THE APRON
It’s not just a ritual accessory. For me, the apron each brother wears is much more than that. It is the first gift, which the newly introduced students are given and the first symbol on which they will need to work in order to learn from this.
It is fair enough that it has been named the “Emblem of the Mason”, because the only certain thing is that regardless of the students’ future progress in the “Royal Art”, in whatever deeper secret mystery get led to by their thirst for knowledge and devotion to the institution, the apron will forever be their first array which they will never separate from.
And this is why the masons have been taught in their life to glorify work and they never stop working even without the apron within the uninitiated society.
Hence, reflecting upon the meaning of this symbol, I considered that it would be great if I could contribute to every brother’s effort to their struggle of mounting their personal mental path. Every time each one of us sees that their faith is shocked by and everything gets darker or collapses, they could get strengthened by the power and love with which is enclosed in this ritual instrument as the highest symbol of mental work.
THE CREATION
It is a fact that every time I get to work with the creation of a unique piece for a colleague, I get isolated in my inner temple from the very first moment I start working in my laboratory. It is a ritual, not just a processing.
The parameter that makes my work distinct is the fact that I create apron upon a specific order. Each piece is produced after a long conversation and personal contact with the target owner. It is a totally personal object and of course unique.
The deep communication is a prerequisite in order to form a clear image of the brother’s soul and his/her mental journey. This is when I start composing the various symbols which will help the brother get strengthened and make his/her own retrospection, reflecting on their masonry path. It is something like a map, a compass but also a type of support for the tough times. It is a “manitu”. It carries its own spirit.
When its composition is ready and we decide the final form, I start the production of the colors through natural mineral pigments.
THE PROCESS
It is that very moment that my laboratory looks like an alchemist’s workplace. I start the application of the colors on the lamp skin and every brushstroke is a positive thought for the brother which will always accompany and support him/her. It is like a pray.
In the end, the brother receives the apron in a luxurious package in an acid free micro-environment including all the certificates of authenticity and oneness of this piece of work.
Moreover, the brother will receive the draft of the apron, which is also a work of art. It is about an aquarelle in handmade cotton French paper.
All this process lasts about three months until each piece, which is unique, is completed. This work includes a great deal of details, many parts of it are produced with a magnifying glass and it doesn’t reproduce old prototypes. It only makes use of known motifs, which consist of original compositions targeting the emphasis of each mason’s uniqueness as well as his/her path.
MY ART
The truth is that the art of the aprons, the way it is performed by me, has no borders. I started spontaneously uploading pictures form the first apron which I created for me, being inspired by the Voltaire’s apron.
I had the opportunity to see it in a recent visit I had in the masonic Museum of the Grand Orient in Paris. The online comments for my work of art were immediately positive. This is how the commercial interest began.
My first order came from a Texan. More orders followed, all of which outside Europe.
I feel that my audience is universal. Any movement which could help me externalize and communicate my work to a larger audience is definitely in the right direction.
HANDMADE MASONIC APRONS
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