Welcome to The Art Blog
“The purpose of art is washing off the dust of daily life off our souls” – Pablo Picasso
Presenting my notes on the diverse folk arts of Asia and the stimulating cultural stories contained within them – Jaina Mishra
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Online Exhibition – Tampan Ship Cloths from Sumatra
Introduction The magnetic appeal of Textile Arts, to me, is directly proportional to – the art – the craft – the symbolism – the cultural story and – the usage … Continue reading
That Place
That unforgettable place … I cannot seem to get it out of my mind. It had no name. There is no village to note the location. I had no compass … Continue reading
Tattoos with Soul
Once upon a boat ride in Phi Phi, I stumbled into the world of real Tai tattoos … full of inscriptions and magical figures. THIS is the tattoo art that … Continue reading
You don’t have to be a Museum…
…to hold & behold art from the past! Seen in a casual corner in the lobby of Regency Hotel, Singapore.
Architectural Art to take home – Prints
Too often I want to take home the architecture or stone carvings or the fabulous mammoth statues! That is simply not possible for many many reasons. But we can take … Continue reading
Rickshaw or Car?
The wonders never cease in the world of textile art! Am off on a new armchair exploration! And will happily drag along anyone who will listen (or read) through the … Continue reading
Guess Who – Evil or Good?
Guess who is featured in this Lithograph from the Raja Ravi Varma Press? At first I thought this is Ravana – the king who was so intelligent that the artists … Continue reading
Happy Sunday from a Majampahit Prince & Princess
This beautiful Majampahit Prince & his Princess wish us all a royal Sunday – May we all have a wealthy Sunday with our hearts full and our minds free! And … Continue reading
The Romance of a Dowry
In primary school one school teacher talked of the ‘bottom drawer’ in which a girl puts in all the things she wants to take with her to her second home. … Continue reading
How to Romance A Prince … A visual guide
‘How to romance a Prince’ – A visual guide for novices … May be tried with princes both before and after tbey metamorphose from the frog stage. just kidding 😊 … Continue reading
Yao Legends through Rare Folk Art Paintings
Presenting 4 paintings from the Yao group of Vietnam. Yao paintings are always full of character and layers of stories embedded within. But these 4 paintings have two characteristics that … Continue reading
From One Nomad to Another
These lovely motifs from a nomadic tent band now decorate my life And they say material things cannot make one happy!?! Am finding that a great way to start the … Continue reading
Jai Ho Lord Jagannath
A Puri Jatri Patti artwork to celebrate the Lord Jagannath Yatra festival that is happenninf now in Puri, Odisha Jai Ho! June 2017
An Antique Selfie
Embroidered picture of a woman doing embroidery!! And the millenials thought they were the ones to invent selfies!! From an early 1900s shawl. More about that later… 😊
Life in the Years / Years in the Life
“It’s not the years in the life that matter – it is the life in the years that count”
A New Museum to explore
One more window to the history of art & culture. One more state museums – and from my experience, state museums in India are absolutely fantastic!! They go into the … Continue reading
I must do more…
Strange how winning an auction of a intensely desired item can make one think! This is the little story of my 4am soul searching..
Weekend Quote: And how …
“And how will you go about finding that thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you/” – Meno
Kammavaca Art – Buddhist Manuscripts from Myanmar
Exploring the art in Ancient Buddhist manuscripts
Running Out of Sand – Random Musings
The sands of time are not unlimited …. and each walks a finite journey. Some moments we stop in the journey to catch our breath and reflect And that is … Continue reading
Art with Cloves! Available for Sale
Unbelievable creativity! Who would imagine that cloves can be used to create art!
Weekend Musings – We shall never know ..
Exploring a whole new culture and its history, its evolution and the reasons that make it what it is today … is like taking a journey with imperfect lenses not … Continue reading
Why do I collect old things?
Why do we collect antiques? Why do I collect antiques? It could be to get as close as possible to the past. It is the only way to capture the … Continue reading
Houses & Homes
“The house is the stage set for the drama we hope our lives will be….
Art – A Bridge to the Past – Reading a Janam Patri from Raja Bhom’s era
Exploring an old scroll from Rajasthan from the time of Raja Bhom
Antique Silver Bullet Case – Available for Sale
Available for Sale: 394 Antique Tibetan Khampa Nomad’s Bullet Case
Daily Art Fix – Antique Burma Manuscript
Exploring an antique Buddhist manuscript from Burma, dated 1874
The Bonona Festival of the Himalayan Aryans
October 2016 A trip to the interiors of the Himalayan ranges. A journey that would have taken 6 days by animal carriers 40 years ago but today takes 7 hours. … Continue reading
Back into the Home & Hearth of the Himalayan Aryan People
October 2016 The kitchen is a very intimate space. It is where many facets of my habits, my work style, my skills, my character, my thinking are revealed. And so, … Continue reading
Astrological Calendars – 8 – Tibetan Calendar
The Tibetan calendar begins at Losar and has either 12 or 13 months each beginning and ending with the new moon. Every two or three years a 13th month is … Continue reading
Astrological Calendars – 7 – Mongolian Charts
Mongolian Buddhism is heavily influenced by the Tibetan form that combines Vajrayana Buddhism with Tantric concepts. But Mongolian Buddhism had a unique identity too. Introduced during the period of the … Continue reading
Astrological Calendars – 6 – Batak Calendar
The Batak Calendar system has 12 months and follows the phases of the moon and the sighting of the constellations. Some basic facts the month is divided into 3 groups … Continue reading
Astrological Calendars – 5 – Thai Calendar
In Thailand, as in most of Asia, the lunar calendar contains twelve or thirteen months in a year, with 15 waxing moon and 14 or 15 waning moon days in … Continue reading
Astrological Calendars – 4 – Myanmar Mandala Spirit Cloths
Mandala Spirit Cloths from Myanmar were commissioned by families of means and created by learned men and monks. They are believed to have healing / protective powers and the power … Continue reading
Astrological Calendars – 3 – Astrological Birth Charts
Part 3 in the series of notes on Astrological Calendars A janampatri or kundali is a Birth Chart prepared as per Vedic Astrology. It is a particular system of prediction … Continue reading
Astrological Calendars – 2 – Palelitangan Calendars of Bali
Part 2 on the series of notes on Astrological Calendars The Balinese calendar integrates the Indian-derived lunar (saka) calendar with an indigenous system of weekly cycles (wuku) which constitute a … Continue reading
Astrological Calendars – 1 – Palindon Calendars of Bali
Palindon are calendars depicting the 12 months and the deity associated with that month. The painted scenes for each month illustrate the written predictions. The style is characteristic of the … Continue reading
Foretelling the Future in the Past – Astrological Calendars
In the past, the future seems to have been a very important idea and the ability to foretell it conferred immense powers on those who could make accurate predictions. Beginning … Continue reading
Antique Batik Toraja Ceremonial Textile Artwork – Available for Sale
Available for Sale: Antique Toraja Batik Ceremonial Textile
Daily Art Fix
Majestic head lama performing Losar ceremonies at a monastery in Sikkim – where Life and Art are inextricably braided into one!!
The Astitva Project – A Report on the Micro Project in Ladakh – Chapter 2
The Story They say that ‘when the weight of the paperwork equals the weight of the plane, the plane will fly’ – stressing the importance of the planning that must … Continue reading
Antique Balinese Lontar Beaded Basket – Available for Sale
Available for sale: ANtique Balinese Ceremonial Lontar Beaded Basket
ANNOUNCEMENT: Auction of Antique Phulkaris
Auction of rare exquisite Antique Phulkari Bagh Shawls collected from India in the 1960s-1970s and now in the wovensouls collection. Follow the link to view these pieces: http://stores.ebay.com/WOVENSOULS Ends on … Continue reading
Vintage Rajasthan Tribal Textile – Available for Sale
Available for Sale – Antique Shekhawati Tribal Shawl Odhana – embroidery on coarse handwoven cotton
Vintage Laotian Textile Art – Available for Sale
Available for Sale: Vintage Laotian Textile
Antique Cheriyal Painted Scroll – Art for Oral Traditions
In South Indian Paintings – A catalogue of the British Museum collection, A. L. Dallaiccola notes “Although in the past the majority of Indian people might have been illiterate, they … Continue reading
A Yao Ceremonial Mask
On a trip in 2009, I got this Yao mask from back of the bottom drawer of a store owned by an elderly couple. The beautiful woman and I shared … Continue reading
Antique Sindh Embroidered Wedding Shawl – Available for Sale
Available for Sale – Antique Sindh Embroidered Wedding Shawl
