Materials and Process

• Compass
• Watercolors
• Graph paper

1. I used a compass to create the repeating floral motif. The pattern is rotated 90 degrees and then repeated along an axis with glide reflection. My sources of inspiration were the painted friezes in the Mosque of Ahmed el-Bordeyny (17^th c.), illustrated in Arabic Art in Color.

Teacher's Comment

The upward/downward orientation of the flowers in this border pattern is similar to what is called an in-an-out pattern of blossoms seen in the borders of Indian carpets. The symmetry of each flower blossom contrasts with the asymmetry of each elongated curling leaf. Together they comprise a border pattern with glide reflection, here seen as a long horizontal axis.