FETCHING WATER-METAL EMBOSSING

Here is my metal embossing 

where I have etched out 

this village belle fetching pots of water 

Is she fetching water  from a nearby well or

 a far away pond or a distant river?

Balancing a pot on her head while 

carrying another in her hand

she walks happily to her home and hearth

with these pots filled with the elixir of life,

Water is still a precious commodity,

in many an arid Indian village

and women trekking more than a mile

for a pot of water is a familiar sight too...

FANCY CANDLES

Here are a few candles made by me...

Candle making is a highly relaxing pasttime

and a great stress buster too...

To make these candles you need the following things...

• Paraffin wax
• Wick
• Candle mould(available in craft stores)
• Coconut oil
• Wax colors (you can even use wax crayons)
• Vessel for melting the wax
• Mseal or chappati dough
• A pencil or stick

        Method

• Oil the inside it the candle mould
• Melt the wax till it becomes clear and watery( do not let it smoke)
• Add the desired wax colors.Mix well.
• Dip the wick in the wax . Cool. Thread it through the hole in the mould.Hold it in position .
• Seal the hole through which the wick is threaded with some Mseal or even chappati dough (Seal properly or melted wax will pour out through it)
• Pour the wax into the mould..
• Hold the wick in the center position with the help of a pencil(Tie one end of of the wick to a pencil or stick.When the wax sets,the wick will be in the center)
• Leave it undisturbed for 6 hours to set.
• Unmould carefully.(If needed dip the mould in warm water)
• Your candle is now ready!

Hibiscus- Onestroke Painting

Here is my one stroke painting for your views...

It is done on a small piece of canvas with fabric colors...

It takes an incredibly short time to do this kind of work...

The real trick in doing this kind of painting is 

to load the flat brush with the necessary colors,

blend well,and move the brush in a single stroke 

to achieve the desired effect...

These strokes are perfected with practice...

wait for the work to dry well before doing the next 

round of strokes/highlights etc. 

or the colors may blend into the previous layer.

A TRADITIONAL STAINED GLASS PANEL

Here is my stained glass painting ...


It is a fairly big one (2 ft x 4 ft)


Since I intended to display it on a wall,


I did not want the wall to be seen through 


the transparent areas of the glass,


so  I used a mirror as the base...


And I used glitters to add  an extra touch

on the bare mirror areas...

Ganesha on a muram (winnow)

Here is another old sentimental treasure...


this Ganesha on a Muram (winnow)...


This is a small muram ,which I picked up from a Craft fair...


I stuck a plaster of Paris Ganesha in the center of the winnow


and gave it an antique finish and finally embellished it with 


stones and chamkis...stuck a small ring on the back of the muram 


with the help of which I could hand it on my wall....


This piece  is older than a decade...and I should say


except for a few fallen stones ,no other damage is there for 


this piece in spite of its fragility and age...


A winnow or muram -is a typical eco friendly kitchen article found 


in all traditional Indian kitchens and farms.It is used to seperate 


the chaff /unwanted particles  from the grain with the help 


of the wind... The light dust particles get blown off and the heavy 


grains settle down...


               

See how a Muram is used in the paddy fields 


to seperate the chaff from the grain...




All you need is a little creative thinking


 to change a dowdy article into a decorative piece...