My Daughter in a Poppy Field - Gouache and gold on sized calligraphy paper (20x32cm)
Following a number of replicas, “My Daughter in a Poppy Field” was my first authentic miniature.
My four-year-old daughter Deniz in her snow-white dress and horsetail hair, springtime, scarlet poppies - the most delicate of all flowers -
and green green grass...
Paşabağları, Cappadocia - Gouache and gold on sized calligraphy paper (20x30cm)
With its fabulous vineyards with pale leaves, Paşabağları is the location that hosts the most beautiful chimney rocks in Cappadocia.
The name Cappadocia means “The Land of Beautiful Horses” in Persian. So here is my horse to reflect the name of the land.
Zelve Valley, Cappadocia - Gouache and gold on sized calligraphy paper (20x30cm)
The photos I took during my various visits to Cappadocia in different seasons made me realize that it is the autumn colors that best reflect the spirit of the region. Therefore, in all of my Cappadocia miniatures, time of the day is afternoon and the season is autumn.
I was deeply influenced by the Zelve Valley in Cappadocia. I loved the valley so much that when I looked back once more before leaving the place, Zelve seemed like a city of fairytale that sheltered all shades of purple. I still keep a volcanic stone I found in the Zelve Valley.
Hadrianus Gate and Terrace Houses of Ephesus - Gouache and gold on sized calligraphy paper (20x30cm)
Hundreds of photos I took while visiting Ephesus, my interest in archaeology and my studies on the subject paved the way to a series of miniatures.
I remained true to what I witnessed during my visit – from the color of the land and the sky to the shapes of monuments.
When the miniature was made, Terrace Houses were not yet opened to visitors. Therefore this work is also a documentation of those days.
In the sky, clouds shaped like Zeus and Nike statues exhibited in the Ephesus Museum; in the foreground, a group of tourists looking at the Hadrianus Gate; in the background, my daughter and I...
Aizoni, Çavdarhisar - Gouache and gold on sized calligraphy paper (20x30cm)
The Temple of Zeus, which enchanted me with its Medusa statue at first sight, is an ancient ruin near the city of Kütahya.
In this work I tried reflect life in Çavdarhisar both today and 2,000 years ago as it was.
2,000-year-old bridge that is still being used, amphitheater, public bath with mosaic floor, opium fields and villagers working...
Spring in Aksu - Gouache and gold on sized calligraphy paper (35x27cm)
Inspired by a painting of my master Ahmet Yakupoğlu, this miniature is about Aksu, the river which also feeds the city of Kütahya.
Flour mills that no longer exist, blossomed spring trees, a female villager carrying a flour sack on her back, my little daughter chasing butterflies in her red, flowered dress...
Celsus Library, Ephesus - Gouache and gold on sized calligraphy paper (20x30cm)
Celsus Library that I fell in love with during my visit to Ephesus is a pure white building reaching towards the sky. You arrive at the library through a fascinating street laid with large marble plates.
This miniature reflects everything as they really are. Including the number of steps of the stairs...
On the other hand, the couple meeting in the marble street is just my imagination.
Other works
Spring and flowers have always been my joy of life. In the garden of my childhood home, a wide variety of roses, hyacinths, tulips, lilies, redbuds, and lilacs blossomed.
And I have always loved each and every one of these flowers. Every blossom I saw in spring filled me with joy.
Years later, again on a spring day, my master Ahmet Yakupoğlu asked me to work on the flowers in his garden.
While painting them with a close-up look, I felt that they smiled at me, spoke to me, and even became friends with me.
No wonder that I loved those flowers.