Welcome to my Journal!
“True wealth lies in living a nomadic life. Those who settle down lose their identity” – Proverb of the Turkish Nomadic Yoruks Welcome to the Wovensouls Journal Blog. [In case … Continue reading
Mother of Pearl Inlay – Art in Wood
Exploring the art of carving out pictures in wood and then filling them with the beautiful contrasting mother-of-pearl bits cut to size. Precision is absolutely essential in the craft! The art allows us glimpses into the cultural ethos of the time it was made. Natural beautyf, music and the arts seem to be of great importance!
Daily Art Fix – Of Dragons & Men
A hilltribe sash, acquired long ago from Northern Thailand was recently retrieved from the bottom of a trunk full of textiles treasures… And a perfectly done hand-sown hem! The … Continue reading
Book Recommendation – Yao Culture & Art
“How to make the Universe Right” The book goes into the spiritual practices of the Yao people. The deep reliance on the supporting art used makes the book very … Continue reading
Wood Art from Ancient China
An attempted burglary resulted in a forced movement of our furniture. These pieces had been tucked away in a place that I visited with high frequency but low attention-depth. Every … Continue reading
Talk: “Wedding Embroideries of Kutch”
A presentation of the Talk held at the Textile Museum Washington D.C. in June 2016.
A Journey for the Bucket List
An addition to the Bucket List….
It appears that I might need a second or third life to accomplish it all!
One more Hybrid – A Paithani weave from Benaras
A lot of people frown upon hybrids ….. I have no view on the subject. If evolutionary forces caused this to occur then so be it …. I am no … Continue reading
Daily Art Fix – Pathan Embroidery
A Pathan tablecloth with motifs that are seen even in the forehead-tattoos of Pathani women. More images here. ❤️ jm Sept 2016
Palace on the Ganga – Art in Architecture
Just pictures of a lovely place that has the atmosphere of serenity and quietude. The opulence is in the atmosphere created – rather than in its fixtures. … Continue reading
Kashi nu Maran – The Flood of Ganga – 2016
According to a famous saying in Gujarati – my mother tongue – one can attain Nirvana (bliss) through two simple ways: “Surat nu Jaman ke Kashi nu Maran” i.e. (By … Continue reading
A Hybrid is Born
In the olden days textile-art hybrids came about when a woman married into another group and brought with her art-memes from her parental culture. Today the world has shrunk and … Continue reading
The Holy River Ganga
A few sunrise photos captured on the phone camera of the important Ganga whose significance to Hindus is as deep as its waters. This may seem obvious – but … Continue reading
Ganga Diaries
An unplanned visit to the Ganga came my way. For spiritual reasons. For filial piety reasons. For ceremonies that complete the cycle of life & death. Measured in the number … Continue reading
The Art of Garlanding Flowers
Garlands are used at a range of events in India – to honor politicians, to mark birthdays, in the wedding ceremony and in funeral ceremonies. Flowers that are beautiful on … Continue reading
Pattua Singing from Bengal
In Bengal, in the olden days, in order to disseminate the holy stories, folk legends adn perhaps even news of major events, Pattua scrolls were used. Women first painted out … Continue reading
A Story in A Sar Pallu Phulkari Textile
Before we had cartoon TV serials, we had cartoon comics. Like Tarzan and Phantom and Dennis and Amar Chitra Katha. But before that, we had textiles! And stories were written … Continue reading
Handlooms of India
The title of this note is misleading as it is too broad – it is like saying ‘the universe’… I am sure that even if I were to toil 10 … Continue reading
Diversity in Folk Art – Bone Carvings
Exploring one more medium of folk art – Bones!
Homage to Subarnalata
Subarnalata lived a long time ago. Mainly in the imagination of the author – but nevertheless, she did live. Her life was probably borrowed from the author Ashapurna Debi’s own … Continue reading
The Tragedy of Uprooted Art
There are all forms of art in the world. Some portable and transferable and others that were meant to remain where they were created. At a recent visit to a … Continue reading
Parsis and the Opium Trade
Yesterday at a condolence visit, the conversation with my top mentors, inadvertently veered into the subject of collectibles and we spoke of many random subjects such as his encounter with … Continue reading
The Mashru Loom
My knowledge of weaving techniques is minimal – so I might be wrong in thinking that the Masru or Mashru loom is a complicated one. But the few looms that … Continue reading
Memories of a Sublime Experience – Balinese Art
Memories of a sublime art experience in Bali
Rise of the Phoenix – Daily Art Fix
Or is it an enormous bee? This style of hand drawn batik (on silk) was created in Java for the Balinese market. This piece is in such a lovely condition … Continue reading
External Link: Bali’s Island of the Dead
A note about the unique ritual in Bali. Extrenal Link
Learning History through Art – Conquest of Kanchi & a Glass of Milk
In this painting from Odisha, Jagannath & Balabhadra are on a journey and are offered a drink of milk by milkmaid Manika. The History and Her Story: One of the … Continue reading
Woven Leaves of Bali
In the touristy journeys from one part of Bali to another, the one art that jumps at the traveler, whether or not one is looking, is the art of basketry. … Continue reading
The Land of the Sufi
Istanbul – almost exactly a year ago, I spent almost every evening eating at a small place near Topkapi palace. It was an open air restaurant with a basic menu … Continue reading
Warding Off Evil – Enigmatic Dayak Baby Carrier
One more stunning work of art created for the purpose of warding off evil and deflecting the evil eye! A Dayak Baby carrier with sveeral spirit motifs, a variety of … Continue reading
Art in service of Culture – A Sindoor Box
As I say in my lectures – traditional art in Asia is rarely ever “art for art’s sake” and almost always has a second layer hidden beneath. It is either … Continue reading
Exotic Art from an Exotic Era
We all read the newspapers even today. But in the past 4-5 years, newspapers have been replaced by the internet as my main source of news. By the time I … Continue reading
Banjara Textile Exhibition @ Joss Graham London
Banjara works are among the world’s most attractive textiles – the colors, the stitches the patterns and their dazzling embellishments are put together in an eye-catching manner. Almost every collector … Continue reading
Salute the Batak Textile Weaver’s Genius!
Sometimes the beauty contained within a subject is so deep and limitless that the soul is never satisfied no matter how long one beholds it. There is always one more … Continue reading
An Exhibition in Silk @Thomas Murray Arts
For those who can visit …. Click here to read more jm June2016
Antique Thai Calendar Paintings
The logic of the twelve Thai Zodiac signs follows the logic of Chinese zodiac signs and defines a person’s fortune based on the ‘year’ or birth rather than the … Continue reading
Art of Africa – Kente Cloths
A piece in a museum store priced at US$4000 (only) caught my eye. Such a high valuation piqued my interest and I began reading. The palimpsest of Kente cloths is … Continue reading
Technology or Art?
16th / 17th century (perhaps Nuremberg) Strongbox with amazing locking mechanism! At the Met Museum, New York Jm June 2016
March of the Elephants – Naga Cloth Art
Surely this must mean something! One day I will learn what that is! In the meanwhile let’s enjoy the art: This Angami Naga cloth is a part of the wovensouls … Continue reading
Daily Art Fix – Motifs from Africa
The bad news is that we’ll NEVER feel the satisfaction that we have seen it ALL. And the good news is that we shall never run out of … Continue reading
Daily Art Fix – Tantric Shaman’s Ceremonial Costume
Beautifully hand carved apron, crown, arm bands and breastbands made of yak bone. This type of costume is worn in some tantric ceremonies by high priests in certain forms … Continue reading
Daily Art Fix – Ayuthaya Paintings
One more style of painting – one more delectable recipe that makes the senses dance int his ongoing visual feast – Ayutthaya paintings from Thailand. The subject matter … Continue reading
Rich & Poor
The Barber comes home…. Do we in the big city have this luxury? A little village with its own little wheels of economic output, buying and selling services that are … Continue reading
External Article: Caste System
Worth reading “Why is the world so obsessed with India’s caste system” by Sahana Singh
Daily Art Fix – Warli Paintings on Dung
The original idea was to use the cow dung walls of homes as the medium to paint on using white pigment made of rice & gum. Then at some point … Continue reading
Daily Art Fix – Beauty begets Beauty
Old Rabari Great-grandmother working on her embroidery. Photo taken in 2012 in Gujarat. jm May 2016
Daily Art Fix – Lontar Baskets
“There is no limit to creativity” – these cliched words come alive with these palm leaf baskets that have been decorated with beads … When the first artist created … Continue reading
I played with the Big Cats
Not art. Not Culture. Just a travel experience. One that has me craving for more. One that will feature on my list of answers when asked Q: “What did I … Continue reading
Daily Art Fix – The Heavy Crown of Responsibility
A large yet simple copper crown or Mukut worn by learned Buddhist priests known as Vajracharyas or “Master of the Thunderbolt” during religious ceremonies. The weight of this crown is … Continue reading
External Link: A Wedding in Central Asia
I do not understand the words – but the beauty can be seen and understood easily! LINK
