MERNA LIDDAWI, a professional artist, with a passion for beauty and light.
She create unique exquisite paintings by using ancient forgotten techniques, genuine gold leaf, mineral pigments and hand-made paints to enlighten your soul
Her childhood in Jordan, a grounding in the Orthodox church, a career in mathematics and science – is glimpsed through her pieces. The process is at once meditative and draws on the mystery of creation, sacred geometry, repetition in nature, and the sacred art of the icons. Her work opens a window onto a belief in harmonious universe and creates a space for contemplation in a world that is discordant and conflicted. For Merna, art is a spiritual journey to discover the mysteries of beauty within us and around us connecting us to the Divine.
Using methods handed down from Byzantine artists, imagery is worked in tempera made of ground mineral and earth pigments mixed with egg yoke solution. The tempera is laid down on gessoed panels prepared in the artist's studio using a lengthy process, preparing organic glue mixed with chalk then sanding to a smooth finish. Multiple thin glazes of paint create luminous images. The panels are gilded with genuine gold leaf of various colours using medieval methods.
Process is absolutely central to the art: the authenticity of the base elements, the careful preparation of the materials and the layered depths of a gradually evolving work. The physical process of creating art was a form of worship for the medieval artist, a prayer in itself, as it can be for Merna too. The hidden treasures and depths glimpsed in base elements are revealed by time as if through alchemy. Yet the images created remain simple.