Museum of Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings
In Trivandrum in the old city area one of the buildings in the museum complex houses several paintings by Raja Ravi Varma. Photography is not allowed inside so for my … Continue reading
My kind of Palace
After a long time I have been able to afford the time to take a little solo trip. And here I am in a charming palace sipping green tea! in … Continue reading
Blessing Containers in Silver
How many people have others praying for them? Am certain that I have fewer today than I had 50 years ago. And so as these blessings become rarer, I value … Continue reading
A Thousand Flowers
The memory of a great experience becomes a seed in our mind Lying dormant until we water it with attention. If we just close our eyes and shut out the … Continue reading
Art Revived
Some vanishing arts have been strengthened and resurrected by external change agents. Soof Embroidery of Gujarat is one such art that had the blessing of nurturing by people who devote … Continue reading
Mother & Child – A Crime Scene in Silk
Clearly this is a part of a larger legend that I am not familiar with yet. And so the cultural crime story intrigues me as much as the art and … Continue reading
Daily Art Fix: 3-D Painting
Am not a formal student of art so I do not know the word for this type of work … but surely there must be a name for an … Continue reading
Wovensouls at The Arts House, Singapore
For those who couldn’t make it an event report in pictures: Spending the day amidst these gifts from the past make me forget the concept of time How is it … Continue reading
Article in “Passage” Magazine
For a tiny red dot, the large number of museums in Singapore comes as a surprise! Link To support museum enthusiasts there is a body the “Friends of the Museums” … Continue reading
Walking the Dog
And the bird in the cage. Scene in a double sided embroidery from the early 1900s. But could well have been a snapshot from modern day Singapore! More photos of … Continue reading
The Art of War – Motifs in an Embroidery
Surely Sun Zhu meant THIS arr? More photos coming soon on WOVENSOULS.com
Preview – Wovensouls @ The Arts House
WOVENSOULS HEIRLOOMS @ The Arts House, Nov 24th RSVP appreciated http://bit.ly/2y7gWNd Wealth was once measured by objects that were rich in ‘soul’ i.e. the soul of the individual, the soul … Continue reading
Encore! Wovensouls Sale at The Arts House
After the successful September Exhibition at The Arts House, we received numerous requests for an encore! So this November, we will be offering some of our beloved antique works … Continue reading
Art of Africa
Of course Africa is too large to be clubbed into one art group … But that made a nice title … The Art of the Yoruba caught my eye recently. … Continue reading
Phulkari Auction
21 Phulkaris to be auctioned globally on November 24th, 2017. VISIT THE AUCTION WEBSITE here Oct 2017 antique art, antique embroidery, antique Indian, antique Indian textiles, ANTIQUE SHAWL, … Continue reading
What lies within? Copper Manuscript
Found in Odisha, it is said to be a Buddhist Mahayana mansucript in Pali script hand-handhammered into copper plates. Imagine the trouble that went into creating this …. Similar examples … Continue reading
Negative Spaces
“Negative space, in art, is the space around and between the subject(s) of an image. Negative space may be most evident when the space around a subject, not the subject … Continue reading
Custodians of Antique Art
“We are only the ‘temporary’ custodians of these antique artworks that lived before us and will live on much after we are gone.” A nice quote to remind myself of … Continue reading
Women in Art – Literally
A series of textiles with women depicted in the art! 🙂 And more The ones above are from old textiles. Here’s one from a recently made banarasi brocade … Continue reading
Dilemma
In principle, if all else – character, beauty, etc – is the same what would YOU prefer? OPTION A: A piece from the mid 1900s that is in good condition … Continue reading
Hidden Gems – new sightings in old acquisitions!
In an embroidery rich in texture and motifs and age, it was easy to miss the 5th color used sparingly – it hid within the flowers – almost shy of … Continue reading
Random Thoughts: A New Metric of Success
The success of scientific research paper is measured in the number of times it is quoted by other subsequeny published research papers. In the same way, the success or wealth … Continue reading
Daily Art Fix -Sindh Dowry Embroidery
Bless the woman who made this!! A great way to start my day …. with a dose of beauty – gives the heart a small positive kickstart! Sept 2017
Saving Beauty
We all need something to love, something to serve, and something to save… A piece came my way that is needs some tender loving care. Besides the fact that it … Continue reading
Tales the Phra Malai Thai Manuscripts tell!
It will be years before I will be able to understand all the stories contained in the few Phra Malai manuscripts that I’ve seen! Some are stories from the life … Continue reading
Who doesn’t enjoy Music in the Park!
MUSIC IN THE PARK – Notes in Silk!!! Just received this beauty made in Canton a century ago! Am yet to count the number of instruments being played in this … Continue reading
“Heirlooms” – Exhibition Report
A fabulous exhibition – great reviews from the guests, stimulating conversations, free flow of adulation for the artworks and brisk movement of unforgettable pieces to new homes! If you were … Continue reading
Courtship in Silk
Daily Art Fix – motif on an amazing wearable antique cantonese shawl! ❤️
More Strength to the Camel’s Back!
Here’s a beauty that will strengthen the proverbial camel’s back …. With something so gorgeous to call his own, no last straw will ever have the strength to break his … Continue reading
Heirlooms – Strength of Identity
Identity, like character, takes years to develop. The ideas that we surround ourselves with – from the larger philosophy of life to the little material beauties that we surround ourselves … Continue reading
Science & Art in the Tibetan Astrological Calendar Sidpaho
Predicting the future and fortunes of an individual based on the movement of the planets across the reference matrix of the constellations, presupposes knowledge of astronomy. With very few instruments … Continue reading
Invitation: ‘Heirlooms’ Exhibition & Sale – Singapore
Can you feel the love that went into making these antique CRADLE CLOTHS? Come visit “Heirlooms” to experience the difference that love & passion make in the creation of … Continue reading
A Gift for the Emperor!
A gift for the Emperor ….depicted in silk in the late 1800s. So delicious …. Feasting on the art is so soul satisfying! sigh!
Beaded Textiles from Rajasthan?!!
Just noticed the fabulous beadwork on a shawl from Rajasthan that I’ve had for awhile. Endless delights in old acquisitions… All from the WOVENSOULS collection! ❤️
Invitation: “Heirlooms” Exhibition & Sale
Come enjoy the Visual Feast And acquire an heirloom or two Every few years, the treasure chests of the WOVENSOULS collection, filled with heirloom shawls, ancestral tribal jewelry and rare … Continue reading
Textile Pride
Here’s what you get when a country is proud of its textile culture: Very impressive PDA (Public Display of Affection)! Aug 2017 All photos from the internet
Treasure Hunting
Excerpts from an article seen on the internet*: Forrest Fenn, an art dealer and a former Air Force fighter pilot, announced in a self-published 2010 memoir, “The Thrill of the … Continue reading
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 or Trousseau
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
