Vriksaka Yaksis, one of the paintings in the UVic december exhibition/auction. A Yaksis is a nature diety. Vriksaka is a tree goddess. This image with clay, dung, acrylic, and rice paste on canvas is an interpretation based on a 12 CE statue from India. This painting got its first bid thanks to Scot and Laura Wood. Thanks guys.
posted by anton a at 10:40 p.m.
1 Comments:
No special "art dung", it's just cow dung. It gets mixed with clay and then i apply it onto the canvas. I've heard the mixture called "Gobar mitti" which may be a hindi word. It is mostly used by rural Indian women. They smear it on the wall of their houses, on the ground in front of their doorstep, or by a sacred tree. Then they paint on top of that when or as it's drying. Usually they paint designs that have been passed down to them from their mothers. But there is room for innovation and change in subject and design. They paint at different times of the year to mark seasonal change, births, weddings, holidays like Holi and Diwali, or as a kind of worship (for lack of a better word) to dieties like Lakshmi (goddess of good fortune).
What's so interesting about the practice is that it's done across india, across caste lines, and across religious lines (Hindus, Muslims, Christians, etc.)
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