Date: Three Thursdays, May 9, 16, and 23

Time: 6:30-8 p.m.

Tuition: $40 before May 1, $45 after

Enrollment: 12 min./35 max.

Ebru, often referred to as the “dance of color on water,” is an authentic Turkish art that has been considered a spiritual art for centuries. This unique art form is produced by sprinkling color pigments into thickened water and utilizes special brushes to create various designs that are then transferred onto a sheet of paper or other surface. Believed to have been invented in the thirteenth century Turkistan, ebru then spread to China, India and Persia, and Anatolia. Seljuk and Ottoman calligraphers and artists used marbling to decorate books, imperial decrees, official documents. New techniques were perfected in the process and Turkey remained the center of marbling for many centuries. In this class we will explore a variety of techniques that participants will use to create their own masterpieces.

Born in Turkey, Nihal Sonmez has lived in San Antonio for the last year and a half. Love for every line, color, and image that she came across has been with her since childhood. She graduated from Gazi University, Department of Fine Arts, and has also earned two master’s degrees, one from Gazi University Institute of Fine Arts and the other from Ankara University in Museum Education. She was taught Ebru (Turkish Traditional Arts) at Bulent Ecevit University in Turkey as a Lecturer at a Traditional Art Department. In recent years, she has become interested in the field of Islamic Art, which inspired her research and study of Preservation Islamic Art. Now she is working on her third master's degree in Preservation of Cultural Heritage Division. She believes that developing an authentic perspective and better understanding of the world is only possible by art, as it embodies an international language.

Register here.