Lisa DeLong, House of Wisdom

Artist: Lisa DeLong

Title: House of Wisdom

Medium: Malachite, handmade watercolor and variegated copper leaf on paper

Unframed Dimensions: 20 x 20 inches

Framed Dimensions: 24 x 24 inches

Price: $2400 

Artist Statement: This painting is about the transformations within sacred spaces. The eight-pointed star, known by craftspeople in Islamic lands as the Khatam al Suleyman (“Seal of Solomon”) forms the basis of this composition. This motif takes its name from King Solomon, the temple builder, whose signet ring is said to have borne this design. The number eight (represented geometrically as an octagon) is the shape which serves as an architectural transition between the cube and the dome, bridging the realm of earth and the sphere of heaven.

Artist Bio: Lisa DeLong holds a PhD in Traditional Arts from the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts, where her research focused on principles of geometric composition common to the Islamic and Western traditions. She joined the School’s International Outreach team in 2006, leading project teams developing and delivering educational programmes in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, China, Pakistan, Qatar, and Uzbekistan.
After 22 years in London, she moved back to Utah. Lisa continues to work remotely and travels for the School of Traditional Arts. She joined UVU as an adjunct professor for the Architecture Department in 2024.

Lisa is the author of Curves: Flowers, Foliates and Flourishes in the Formal Decorative Arts (Wooden Books, 2013). She also presented “Geometry: Hidden in Plain Sight” at TEDx BYU and spoke at the 2025 Restore Conference. As a painter, she uses patterns and raw materials that reflect her research in geometric design and her travels with the School. She is represented by The Compass Gallery.