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...

SRI MAHA GANAPATHI -A METAL EMBOSSING

"MOOSHIKA VAAHANA MODHAKA HASTHA

SAAMARA KARNA VILAMBIDHA SUTRA

VAAMANA ROOPA MAHESHWARA PUTRA

VIGNA VINAYAKA PAADHA NAMASTE..."

Here is my metal embossing 

of SRI MAHA GANAPATHI

Done on a copper sheet...

Copper gives a warm glow

which adds to the richness of the work...

When we stain the copper embossing

with antirustt paint,

it adds to the burnished effect

and unlike aluminium embossing,

which glows in copper,bronze and silver shades...

a copper embossing is always subtle,muted and glows warmly...

and that ultimately adds to the richness of the work......

SRI VENKATESHWARA - A METAL EMBOSSING...

"SRIYA KAANTHAAYA KALYAANA 

NIDHAYE NIDHAYERTHINAAM...

SRI VENKATA NIVAASAAYA  

SRINIVAASAAYA MANGALAM..."

THIS METAL EMBOSSING/METAL RELIEF

WAS REALLY CHALLENGING...

IT TOOK A LOT OF PATIENT AND PRECISE 

WORK TO SHAPE THE GARLANDS ,CROWN,FACE,NAAMAM,

LONG HAARAMS AND LIMBS OF 

THE LORD -

SRI VENKATESHWARA/ SRINIVASA/ EZHUMALAIVAASA/ MALAYAPPA

WHO DWELLS IN HIS ABODE

IN THE CITY OF SEVEN HILLS-

THIRUPATHI

AND IN THE HEARTS OF HIS DEVOTEES...

NO WONDER MILLIONS OF HIS BHAKTHAS

FLOCK TO HIS TEMPLE SITUATED ATOP THE SEVEN HILLS...

EVERY YEAR...

LAKHS AND LAKHS  OF PEOPLE FLOCK EVERY DAY...THROUGHOUT THE YEAR...

THE PALANQUIN ....A METAL EMBOSSING...

WHO IS TRAVELLING IN THIS PRETTY PALANQUIN?

IS SHE THE PRINCESS?

THE BRIDE?

AN ARISTOCRATIC LADY OF RANK 

FROM THE DAYS OF YORE?

CARRIED BY THE FOUR FAITHFUL PALANQUIN BEARERS

WHERE IS SHE GOING?

MAYBE TO A TEMPLE...HER FAVORITE MANDIR..

OR 

MAYBE TO VISIT HER NEAR AND DEAR

OR

MAYBE TO HER HUSBAND'S HOME ?

OR 

TO THE RIVERSIDE FOR A CUSTOMARY BATH???

IN THIS METAL EMBOSSING,

I FIND A NEW STORY EVERY TIME I SEE IT...

THIS ROYAL MODE OF TRANSPORT MAY RAISE EYEBROWS

AND EVEN EARN A SCORNFUL FROWN IN TODAYS' WORLD....

BUT....

IT WAS A REALITY EVEN A HUNDRED  YEARS AGO

 IN MANY PARTS OF OUR COUNTRY

FOR THE PRIVILEGED FEW ....

EVEN TODAY,MANY ROYAL HOUSEHOLDS DO TREASURE 

THEIR PALKI/ PALLAKU /DOLI /PALANQUIN

AS A PROUD POSSESSION WHICH IS PART OF THEIR REGAL HISTORY...

RADHE KRISHNA....A METAL EMBOSSING

HERE IS THE CELESTIAL PAIR ...

THE DIVINE LOVERS

RADHA AND KRISHNA...

SWINGING IN GAY ABANDON...

CRAFTED ON AN ALUMINIUM METAL SHEET,

THIS PIECE GIVES ME EXTRA PLEASURE

BECAUSE IT ADORNS A HALL IN A BHAKTA'S HOUSE

WHERE THEY CONDUCT   " RADHA KALYANAM"  EVERY YEAR...

A DIFFERENT GANESHA - CRUSHED FOIL WORK

GUESS WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT HAVE GONE INTO MAKING THIS GANESHA?!?!?

FIRST, I DESIGNED THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE BODY AND MADE CARDBOARD CUTTINGS...

THEN , I WRAPPED SOME CRUSHED ALUMINIUM FOIL AROUND THEM...

NEXT, I STAINED THEM WITH SOME DARK GLASS COLORS THAT COULD GIVE IT AN ANTIQUE FINISH...

LET THEM DRY FOR A DAY...

THEN ,STUCK THE PREPARED PIECES ON A CLOTH MOUNTED BOARD  ....

AND THE GANESHA IS READY TO BE FRAMED AND DISPLAYED...

LITTLE KRISHNA -A METAL EMBOSSING

IN THIS METAL EMBOSSING

 DONE ON AN ALUMINIUM SHEET,

LOOK AT LITTLE KRISHNA...

OUR BELOVED BUTTER THIEF

FEAST ON A HAND  FULL OF 

RICH AND CREAMY BUTTER

FROM A TOPPLED POT 

IN A GOPIKA'S  HOUSE...

NO WONDER  HE IS FONDLY 

CALLED BY ONE AND ALL

MAKAN CHOR

NAVANEETHA CHORA

 VENNAI THIRUDI KRISHNA...

NAVANEETHA KRISHNA...

DANCING GANESHA - A METAL EMBOSSING

WATCH GANESHA DANCE AWAY TO GLORY ON HIS MOOSHIKA....

 THIS IS  A METAL EMBOSSING  DONE ON AN ALUMINIUM SHEET...

AFTER DRAWING THE BASIC OUTLINES OF THE DESIGN,

I ETCH OUT THE LINES WITH A TOOL

THEN EMBOSS THE FIGURE FROM THE FRONT AND THE BACK OF THE METAL SHEET

AS THE FIGURE REQUIRED...

THEN TINT IT WITH ANTI RUST PAINT TO GET

 THE DESIRED BRONZE AND BURNISHED SILVER EFFECT...

Ganapathi -Embossed in a copper sheet

                       

This is a simple metal embossing done on a copper sheet and later stained to give a burnished effect.

LORD GANESHA is  highly adaptable to any art form and he aptly fits in this work too.



Procedure

Take a 32 gauge copper sheet  of the desired dimension.

Draw or trace the outline of the design.

Place the sheet in s heavily quilted surface and work over the outlines with an embossing tool to get the shape.

Now,raise the parts of the design till you get the desired level of embossing.

Hammer dots with an ice breaker to get the dots in the back ground.

Outline with anti rust paint.

Mix anti rust paint with kerosene and stain the background till you get the desired burnished effect.

Dry and frame it.