said for real canvas!

The image depicts the spires of Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. I was interested in the juxtaposition of the chaotic geometry of Gaudi's masterpiece and the controlled rich geometry of the Alhambran pattern background. The interplay of these two distinct elements gives a nod to the richness of the culture and history of geometry as pattern.

The background pattern stencil was cut as a tileable image, in the spirit of the geometry of the piece. Makes it easier to cut, cleaner lines... but takes longer to paint, due to repitition.

Time taken to cut stencil:
Background - 2 hours
Image - 6 hours