Hennaed artifacts
Using upcycled henna paste (no longer viable for staining skin), Tamara adorns candle holders, glass jewelry, lanterns, sun catchers, ornaments, boxes, lamps, mirrors, paintings and more.
They began because of an obsession to paint watercolor on glass. Which did not work. Experimentation led to the translucency of rice paper and light-fast inks adhered to glass. Then embellished with intricate and interesting patterns using henna. This expanded to using the ink directly on the wood, also with henna patterns adorning the surface. Sometimes, inspiration comes from a design previously done on skin. Sometimes, it is found in patterns and shapes, symbols, sometimes in textiles, jewelry, architecture and more. The same techniques are used to embellish these items as as are used to create designs on people.
Once hennaed, each piece gets 7 layers of sealants to keep the henna intact forever and ever. This recycling creates “permanent henna” that can be enjoyed for years.
The Love Mandala
& The Cosmology of Love
In 2018, Tamara collaborated with Laura Smith-Biswas and Stephanie Wood-Miller of The Love Mandala to provide a visual language for Laura's book The Cosmology of Love, and companion book Affirmations of Love. Laura created over 70 Ways of Loving, put into 5 categories - Ways of Being, Ways of Acting, Ways of Speaking, Ways of Thinking & Ways of Touching.
Tamara called on the history of henna design from around the world, and chose 'base symbols' for each category to build the visual language. The paisley represented the mango shape used in Indian henna design, the triangle for the straight lines of Moroccan henna design, the lotus for decorative Arabic henna design. Tamara chose the spiral as a more universal symbol, relating to countless cultures around the world, and the infinity symbol rounded out the lexicon.
The Ebooks were re-released on Amazon in 2021, earning best-seller status. Tamara use the symbols today to create custom talismans in her Ceremonial Henna work. Take the Ways of Loving Quiz here!