Adorn your walls....

Paint them, peel them, stencil them, plaster them, madhubani them, block-print them, hand-paint them, wall-paper them....Hand-painted elephant in Tibrawala Haveli, Bissau, Rajasthan. (See how the trunk forms the handrail)

Yes, I am talking about 'Walls'.The terracotta and white decorative patterns are inspired by houses in Magh.
Gone are the days when walls were plain and their purpose was to house paintings, today they are the paintings.

Bring in some rustic charm... Traditional wall decorations painted by the caftsmen from the Wadha community, Hodka, Kutch.
Interesting flat, stylised & geometric designs with birds & camel motifs painted on the outer walls in the villages of Baramsar & Roopsi, Kutch.
Family photosgraphs & religious images are embedded in the while plaster walls in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
(What a fantastic idea!) Terracotta tiles frame a niche in a house in Baramsar, Kutch where the cassette player is the only western amenity.Inlay work with antique mirrors & stylised flowers in Samode Palace, Rajasthan.
Lovely painted patterns in a private chapel in Goa. The trellised roof forms interesting shadows on stencilled walls in one of the homes in Goa.
Colourful Buddhist motifs in the mountainous region of northern India.

Or go contemporary/fusion with these design ideas...Bold colourful geometric patterns in Krsna Mehta's home.
Goldpainted leaf motifs on blue background in Krsna Mehta's residence.
Free flowing hand-painted design in film-maker Ram Madhvani's home.Feature wall with self gold floral print wall paper at Cafe' Penne designed by Payal Chopra. A sinuous bronze pattern on terracotta in Ram Madhvani's home.Foliage patterns in black & white designed by Tania Singh Khosla for Zanav Home.
Floral stencilled patterns in Mallika's room:-)

So what are you waiting for go wild with your imagination, the wall is your canvas, paint away...:-)

(images from Indian Style, home review magazine-vol6. issue3, inside outside magazine- july 2006, dec 2006 & jan 2007 issues)

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Raja Ravi Varma's beauties.

Lady with Veena
Everytime I look at Raja Ravi Varma's depiction of sari clad, graceful & beautiful Indian women, I gasp!
In Contemplation
Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian king from Kerala who was also a great painter, during the 19th century.
His paintings are considered to be a fusion of Indian traditions with European techniques. He is considered to be one of the finest painters in the history of Indian Art.
The Milkmaid
He learnt oil painting from a British painter, Theodor Jenson. Whose techniques he used in his paintings. ExpectationYashoda with Krishna
He is famous for his paintings depicting scenes from great epics like Mahabharata & Ramayana.
Jatayu Vadha

Most of his paintings were reproduced as Oleographs and overshadowed the traditional Indian art form in the 19th century, for which he received criticism.There comes Papa
Raja Ravi Varma's paintings portrayed Indian myth with static realism.Lady in the moonlight
I absolutely love his paintings of Indian women and had to share it with all of you:-) Hamsa Damayanthi
You can see more of Ravi Varma's prints & oleographs here.

( images from cyberkerala.com)

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Art & Crafts of India #5: Madhubani Paintings

'Madhubani' is one of my favourite arts from IndiaWould have covered this art sometime in the future, but on the suggestion of 'Rang Decor' reader Nivedita I decided to feature it today :-)

Madhubani Painting also known as Mithila Painting. Legend has it that King Janak of Mithila in Bihar commissioned artists to make paintings at the time of the wedding of his daughter Sita to Lord Rama.( Lord Krishna dancing on the head of Kaliya the snake)

Madhubani Paintings are usually done on freshly plastered mud walls of homes in Mithila. Vegetable dyes are used in the paintings and the skills are passed on from one generation to the next.
Goddess from indian-art.net'Midst the Ocean' by Bharti Dayal
Interesting simple black & white Madhubani painting on handmade paper.

Some decor ideas using Madhubani painting... A whole wall painted by artist Shivan Paswan at art connoisseur Rajshree Pathy's home. ( Lovely!)
Colourful bulls and red flower compliment the mutli-coloured Madhubani Painting in Mallika's room.
Group together small Madhubani Paintings

You can bring in this colourful art into your home not only in the form of paintings but also home accessories like magazine holders, napkin holders, lamps etc.
Paper-mache' Madhubani magazine holderMy favourite Madhubani Napkin Holder.

Today I am featuring one of my very talented Flickr friends arty_zen from Singapore. She does Madhubani paintings on mundane things and converts them into pieces of art.

A hand fan converted into a lovely piece of art
A plain lampshade gets transformed into a luminous glowing Madhubani art.
Colourful coasters that would enliven any space:-)
Wonderful colour combinations.

Another beautiful art of India that can bring colours into your lives...

(some images from indian-art.net, dayalbharti & arty_zen on flickr and the rest by Arch)

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Sangolda, Goa

Sangolda in Goa is a 200 year old portuguese mansion owned by Claudia, a German Fashion Stylist and her Mumbai-bred husband Hari Ajwani.This mansion houses hand-picked exquisite pieces sourced from Gujarat, Rajastha & Kerala in India as well as abroad.

Antique wooden furniture in colonial & ethnic styles, table linen, bed & bath linen, tableware, brass artifacts, wooden almirahs, everything finds a space in this beautiful mansion.Beautiful courtyard with huge iron urlis, layered lamp & bright yellow paint...
Amazing space with exquisite artifacts & antiques...I am completely in love with this antique 5 headed Hanuman ( very unusual)
Wooden furniture, cushions, home linen fill this airy space.Functional display of lifestlye items. Love the terracotta floor tiles...

So next time you visit Goa, do put 'Sangolda' in your to-visit list:-)

( images from Indian Design- Daab)

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Art & Crafts of India #4: Stone Sculptures of Mahabalipuram

When I think of 'Stone Sculptures' the first image that comes to mind is the amazing granite stone sculptures of Mahabalipuram, near Chennai in Tamil Nadu.There are various styles of stone sculptures in India but today I would like to share the absolutely stunning 'Pallava Style' sculptures from Mahabalipuram.(A small stone Ganesha in my balcony)

Apart from being a Unesco World Heritage Site, Mahabalipuram is also a hub for stone carvings & idols.
The sculptors or sthapathis as they are known in India, have been carrying on this rich tradition of carving from their forefathers where they use Vaastu Shastra as well as mathematical precison for the execution of such exquisite sculptures.
Here you'll find idols in various sizes and shapes, some specially made for temples, some custom-made for hotels and smaller ones for homes & gardens.
Idols of Hindu Gods & Goddesses such as Ganesha, Gaja-Lakshmi, Shiva, Nandi are common.

Here are some interesting ideas for using stone sculpture in home decor.
(A stone Ganesha in our balcony, I love decorating with fresh flowers:-) This pic is to show ideas for decorating with stone sculptures- This sculpture is Hoysala style*)

These exquisite pieces can be used indoors or in your gardens and balconies along with green plants...
* Will definitely post about Hoysala Style later in this feature:-)

(some images from Inside Outside, October 2005 issue)

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