Giled God - Saraswathi/Veenapaani
Yes! Completed the trio!
Working on Saraswathi was again challenging... I know, when you look at my Traditional Paintings, they all look similar, but they are all handled differently using different techniques!
Bringing an antique look to Saraswathi was not easy. The other two paintings had the embossing beneath the gold foil, but my Saraswathi has the emboss on top of her saree and her jewellery. This technique is know as ' Makki Safeda'. It's the technique of grinding lime powder with Arabic gum. The entire process of making this Gesso takes about 4-5 days, where the lime powder and Arabic Gum are soaked and ground for a period of four to five days. The grinding is done manually using mortar and pestle and making sure the right consistency is achieved during the process as it dries too soon! The scrolls and pearls have to be perfect. You cannot go wrong in painting the Gesso on Gold foils or on paints!
There are a lot of minute details. From working on Veena to achieve the thin strings, to the mosaic flooring. As I wanted an antique look to the artwork, I went back to the way it was done in the yester years. I had to grind the Gambose Pigment which we get in rock solid form. The Arabic Gum and Gambose Pigment has to be ground together again to a paint/spreadable consistency. Working on mosaic floor was an integrated look and feel. The traditional pigments meeting the modern paints! Geling the two different kinds was an experience! Taking care of watercolour not to mix with the background was not an easy task!
Although, Mysore Traditional Art look rich and colourful, there are very few hues we use to bring the authenticity. The richness is because of the simplicity and the story it conveys.. The challenge is to bring out the spectrum of shades in one colour... Working on Saree with just one hue took few hours. It's not just Red, it's the spectrum of Reds!
When someone says, Beauty lies in Simplicity, believe them... Because, I have started to realise, There is always more Beauty in Simplicity than anything else!!! They are loved and treasured :)