#dum spiro spero
Never fear, the Lab is still very much operational, and capable of fulfilling orders!
Note, however, that we have no control over what happens with those orders once they’re in the hands of the post. So shipping MAY end up being way slower than usual? We can’t really be sure yet. We’re all learning together!
But here’s your reminder that if you already have an order pending, you can combine it with a new order to save on shipping! Just email us the info and let us know: [email protected]
Now without further ado, here’sa brand new mini-collection of perfumes which we’d intended to herald the arrival of spring… and which has taken on an altogether new significance, given the current state of things. Art can be slippery like that!
Note that one of these blends is an emergency fundraiser for the Los Angeles Food Bank, because we know these resources are among the hardest hit right now.
Here in Los Angeles people are still carefully slipping out of their stuffy homes to go taste the spring air, visiting places that are usually quite isolated… and then finding that others had the same idea. Don’t worry, there’s enough springtime for everyone!
We should know, we bottled it.
https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/limited-edition/dum-spiro-spero-spring-2020/
“dum spiro spero”
“While I breathe, I hope”
~Cicero
Stay strong! You got this UChicago! <3
2 Illustrations of Kyo, vocalist of Dir en grey
free work, 2011
SA BIR
this was a free illutration for university.
I wanted to illustrate DIR EN GREY’s song SA BIR.
every time when listening to that song I had an imagination in my head of a tibetan underworld with tibetan gods and demons. It didn’t really work to draw this kind of idea cause it’s more like an animated film in my head. So I used Kyo as the main part in that illustration because you can hear his voices. He is comming out of the upper wall in a cave. The flames behind him are inspired by tradtional tibetan paintings of Mahakala and other tibetan deites. At the bottom you can see a head of Mahakala that is a deity in japanese and chinese Buddhism.
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LOTUS
While working on thise piece I listened a lot to the song “lotus” by the japanese Rockband Dir en grey. Then I went through the lyrics and found that sentence: “a mistake won’t change ones way of life be proud and let the pure white lotus blossom” and thought: this kinda fits to my current drawing I’m working on!
I wanted to build in that sentence but since I wanted to do a tibetan style wasn’t able to use it with japanese kanji. I knew there is a buddhist script that is called ‘Siddham’, or how the japanese say 'Bonji’. After some research I found a site that translates hiragana into bonji writing. Then translated it and practised writing before going on.
That golden writing you can see is that sentence “a mistake won’t change ones way of life be proud and let the pure white lotus blossom”. It’s not completely correct since I’ve never learned how to speak or write Siddham and I doubt the majority of people can read that. But I’m content with it! Also drew a “white” lotus because of what is said in the sentence.
Besides that there are two mantras in siddham, saying:
“Om. I am the very self whose essence is the diamond knowledge of emptiness.” (left) and “Oṃ. All Dharmas in their own-being are pure; in my own-being I too am pure!” (right) I got those two from a site that fiddles with siddham. Thought those would fit really good to Kyo, the song & the drawing.
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