Welcome to The Art Blog
“The purpose of art is washing off the dust of daily life off our souls” – Pablo Picasso
Presenting 1000+ notes on the folk arts of Asia alongside the cultural stories contained within.
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~ Jaina Mishra
Let’s Explore Himalayan Art – Antique Wooden Sutra Cover
Sometimes a video just does the job better! Sutra covers are usually highly decorated and very beautiful. Because it is through the creation of art – on walls, in architecture, … Continue reading
Art in Combs!
Beauty can be exhausting …. Because there is no end to the numbers that can offer this delight. With all the freedom in the world to look at beautiful objects, … Continue reading
INVITATION: Textile Talk – May 7th
Wovensouls would like to invite you to an online showing of two music-themed trade textiles that are under study and appear to have links to Toraja, India and Egypt. Such … Continue reading
A Fabulous Walk in Ladakh, 1982 – Guest Photos – PART II
Too many good things have wandered into my life and so until proven otherwise I shall continue to believe that I am a favorite with the Gods of serendipity. And … Continue reading
A Fabulous Walk in Ladakh, 1982 – Guest Photos
I’ve always felt that I am one of the extremely fortunate ones on earth defying the odds of an average or even sub-average life. For, how else can one explain … Continue reading
Ganga Snaan & Cleansing the Soul
In my opinion, the philosophy held within religions offer very useful supports to manage one’s own mind. Mind control of one’s own mind. And when one is on a downward … Continue reading
Pollution in the Ganga
They say the Ganga is polluted. Yes. After days of sitting on her banks with my feet in the water I can confirm that. Here are pictures of the pollution: … Continue reading
Ganga Arti, Haridwar
The city wakes up to attend this pre-dawn arti, in which the Ganga is worshipped with lamps and flowers. The devout take a bath in the chilled waters of the … Continue reading
Chance Encounters / Haridwar
Just walking around absorbing the culture of Haridwar and I get to witness some important ceremony by Radha worshippers: p.s. the music is original – a little live band led … Continue reading
Heritage – Genealogical Records in Haridwar
I’d heard about the family-historians or Pandits in Haridwar many years ago. Their sole work in life is to maintain records of families and they have been doing this as … Continue reading
Ganga Relationships – The Coconut Man gives back
The devoted offer coconuts, fruits & flowers to the Ganga. This man, in doing service to himself & his family, works all day in the sun using his skill to … Continue reading
The Flow of Ganga – A lesson learnt
When one thinks of the Ganga, one thinks of serenity and calmness and peace. But the form that the river takes in Haridwar is anything but that. She is more … Continue reading
Life by the Ganga – Street Scenes
“Those who believe there are only 7 wonders in the world need to explore more ….” And I see too many daily-life scenes in Haridwar by the river Ganga that … Continue reading
Haridwar Diaries
Generations of Hindus have visited Haridwar to take a dip in the ice-cold section of the river Ganga to wash off their sins and cleanse their souls. Shivering women with … Continue reading
Map of Srinagar in Embroidery!!
Should I bid on it? I WOULD if I COULD but I CAN’T so I WON’T My bank balance won’t allow it 🙂 So for those who can – this … Continue reading
Magnificent Hainan Weavings
The idea of the Russian dolls that we saw in our childhoods was intriguing. Each painted wooden doll was hollow and could be opened at the horizontal centre. And when … Continue reading
Waiting to Meet the Men from Gendge
Cannot wait to meet these two men. Cannot wait to meet their two rams / sheep. Cannot wait to examine the fabulous barber-pole / candy stripe borders around each of … Continue reading
Three Dimensional Textiles
Just sharing some thoughts of no great consequence… *** Pile rugs are the most well-know example of 3-D weaving with 3 elements. In addition to the warp and the weft, … Continue reading
The Magic of Hands
Sharing something I read that sort of explains why our beloved textiles have an irresistible attraction: “Grandma how do you deal with pain?” “With your hands, dear. When you do … Continue reading
Honor Rituals & Red Phulkaris – A Hypothesis
“Use of Phulkaris in Wedding Rituals – Social Practices in Punjab pre-1947” is a report based on an independent exploratory study that focuses on the use of Red & White … Continue reading
A Gaziantep Kilim – A Life lived well!
WOW! WHAT A RIDE! “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid … Continue reading
