Today's Sunday Spotlight features the gorgeous and creative work of
Pinar Kamaci from Turkey. As a fellow crocheter, I am amazed at the detail of her designs. Please take the time to get to know this unique artist, and look for her special offer at the end of the post!
Hi, my name is N. Pinar Kamaci. I design and make Bohemian
Chic Crochet Lace Art Jewelry. Also I
make screen-print cotton scarves with ancient art motif. All of my creations
are inspired by ancient history and art of Turkey. There is a historical tale
behind my each and every design.
I am a graphic designer. I born and grow up in Istanbul,
Turkey where is a beautiful and historical city. I have two university degree;
Marmara University of Printing Technology and Marmara University Faculty of
Fine Arts Department of Graphic Design. Also my parents are graduated from same
university, Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts. My father is graphic
designer and my mother is ceramic artist and sculpture. I have one younger
sister. And I love her tooo much, she is my best friend and also big fan of
Pinara Design.
In 2006, I married my husband, Ertan, the love of
my life whom I met while working at the same firm. He
is also my best friend and source of inspiration of my art works. He is my
logic man, my second eye and the other half of my soul. He is a photographer.
We have no children, but we have an adorable ginger boy cat. His name is Bucuk.
He is 5 years old. And we adore him. He is fun and happiness our life. (And he
is a great helper for distract the attention and kidnap my equipment LOL)
I had my own printing and graphic agency for 4 years. Then I
worked for a graphic agency as an art director. And finally I worked for an
international hr & consultant firm as an art director and manager.
15 years ago I began to make my own jewelry. Because I love
wear jewelry. For years I have researched about Anatolian history, ancient art,
Turkish lace, vintage crochets, semiprecious stones, authentic fabrics...
People around me began to encourage me to share my designs with the world.
After my husband and I left our jobs and lives in fast paced Istanbul we
decided moved to the seaside city of Antalya in southern Turkey and opened our
Etsy shop. This is when my colorful journey begins.
We love Antalya because it's a beautiful city nearby
Mediterranean Sea where history and nature come together seamlessly.
My husband and my parents inspire me a lot. When I finish a
new design, I immediately share with Ertan. And we brainstorm about. He is my
second eyes; show me the different ways to look.
And my parents… when we get together always talk about
history and art. They expand my brain; give me the new clues for research. Art
is always in my life. I grew with art and at the end I become an artist. My
parents always create wonderful things… not only drawings or sculpture… When I
was child my mother always made for us puppets, interesting toys and fancy
cloths. Thought me how to sew ,thanks to my mummy. When I was 13 years old they
made a fiber glass sailing boat and they thought me how to sail… Then they
bought a big lemon garden which has an old stone village house in it. They
restorated whole garden and house. They made wooden and stone works by their
selves. And they are still creating… and give me inspiration always J
And finally history is my basic inspiration. I feel really lucky
for to be living at this huge historical country. Turkey is a huge historical
country. There are so many different ancient civilizations in our land. Lycia,
Hittite, Ottoman Empire, Ion, Urartus, Byzantine, Selcuk… Many many different
styles of art and ancient civilizations. This keep me search more with
excitement. Find new treasuries from past is a great journey. As a graphic
designer searching ancient art and designs give new perspective for create. I love creative process and researching;
matching colors and combine them with different motifs. I feel that I am still
growing and learning more with each of my designs.
Our intention is revive some forgotten designs of the past
by using eco-friendly materials on jewelry and scarves. Diversity of Anatolian
history and artistic creations are giving me the opportunity for using
different techniques and materials. There is a historical tale behind each and
every design such as techniques like crochet, screen print, wire wrap, transfer
print.
What's the meaning of
Pinara?
Often people ask me that there is any relationship between
my name Pınar and Pinara. In fact, these two words look like similar but they
are totally different words. Pınar means 'fountain' in Turkish language. Pinara
means 'round' in the ancıent Lycia language and it's the name of a beautiful
Lycia site in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. It was settled around 5th
century BC in the Xanthus valley and one of the important cities of the Lycia
Federation. Its name references apparently to the rounded shape of the
precipitous hill on which the city originally stood.
Most proud of product is Crochet Bohemian Chic Tulip Pendant
Necklace in Red, Green with Emerald, Coral and earrings set. Short time ago one of my customer wanted as a
set with earrings this beautiful necklace.
The crochet motifs that I made for this lovely set is
inspired from Hatayi tile motifs of Rustem Pasa Mosque at Istanbul.
This hatayi motif is penç style. Motifs known as penç are
derived from natural plants forms. They are stylized drawings of the bird’s-eye
view of a flower. Hatayi is one of the main motifs of Tezhip (Illumination).
Hatayi is a stylized pattern known as “Chinese Turkestan” origin, vertical and
horizontal cross-section view of the flowers. Hatayi motifs have been applied
on utensils and architectural tiles ceramics at the middle of the 16 century at
Iznik. The most brilliant period of Ottoman Tile art was between 15. - 18.
Centuries at Iznik. The most important feature of Iznik tiles are under-glaze
decoration technique and coral red color.
The Rustem Pasha Mosque was designed by Ottoman imperial
architect Mimar Sinan for Grand Vizier Damat Rustem Pasha. He was husband of
one of the daughters of Suleiman the Magnificent, Princess Mihrimah. The Rustem
Pasha Mosque is famous for its large quantities of exquisite Iznik tiles.
Follow Pinar here:
As a special offer to my readers, use coupon code BRTHDY001 for an amazing 25% off!
