Inspiring Eminent Artist: Shilpa Singh

                                    It's time again to meet one more inspiring artist here on 3D. I met her during one exhibition, the stall that caught all my attention and I got lost looking at her fabulously done paintings was the stall of this wonderful artist who amazed each and every visitor by her excellent artwork. Please welcome Shilpa Singh, a woman of many talent. Over to Shilpa:

My name is Mrs. Shilpa Singh a homemaker and I do have interest in making Paintings and sketches. I make various kinds of paintings like:
Pencil Sketches where you sketch n shade with the help of pencils. This can be a portrait or any natural scene. Just black and white. 

Madhubani  painting is a style of Indian painting, practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar state. Madhubani paintings mostly depict the men & its association with nature and the scenes & deity from the ancient epic.

Orissa Paintings which depicts inspiration behind the Pattachitra Paintings is the beautiful ancient murals painted on the walls of temples.

Kangra Paintings finest art work from Himanchal Pradesh themes of eternal love between Radha and Krishna. Also, Kangra paintings depict the feminine charm in a very graceful manner. Beauty of female with sharp features and colorful dresses with pearl ornaments is the defined beautifully. 

Lastly, Canvas Paintings showing great combinations of color with different figures relating mood and atmosphere. 

Thank you so much Shilpa for sharing with us about your passion. I have seen all her paintings and I must say she is very talented artist on a multitude of levels and truly has an eye for detail. 
Do you like her artwork then leave your comment below or shoot a mail at [shilpa_vimal_singh@yahoo.co.in] and she would be happy to answer your queries. She can create a piece of work especially for you. If you have something in mind just let her know and she will be ready to shape your dreams.
Have you met some more inspiring artists on my blog earlier...no then click here. Enjoy reading about artists and get inspired :)

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Indian Art: Tanjore Art Of Tamil Nadu

Posts in 'Indian Art' series on my blog is my endeavor to bring back the lost charm of various ancient Indian art forms and to let more and more people know about rich culture and heritage of India.

Tanjore or Thanjavur is an age old art form of South India and got its name from 'Thanjavur' a place in Tamil Nadu where this art form originated and it was the capital of Chola Empire. Origin of this art form dates back to 1600AD.

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Origin: 

Tanjore originated during the reign of 'Nayaks' 'Marathas' and 'Cholas'. Marathas encouraged the art form and it flourished during 16th to 17th century.

Style: 

These paintings are very ancient and miniature type of paintings. Paintings mainly consist of a main figure usually deity, figure appears prominent in paintings with well rounded body and cherubic face. Main figure is enclosed in a meticulously crafted enclosure in form of arch or curtain. Paintings are bright and vibrant. 

Most striking feature of the paintings are that they are decorated using 22/24 carat gold foil, semi precious stones, cut glasses and pearls to give it a rich look. 

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Theme: 

Theme of the painting is mainly Hindu God and Goddesses, mainly Krishna, Balaji, Lakshmi & Ganesha.

Paintings are bright and faces of main figure are made divine.

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Process:
There are several steps involve in making Tanjore painting.

1. Canvas Preparation: Canvas is prepared by pasting a clean cotton/muslin cloth (that is dipped in glue+water solution) on plywood. Let it dry. Now apply a coat of chalk powder paste (Chalk powder + Water + Glue) on canvas and let it dry for a day. Now rub canvas with emery paper to make canvas surface smooth.
2. Choose and then trace the design on canvas using carbon paper.
3. Muck work or embossing: Muck or paste of chalk powder + Arabic gum + glue is then applied on the desired area of the painting using round brush. Let it dry
4. Gem setting or decorating: Now stick stones, gems and pearls on the design and let it dry for a day.
Apply one more layer of embossing paste to make painting more beautiful. use ball pen to make design on embossed areas. Then comes the most important step of the painting, pasting of gold foil on the embossed design. Apply glue on the embossed area and paste gold foil carefully on it and press gently with your thumb, cut the extra part of foil using cutter. Now remove gold foil that is pasted over stones, gems and pearls. You can use any needle like sharp object to remove foil that is over the stones.

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5. Last step is painting the remaining area of the painting, like body of the main figure and the background. Body is painted mainly in white color with tint of pink or blue. Slight shading is done on main figure. Background is painted in bright colors like red, green or blue. Once the painting is complete it is then framed.

I found Tanjore paintings breathtakingly beautiful and process of making these paintings make them even more special. This framed art in any place never fails to add charm and beauty. Hope you enjoyed reading about this art.
Read more about different ancient Indian Art forms here.

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Indian Art: Pichwai Paintings Of Rajasthan

Posts in 'Indian Art' series on my blog is my endeavor to bring back the lost charm of various ancient Indian art forms and to let more and more people know about rich culture and heritage of India.
Pichwai painting is an art form that has its roots in Rajasthan and more precisely in Nathdwara.
Pichwai  means 'at the back' so these paintings are basically used as decorative curtain/backdrop in Shrinath ji temples and Krishna temples in Rajasthan. These cloth hangings are considered very sacred and devotees offer these cloth hangings in temples and take them back home as souvenir as well

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Origin:

Pichwai born when Vallabhaichari sect created pictorial illustration of festivals and occasions as a backdrop  for Krishna temple in Nathdwara.

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Style:
These paintings are known to have more details, are more polished and pure than Phad paintings that are other form of painting in Rajasthan but is very similar to Pichwai. Figure of Shrinath ji (Krishna) is shown decked in vibrant festive costumes. Features that I like most are big eyes, sharp nose and colorful costumes with all fine details, be it sheer dupattas of Gopis(milkmaids) and Radha or jewel and gems studded in crown and other jewelry. Trees, decorated animal and beautiful birds are another eye catching features.

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Theme:
As it all started with iconography for Krishna temple so main theme is Shrinath ji(Krishna) and his heroic and notable deed. Though theme varies according to the season like you will see pond and pink lotuses in summer Pichwai, full moon and dark background can be seen in Sharad Poornima Pichwai. Themes are based on festivals and occasions like Holi, Annakoot, Rasleela and janmashtmi.

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Process:
It can be painted, embroidered, printed or woven in applique. Earlier Pichwai was done on loose, rough, hand spun fabric and painted in permanent natural colors that were extracted from vegetables and minerals and that don't tend to fade with time. Outlines are always dark hued and lighter soft tones are used for filling the picture. These days quick materials like paint brushes and machine made fabric is used that obviously saves lot of time.
First a rough sketch of painting is drawn on starched fabric. Then slowly fill the color in entire painting and outline it with dark color. Painting is then adorned with gems, stones or embroidered with gold thread to enhance the beauty of it.
The more I explore about these paintings more I am tempted to buy one for me :)
Do you have Pichwai painting in your home....I would love love love to see it. You can send it to me at designdecoranddisha@gmail.com or just post it on my Facebook page.
Have a happy and creative weekend!!


Linking it to Homework Wednesday!!

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Indian Art: Mural Paintings Of Kerala

Mural Painting

Kerala also known as 'God's Own Country' is well known for its resplendent greenery and exotic views. Art here perfectly blends with the nature in harmony. Mural paintings are one such form of art. These paintings are drawn on the walls of temples and churches. 

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Origin: 

Tradition of painting walls began in Kerala . Roots of extant mural paintings of Kerala could be traced as far back as seventh and eighth century AD. Oldest murals in Kerala were discovered in the rock-cut cave temple of Thirunandikkara. Archaeological evidences show that period from the mid 16th century onward is the golden period of Mural paintings in Kerala.
  

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Style:
Subject or theme of mural paintings are related to Hindu Gods, Goddesses and ethics. Paintings art greatly inspired by Hindu mythology. This art form adorned the temple walls and Guruvayur in Trichur is one such temple famous for Mural paintings on its wall. It is rich, vibrant bold yet delicate style of painting. Paintings show artistic brilliance as there is acute clarity in form, costumes and expressions.

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Process: 
Process is somewhat similar to Pattachitra, as Kerala mural is also process driven with atleast six process involved in completing one painting. Mainly five colors are used in making Mural paintings: White, Black, Yellow, Green and Red. Colors are sourced from minerals and vegetable pigments. Even in present days artists use natural colors only to fill the paintings. 
It is interesting fact behind each painting that characters are given colors based on their virtues, like red is for power and wealth, white is for lowly and mean characters, green for divinity and black is for demons as usual.
Six steps involve in making murals are:
1. Image is sketched on wall with cow dung ash mixed with coconut water or water.
2. Outlines were originally done with cow dung pencils. These days pencils crayons and acrylics are used.
3. Color is then filled based on the virtues of the characters. The colors are generally painted beginning with the lighter colors. The order of coloring is firstly yellow, red, green, blue and brown.
4. Shading is done after filling colors.
5. On shading, black is used to delineate and bring life to the portrayal.
6. The painting is over-coated with pine resin and oil for sheen and protection.

No other mural tradition has been able to match the linear accuracy of Kerala murals. 

For new readers of my blog who recently joined me, read about other Indian Art forms here.

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Indian Art: Madhubani Painting (Bihar)

 Madhubani Art

Madhubani art is a style of painting from Mithila region of Bihar in India.  Earlier these paintings were made only on the occasions such as wedding ceremony, vratas and pujas. Designs depict the occasion of celebration and seek divine blessings. This art is mostly practiced by women in villages of Mithila region. 

Origin: 

Origin of this style of painting dates back to period of Ramayan. It is said that Mithila is the birthplace of 'Sita' and at the time of her marriage with Ram, King Janak commisioned artists to do this painting. Buddha and Mahaveer can be seen in Madhubani paintings as celebrated figures. It is an age old art form and is prevalent even today. In it's earliest form painting was done on floors and mud walls using natural dyes. These days artists use fabric or paper and acrylic/poster color for painting. The painting was mainly done by women of Brahmin and Kayastha castes and art form is handed down from generation to generation.

Done by Artist Bharti Dayal 

Style: 

This painting style uses two dimension imagery. Paintings mainly depict mythology and day to day life.

Paintings done by Brahmin and Kayastha women were more sophisticated and were based on Hindu mythology whereas Madhubani paintng done by Harijan women were less sophisticated but were well expressed. Painting style mostly depicts Hindu deities and natural objects that shows fertility and prosperity like sun, moon, fish, parrot, elephant, turtle, lotus, bamboo tree, tulsi plant, flowers, birds and animals.

In this style of painting deities are positioned centrally and then no space is left around the main figure. Gaps are filled by flowers, birds, animals and geometric designs. 

Style can be categorized in two main categories:

1) Kachni: Fine lines are used to fill the picture with less use of color

2) Bharni: Solid colors are used to fill the picture.

Done by Artist Arun Kumar Paswan 

Process: 

Process of making this painting is very simple but involves lot of patience. In earlier form the painting was done on floor and wall by plastering cow dung on wall/ floor and then picture were made with rice paste and natural dyes were used to fill color in the painting. These days it is done on fabric and paper. So artist mainly use acrylic color or poster color. First step is to choose theme of the painting. Design is then  traced on fabric/paper. Outline is done with black color and generally double line is drawn then it is filled with delicate fine lines or color is filled if the painting style is Bharni.

Done by artist Ajeet

Though Madhubani is age old art form but it recieved  recognition in 1970 when an artist Jagdamba Devi from Mithila was awarded by Indian President. One such renowned artist is Bharti Dayal who has been awarded National award and various other awards also. The second image in this post is her artwork. Her artwork is a perfect blend of heritage style and contemporary work.  Her paintings will be exhibit at the World Conference of Religions in Brussels in 2014.

A big Salute to all these women who are trying to keep our heritage and art alive and are pride of our Nation.

If you also have done such work then please do share with me and I'll going to add your artwork here :)

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Indian Art: Warli Art (Maharashtra)

Today I am sharing about Warli art. A very popular art form of the region I am living in .....Maharashtra.

                                                                Warli Art

Warli paintings have gained global recognition for its simplicity and beauty. This is the most simplest form of art that uses geometric shapes like circles, triangles and lines.

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Origin: It is said that Warli Art was first discovered in early 70s. While there are no records of the exact origin of this art, its roots may be traced to as early as the 10th century AD. Warli folk paintings are from Maharashtra. Warli is a name of the largest tribe lives in the northern outskirts of Mumbai, in Western India. The word “ Warli”  means a piece of land or a field. Art is inspired by nature and depict social life of Warli tribes.

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Style: This art form unlike other Indian art forms do not depict mythological characters or images of deities, but depict social life of the Warli tribe. Warli tribes decorate their hut with Warli painting on walls. The ritual paintings are usually done inside the huts. The circle and triangle are inspiration from nature, the circle representing the sun and the moon, the triangle derived from mountains and pointed trees. Only square seems to be a human invention, indicating a sacred enclosure or a piece of land. Central motive in each ritual Warli  painting is the square, known as the "chauk" or "chaukat", mostly of two types: Devchauk and Lagnachauk. Inside a Devchauk, you will find Palaghata, the mother goddess, that symbolizes fertility. Significantly, male gods are not usual among the Warli.

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Process: All the objects in the art are in geometric shape of triangle, square or circle. Paintings use a very basic graphic vocabulary: a circle, a triangle and a square. Representation of human and animal bodies are done by two triangles joined at the tip; the upper triangle depicts the trunk and the lower triangle the pelvis. The walls are painted of a mixture of branches, earth and cow dung, making a red ocher background for the wall paintings. Warli tribes use only white for their paintings. Their white pigment is basically a mixture of rice paste and water with gum as a binding agent. Bamboo stick chewed at one end is used as a paintbrush.
The image below is a work of tribal community in Maharashtra and shared by Dokka Srinivasu who blogs over at Heritage Of India.

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Now sharing here is an image of wonderful transformation of a place from stark to fabulous. A very beautifully done Warli art that my friend has done on her terrace wall. You can read complete story about this transformation and can find more images on her wonderful & lovely Facebook page 'Love and Care'. Do let her know your love and care by comments and likes. Don't forget to like her page.

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This is the simplest form of art and can be done by anyone after a little practice. I also tried my hand on this art. I did Warli art on this pot that I used for Karwachauth. Painting on this pot is depicting a happy couple and a moon on the night of Karwachauth.

Image: Mine

Hope you enjoyed reading through this post. Let me know your views in comment section below.

In case if you have missed my earlier posts on Indian Art find them below:

Indian Art: Kalamkari

Indian Art: Pattachitra

Indian Art: Gond Art

Indian Art: Dhokra Art

Indian Art: Lippan Work

Indian Art: Ikat

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Ikat

Ikat

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Ikat is the method of weaving that uses a resist dyeing process used to pattern textiles that is almost similar as tie & dye method either on the Warp or Weft fibers. Image below is to make you understand what warp and weft fibers are.

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Origin:  'Ikat' is an Indonesian word which means 'to bind' or 'to dye'. origin of this weaving technique is unknown. It probably developed in several different locations independently but is practiced across the globe.

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Style: Depending on the resist dying technique on warp and weft fibers, there are mainly three types of Ikat

Warp Ikat: Ikat created by dyeing the warp are the simplest form of Ikat. First the yarn bundles are tied on warped strings of the loom. Then the bundles are covered with wax or wrapped tightly with thread or some other dye-resistant material- to prevent unwanted dye permeation. The resist dye procedure is repeated until the desired result is achieved. 

Koyalagudum, Andra Pradesh specialize in warp ikat particularly suitable for furnishing fabrics made from cotton. 

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One can see the pattern on warp even before weaving. Refer the image below.

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Weft Ikat: Weft ikat uses resist dyeing for the weft fiber. This type of ikat is very difficult to weave. Weft ikat are commonly employed where pattern precision is of less aesthetic concern than the overall resultant fabric. Pattern is visible only after weaving.

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Double Ikat: Both warp and weft are tie-dyed in this kind of ikat. This form of weaving requires lots of skill for right patterns to be woven and is believed the best form of ikat. The amount of labour (A sari length takes two men seven months to complete) and skill required also make it the most expensive. Gujarat, in northern India is home of one of the most famous ikat traditions called the Patan Patola. These silk fabrics are double ikat, traditionally done with vegetable dyes, but now using chemical dyes. The complexity of having both the warp and weft resist dyed makes the actual weaving much more demanding of precision. The intersection of these threads must be precise or the design is lost. 
Process: Bindings, which resist dye penetration, are applied to the threads in the desired patterns and the threads are dyed. Great care must be taken in tying resist areas with water repellent material such as bicycle inner tubes cut into strips. Alteration of the bindings and the dyeing of more than one color produce elaborate, multicolored patterns. When all of the dyeing is finished the bindings are removed and the threads are ready to be woven into cloth. Designs generally are worked out on graph paper. Great care must be taken in putting the warp on the loom, keeping all the threads in position is necessary for the design to work. The natural movement during weaving gives ikat designs a feathered edge which characterize this technique. Some styles of ikat favor a blurred appearance.

India, Japan and many South-East Asian nations such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines and Thailand are famous for their ikat production.

Ikat fabric is timeless and is used in many forms from furnishing to clothing. I also love ikat fabric for its feathered edge designs. Do you have something in ikat at your home lets share with us here at my Facbook page. I would love to look at those eye candy.

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Indian Art: Pattachitra (Odisha Art)

Pattachitra is an age old  traditional painting of Odisha, India. Paintings depict Hindu mythology and are inspired by Lord Jagannath. It is one of the oldest art form of Odisha. Pattachitra is a Sanskrit name, patta -cloth and chitra- painting. Thus its a painting on silk or cotton cloth filled with rich color that portrays Hindu mythology.

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                                                       Pattachitra
Origin: It is said that these paintings were substitute for worship on days when the temple doors were shut for the 'ritual bath' of the deity. This form of art still survives in places like Puri, Raghurajpur and Sonepur in Odisha. Artists also called 'Chitrakars' who mastered this art are Mohapatra and Maharna

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Style: The style is mix of folk and traditional elements. Mainly depicting stories of Lord Jagannath. Paintings have very intricate designs and lines are bold and sharp. Background on which figures are painted is always filled with floral motifs. Mainly red, yellow, black & white colors are used for filling in. Borders mainly in red is an essential part of every painting. Colors used are all natural.

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Process: Painting is done on canvas. Canvas is prepared by applying glue (dried and powdered Tamarind seeds and chalk powder) then it is dried in sun. Canvas is then rubbed with the khaddar stone to make it smooth and then rubbed with chikna stone to make it shine. Then the motif or figure is drawn on canvas directly with the brush by chitrakars who have mastered this art. Then natural colors obtained from vegetables and various stones are filled in. Brushes used are very fine and made of mouse hairs. Final coat of lacquer is applied to protect it from weather and to make it last long.

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Hope you enjoyed reading about Pattachitra. Want to say something leave your comment, love to hear from you :)

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Indian Art: Kalamkari (South Indian Art)

Here is an update. Some of my dear blog readers requested me to elaborate more on different arts I publish under "Indian Art" series on my blog. So from now on posts on different art forms will cover every possible detail. Thanks to all my blog readers for their feedback and lovely comments.
                                                            Kalamkari
As the name suggests kalamkari is an art done on fabric mainly cotton & silk using pen (kalam) and kari means craftsmanship. Kalamkari is an exquisite art of hand painted and hand printed fabric.

Origin:  
It evolved in two villages in Andhra Pradesh  Srikalahsti and Masulipatnam/Machilipatnam.  In Masulipatnam, the weavers took to this art so they used block to print the fabric, while at Srikalalahasti, the Balojas (a caste involved in making bangles) took to this art and it is characterized by freehand drawing using the kalam. 
Kalamkari is a popular art form in the Mithila region of Bihar in India, where women in mostly rural areas paint mythological characters and depict stories in their paintings. These range from flowers, birds and animals to indian god and goddesses, including Rama, Krishna as well as Buddha.

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Style:
Under the influence of Muslim ruler, the Masulipatnam Kalamkari was influenced by Persian motifs & designs,catering to the Islamic aesthetics widely adapted to suit their taste.It involves both printing and painting.This style is characterized by intricate plethora of motifs and forms including the tree of life, creepers and animal figures. Use of flora and fauna were common in this style.

Masulipatnam Style
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Srikalahasti, on the other hand, owing to Hindu rulers, flourished under Hindu temple patronage, and exclusively drew inspiration from mythological figures. Characteristics of this style are excess use of colors like Green, Red, Black, Yellow and Blue, figures of God's like Krishna, Brahma, Ganesha, Durga, Kiratavinyaarjuna, Lakshmi, Rama, Shiva and Parvathi, round faces, long and big eyes, stout figures, motifs with no shadding.

Srikalahassti Style
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The artists use a bamboo or date palm stick pointed at one end with a bundle of fine hair attached to this pointed end to serve as the brush or pen.  

The dyes are obtained by extracting colours form parts of plants - roots, leaves along with mineral salts of iron, tin, copper, alum, etc., which are used as mordants.


Process:
The production process for both the styles of Kalamkari painting is similar to a large extent and is very time consuming. The technique consists of a painstaking process of resist–dyeing and handprinting.  It involves 17 meticulous steps for the Srikalahasti style and 12 laborious steps for the Masulipatnam one.
The fabric is first treated in goat or cow dung to be whitened. Milk is mixed with the solution called Myrobalan to inhibit the color to spread to the next step. The iron acetate solution is filled in for solid spaces or as outlines using brush/kalam in Srikalahasti style ans using block in Masulipatnam style, and all the areas intended to be red are tinted or printed over with the alum solution as a mordant.
The cloth is kept in the same manner for a day and excessive alum is then washed off the cloth under flowing water.
After this, the areas on the cloth that are not meant to be blue are covered with wax and then the waxed cloth is immersed in the indigo solution. In Srikalahasti, the blue is painted with the kalam. The wax is then removed by boiling the cloth in water.
The yellow is dyed on to create the yellow and green motifs.Yellow and green colors are the last ones to be painted on the cloth. After each treatment, the fabric is washed. The piece of Kalamkari undergoes at least 15-20 washes before the final colors become apparent. A complex piece can take up to 9 months to be completed. 
The dyes are obtained by natural resorces liike extracting colors form parts of plants - roots, leaves along with mineral salts of iron, tin, copper, alum, etc., which are used as mordants.

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These days lots of variations can be seen in kalamkari. Artists are mixing this art to various other arts to form a masterpiece. 

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Though Kalamkari in its simplest version (i.e only outlined figure/motif on fabric) is a masterpiece.

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Leave your comment and let me know what do you think about this art and hope my blog readers will be  satisfied with the more elaborated and detailed post on Indian Art.

Linking this to ShowAndTellFriday @ MyRomanticHome

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