Turkish coffee is a strong coffee that is a favorite in the Middle East. When I lived in Iran, a chance encounter found me in the company of an old Russian fortune teller. This lady, whose name I no longer recall, asked me to drink my Turkish coffee and tip the cup upside down so that the grounds could slowly drip down, mapping out my future.
Glued to her every word, I listened as she told me that everything that I thought would happen ~ would turn out rather differently. She predicted things, that I thought impossible at the time, but in hindsight did happen and left me rather baffled to this day.
Fortune Teller Mousepad
The news on the streets of Iran according to an article written by Zahra Hosseinian is that fortune tellers are on the rise. Tarot cards, reading coffee grounds, or opening a page to Hafez (14th-century Persian poet) book of poems and interpreting the writings are all acceptable practices. Although fortune telling is not accepted by Islam, it remains an age-old practice.
When I came across this article a little seed for my next Orientalist painting project was planted. Going with the theme of "The Fortune Teller" I decided to do some research. Since the theme has to translate well into a painting, the idea is to paint a pretty Iranian fortune teller reading cards.
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