Silk scarves and the Bhuj inspiration

Now that I’ve been home for a month, Silk scarves and the Bhuj inspiration are foremost in my mind. I have mentally and emotionally digested the lively memories of my India trip. And I have resumed my routines of working in the studio daily. Back to airbrushing, on fabric, which I enjoy immensely. Four scarves have been completed on some lovely, beige toned Silk.

The luxurious texture of the fabric itself is very attractive.

Each scarf is using the Lotus theme in various colours. I still have enough of this particular piece of silk to complete 2 more scarves, then it’s time to experiment!

My primary interest in visiting the state of Gujarat, was its strong textile traditions.

One of our first stops upon leaving Ahmedabad, was the school, Somaiya Kala Vidya. Here we met a group of students, who were in the midst of a colour theory class. We were shown some of their amazing textile work. This was done in various techniques including block printing, weaving and tie and dye.

Amidst the excitement of looking at and discussing their work, I had the opportunity to show them some of my work, on my ipad.

The visit was far too short! Before leaving, I gave them a spare airbrush that I had brought along from Canada. I gave them a crash course on how to use it. Hopefully they will find it useful! https://handeyemagazine.com/content/somaiya-kala-vidya

During my trip to Bhuj, Gujarat, I had the opportunity to visit a couple of fabric artists.

One of these artisans uses Bandhani or shibori (tie & dye) technique. His name is Khatri Alimohamed Isha. He is a hereditary artisan, well known in contemporary markets for producing very high quality, bandhani scarves and other items, in silk, wool and cotton.

He very graciously allowed a small group of us to visit him at his home to look at his work. We also talked about his technique. He lives and works at Khatri Chowk in Bhuj.

This area is named after the high concentration of Khatris of printing and dyeing who have lived there for centuries.

Khatri Alimohamed Isha travels all over the world to give workshops, promote the craft and sell his work. He also receives many visitors, including textile tour groups, buyers, collectors and museum curators.

Later, Alimohamed invited us to join him, for the Opening festivities of the Living and Learning Design Centre (LLDC), also in Kutch. This textile museum and training centre has been established to preserve traditional crafts, such as embroidery. These crafts have been practised for centuries, in Kutch. The Centre has three museum galleries and spaces for training, workshops and research. https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/photo-gallery-this-one-of-its-kind-textile-museum-is-a-tribute-to-kutch-artists-2169571

We were five, who crammed into an auto rickshaw for the ride to the Centre. On arrival, a presentation was underway, including speeches and a video about the various crafts produced in the Kutch area. Afterwards, we went to an enormous tent, which had many food offerings for the attendees. Many of the ladies wore gorgeous wool wraps, which were hand woven and embroidered with thread and the tiny mirrors, that are used by the various villages, in their garments.

And to end the evening, we visited the home of Dr. Ismail Mohammed Khatri, whom is a world famous master of the traditional Ajrakh block printing process. His family has been involved in this craft for nine generations! One of his sons, Sufiyan gave us a short lesson on the various steps in the block printing process, including information about the various natural dyes used.

I am quite drawn to the Bandhani technique, to the point where I’d like to experiment with this. And incorporate Airbrush painting into the design. I am also going to try dyeing fabric with natural dyes. The main attraction is of course, the result, but more, it’s the unknown and surprise of what the result will be. Needless to say, I did buy a Bandhani scarf and a Block printed shawl from both of these inspiring artisans!