Pearl in the shell: Spiritual healer-turned-artist finds expression in mixed media art

Makes decorative gem mosaics infused with natural pigment

PESAHAWAR:

Artwork made with gems forces every visitor to pause and admire their beauty. Syed Faiz Ahmad Shah Tirmizi, a 40-year-old spiritual healer-turned-artist, said he is not an art expert, but it was his love for Islamic calligraphy that inspired him to take up this profession.

His work, which depicts religious text, is completed with great attention paid to every intricacy and is displayed at a centre in Namak Mandi in the city. The gem-studded surfaces draw a large number of people – locals and connoisseurs alike.

A study in blue

Tirmizi did not learn his art from anyone. Inspired by the famous artist from Peshawar, the late Ismail Gulgee, and his highly inventive calligraphy, Tirmizi developed a passion for splendid art forms of the Islamic world.

“Gulgee was incredibly skilful in his compositions of lapis lazuli mosaics,” he said.

According to Tirmizi, there is no other artist in the city who uses mixed media in quite this way and there is a high demand for his work.



“My sculptures are rich and expressive,” he said. They are infused with natural colours, painted with special consideration to miniscule detail, and fixed with precious stones to produce unique pieces,” Tirmizi added.

“This art will not only tell the world about my love for spiritualism but will also create a colourful treasure of precious stones,” Tirmizi, working on a large piece inside his dimly lit, unimpressive room, said. He was surrounded by hundreds of stones – tourmaline, garnet, agate, tiger eye, lapis lazuli, opal, peridot and turquoise – some cut and polished while others in their raw form. These stones have their own charm, the artist said.

Spiritual healing

Years ago, when Tirmizi was a spiritual healer in the city, he was forced to wrap up his business after militants threatened his life. He did take up work at another centre, but that was also vacated since people were intolerant and reluctant to accept his views on spiritualism and healing.

The artist then abandoned his previous occupation and devoted his entire time to making artwork in his house in the walled city — a house that has sustained much damage after continuous earthquakes and aftershocks since October 2015.

Mosaic making

The artist makes his pieces using a variety of gems. “The work is long and arduous as it takes several days for each sculpture to finish,” he said. The work takes place in stages – first, the canvas is prepared and sketches are marked on a wooden board, second, rough stones are cut and fixed onto the board in a specific design and third, the piece is polished and given finishing touches. “It is then put on display, however, since I am a perfectionist, I do not let anyone take a single peek till the artwork is complete from every angle,” Tirmizi said.

Cost of art

The minimum cost of making each of these pieces is Rs200,000 and it varies according to the quality, kind and number of gems used.

“I make some of the most expensive artworks, but Peshawar appreciates beauty and intricacy,” Tirmizi said. He added the city has one of the largest markets of precious and semi-precious stones so it is also to find what he needs for his pieces. Although the artist is not in any position to arrange any exhibitions, his work has travelled to different parts of the country for people to purchase.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th,  2016.