Hi! Jessica Sporn here to show you a project
for making a house blessing using the Hamsas stencil I designed for
StencilGirl. Hamsas are an ancient symbol - predating all the
Abrahamic religions. They resemble a hand, that, when shown upright, is
said to ward of evil spirits and provide protection. With the fingers
facing down, it is said to symbolize the raining down of divine blessings.
Either way, it's a good image to have around and is often found in homes.
You can read more about the symbolism of Hamsas here.
I worked on five 6 x 6 canvases at the same time,
and started out by squirting matte medium on all of them, and then adhering
bits of book pages and other ephemera I had on my work table. This is a
great way of cleaning up your studio! I call it unintentional collage, as
it's meant to give texture and interest, and you won't see a lot of it in the
end.
While the canvases were drying, I made five hearts
out of air-dry clay, and stamped into them using various stamps from my stash.
Then, I used the Hebrew Calligraphy stencil to put fragments of
the Priestly Blessing from Numbers onto the
canvases. This is an ancient blessing, which translates as:
May the Lord bless and protect
you;
May the Lord show you kindness
and be gracious to you;
May the Lord bestow favor upon
you and grant you peace.
Even though I knew these words would get covered
up, it is important to me, for the intention of the canvas, to include this
blessing. But if you don't have the Hebrew Calligraphy stencil, you can
always handwrite your own blessings or wishes, or just skip this step
altogether!
Next I took Golden fluid acrylic paint and mixed it
with matte medium to make it even more sheer, and scraped it over the canvases
with a piece of a paint chip. This has a little more flexibility than a
credit card, and gave the canvases a lot of texture.
I took a gelli print that I’d made using the Six Point Starry
Night Stencil. I glazed over
it so there would not be so much contrast, and then spread Viva Decor modeling
cream through the Hamsa stencil using a palette knife. I set it aside to
dry.
At the start of this adventure, I had cut out a
house shape from a piece of card stock. I used it as a mask, and spread
Golden molding paste around the outsides of it.
Then I glazed the inside of the house shape with a
contrasting color. I also cut up some of my gelli print remnants, using a
triangle punch.
Once the Viva Decor cream was dry on my hamsas, I
cut them out and adhered them into the houses used matte medium.
I stamped some sentiments from Stamper's Anonymous
onto tissue paper and adhered it. I painted and glazed the clay hearts
and glued them down. I shaded and added some doodling and
stamping, and voila!
I hope you liked this project and might be inclined
to make a house blessing of your own. I will also be teaching a class in my home studio in September where
we will make these home blessings. I plan to create an online class with
them soon as well!
Please leave a comment here, and on my
blog, for two chances to win an original home blessing of your own.
This one measures 3 1/2 x 5 1/2" and is made from part of a book
cover. I am happy to ship it anywhere in the world!
These are beautiful and have great meanings A true house blessing! I would love to be blessed and win one.
ReplyDeleteWOW... fabulous Jessica! Thank you for sharig!
ReplyDeleteOh Jessica these are so special. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteso lovely! have to have those stencils!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous stencils, and wonderful results - yummmmmmmmmmmmmy!
ReplyDeleteFabulous stencil - I love what you've done - as always!!!
ReplyDeleteI've not come across hamsas before but love the image, and the meaning. Who doesn't need blessings in their home? Frankly, the more the better.
ReplyDeleteSuch gorgeous work, Jessica, i love the hidden layers! Thanks for the chance to win one!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of house blessing painting. The new stencil is amazing. I have learned so much from Jessica Spornm especially about layering.
ReplyDeleteJessica, these house blessings are an inspiration! I love the way you have incorporated a prayer with the ancient symbol.
ReplyDeleteJessica... Your canvases are just gorgeous. Love the verse and the symbolic content in the hand signs.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for sharing. Really inspiring art !!!
Hugs from SPAIN
Oh, how I love these stencils and what you have done with them. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI want to make one!!
ReplyDeleteJust bought the Hamsa stencil yesterday. The Priestly Blessing is a favorite of our family. I've used your stencil featuring the blessing in some of my artwork. You've probably already picked a winner, but just in case, I would love love love to win one of the little house canvases. I adore your work!
ReplyDeleteLove this Jessica!
ReplyDeleteThank you for showing us how you made these! Beautiful canvas's, love this Hamsa stencil, a wonderful gift! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteKatie B.
I've seen these Hamsa designs before but never gave second thought to them until now! I always admired their intricate patterns. Now, I wanna make one, too :)
ReplyDelete