Arts and Crafts Collection

Madhubani  (painting) art form originated from ancient Indian city Mithila.
This was originated as wall art, means paintings were drawn by the women of Mithila to decorate walls of the houses. Nowadays these are practised on silk, cotton and handmade papers. Colors are natural colors.This is painted with fingers, twine brush, nib pen, match sticks etc.
The motifs normally used in Madhubani paintings are mythological figures, Rama, Sita, Krishna, Radha etc. The motifs are also influenced by nature, so include Lotus, flowers, fish ,snakes etc.
I would love to visit Mithila once to meet the artists there. Recently I could meet a Madhubani artist in a art exhibition. Captured the images of the paintings, to share with you.
Some are here:
This one has painting of Rama , Sita and Laxmana  in forest. So the motifs of peacock , Sun and Deer can be seen there.

 The Sun:


-Ranjana 

Bidri work is a unique metal craft which is found in Bidar of Karnataka (India).

I wish to visit Bidar once and meet some of the craftmen who do Bidri work. One day I will.  Fortunately, I could meet one of the Bidri craftsmen in a craft fest. When I asked him about the process of making Bidriware , he explained it very enthusiastically.

In Bidri work 2 metals are used- Zinc and Silver, which makes beautiful combination of Black and White.
Different items like flower vase, boxes, jeweleries are made with copper and zinc mixture. Then the different designs and motifs are engraved on the surface of the items. On these engraved designs , thin Silver wire is inlaid. You can read  more about Bidri work in this link.

The craftsman also showed me the method of inlaying the Silver wire on the surface of the item.I captured it through my camera to share with you ,

A small statue with design engraved

The craftsman inlaying the Silver wire

These are some of the items I've in my collection:

Kumkuma Bharani with Bidri work on the lid

A small elephant

Bangles with Bidri work

Bidri work displays the beauty of  blend of two opposites- Black and White!

Now Navaratri has started, I've lot to share with you about Gombe Habba , in the coming posts.

Until then,

Terracotta- its an earthy craft. This connects with mother earth and nature. I think this is the most ancient craft in the  world. Archaeologists have found terracotta artifacts in many excavations.This craft dates back to the time of  Harappa Civilization . During excavation near Indus valley , many  terracotta artifacts were found:

Image Courtesy - Google Images

Recently in China also a huge collection terracotta Army dolls  was found, which is called "Terracotta Army" . You can read it about this Terracotta Army in this link.

Image Courtesy - Wikipedia

In India Bishnupura ( of West Bengal ) is famous for terracotta craft. Many temples are built using terracotta. Bishnupura is one of my dream destinations :-). You can find details about Bishnupura here . Even in Andhra Pradesh  terracotta is practiced as one of the major crafts. This is widely known craft, may be because the major resource for this craft is Mud, which is abundantly available.


 

Some jewelry

You have already read about Gudigargalli-Kumta in my previous posts:

Have a look at the carved portraits of Smt. Indira Gandhi and Shri Rajiv Gandhi

In my previous post you have read about Gudigargalli - A street of handicrafts.
Gudigaragalli- Street of Handicrafts
A visit to a handicraft shop in Gudigaragalli

Ananta Fine Arts is another shop in Gudigargalli, which really paradise for Handicraft lovers. If you don't visit this shop, in Gudigargalli, then your visit is incomplete.
During my school days, we used to cross  this shop, while going to school. Everyday, I used to peep inside, to have the look of magnificent world of handicraft. I enjoyed the view of statues of all Gods and Goddesses , which looked like Durbar of Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha, Krishna, Rama , Sita etc. This is a part of my sweet childhood memories!
I wanted to write about this shop and the artists. But could not get proper photos. I requested one of the artists and shop owner Mr. Dinesh Shet. He shared the photos of the sculptures. So sharing the same with you. I'm sure glimpses will take you to world of art.
This is the shop:

Carvings are very beautiful

  

The lovely peacock on both the sides ! Divine Idols

They are the best when it comes to making of Chariots, stone sculptures and clay sculptures.

In my previous post I have written about Gudigargalli- A street Of Handicrafts. As promised in the previous post, in this post I'm taking you to one of the handicraft shops in Gudigargalli.
Every time I visit my native, I visit Gudigaragalli to buy gifts for my friends and some collectives for myself. This time I could capture some photos. So sharing the magnificent works of art with you.
Mahalasa Kalakendra, is one of the shops, I often visit. So taking you there.

Mahalasa Kalakendra-This shop has good collection

Once you enter, you can see everywhere beautifully crafted wooden statues:
 

Statues of Lord Ganesha, in different styles:
 

And statue of Lord Krishna:

This is very rare one, Shri MahaVishnu, standing on lotus flower:
 
    
I know you are appreciating the art. Major part of your appreciation shall go to Mr.D.D.Shet, who is the man behind the art,
He is awarded 3-4 times with State and National awards. No wonder!. Though the profession of art and crafts, started by his father, I can say, Mr.D.D.Shet has given new dimension to this art, by blending traditional art with modern theme. Now the third generation is taking it forward.

As I said in my previous post, I'm really proud of Gudigaragalli, which made my native Kumta famous :-).