Minerals - Selenite - Italian Hand

"I was recently surprised to notice I had 49 pieces of art in my Mineral Script series, which inspired me to create an even 50. Consequently… This specimen from my collection is Selenite, also known as gypsum or calcium sulfate and is found in several basic forms. It is a common, naturally forming mineral found all around the world wherever water collects then slowly evaporates over and over. Veins of calcium sulfate have even been found on Mars. Gypsum is a highly important mineral used for numerpus purposes. It is the basic ingredient of plaster, wallboard, and tile. It is also used as a preservative in foods, as a fertilizer, and as blackboard chalk. The specimen here is in a form colloquially known as a "desert rose" or "gypsum flower," so called because the petal-like crystals have clumped together forming a blossom-like structure.

My Italian Hand rendering of the word was initially inspired by an S design from the little known English Writing Master, James Seamer (c. 1670s). Nothing is known of this talented penman beyond the 2 copybooks he left behind. The word Selenite is a mostly uninspiring aggregation of letters to work with. However, the logo-like quality of this design made the composition fun. I especially enjoy that the design looks to me like a Kabuki face: The oval flourish is the head; the upper spiral of the S & loop of the "l" the eyes; The tittle of the "i" a pupil; the upper arch of the "l" an eyebrow; the lower part of the "l" the bridge of the nose with the 2 e's forming the nostrils; the mineral specimen a mouth forming an O-shape. "

~2017, Don Marsh~
©2017 Don Marsh