Silk Paintings - Tassili I

The original paintings of the Tassili series are painted on silk and reflect the rock paintings that have been found in the Tassili N'Ajjer, which is a part of the Sahara and belongs to Algeria. The size of the Tassili desert is twice the size of Switzerland and is one of the largest national parks of the world. Unfortunately it is not easy to access due to the political situation.

Tassili N'Ajjer means "Plateau of the Rivers" in Arabic and stretches between the borders of Libya and Niger. According to Wikipedia the mountain range is "noted for its prehistoric rock art and other ancient archaeological sites, dating from the Neolithic era when the local climate was less dry, savannah rather than desert. The art is no older than 9–10 millennia, according to OSL dating of associated sediments, but may be younger. The art depicts herds of cattle, large wild animals including crocodiles, and human activities such as hunting and dancing."
According to UNESCO, "The exceptional density of paintings and engravings have made Tassili world famous as from 1933, the date of its discovery. 15,000 engravings have been identified to date."

These cave and rock paintings are so fascinating because they seem to be timeless. Although thousands of years old they reveal a modern elegance and have been inspirational to countless artists. I just loved to see them and they sparked a variety of images in my head which I tried to transform on silk...

"Tassili I"

40" x 13"

silk, stitched

Here are some details of the silk painting....

This silk painting can be acquired at the BoxHeart Gallery in Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

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