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Kumartuli – the first visit
Read MoreOn the morning of my second day in India, I had the great fortune to make my first trip to Kumartuli, which is a neighborhood of image-makers that is located slightly north of the center of Kolkata. Leading the way was the delightful Partha Dey, a Kolkata native and visual artist who was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Iowa a few years ago.
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Shantiniketan
Read MoreIn between my first and second visits to the image-makers of Kumartuli, I spent some time in Shantiniketan. It’s a small, quiet (compared to Kolkata!) town about three hours by train from Kolkata, and it has become something of a second home destination for people wishing to take a break from the faster pace of the city. […]
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Kumartuli – the second and third visits
Read MoreWith great excitement, I returned to Kolkata at the end of the first week of September, specifically to observe Dilipda and his assistants in the next stages of work on their Durga Puja sculptures at the Shovabazar Rajbari. In the above photo, Dilipda’s assistant, Netal Pal, is adding the second layer of smooth clay to this roughed-out […]
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Vishwakarma, the Divine Architect
Read MoreIt’s September 17th as well as my fourth visit to the Shovabazar — now Durga Puja is less than two weeks away! Dilipda’s sculpture has fully dried, been painted with a white undercoat, and now the application of color on the figures, as well as additional painted imagery, has begun. Heading out to other workshops of Kumartuli, […]
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Mahalaya
Read MoreThe countdown to Durga Puja is well underway by Mahalaya, which is observed seven days before (September 23rd for 2014). It’s on Mahalaya that preparations for Durga Puja reach their final stages, and it’s believed that on this day Durga, the goddess of supreme power, descends to earth. One older custom still observed by some is the […]
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Beauty and Chaos
Read More“Beauty and Chaos” – one way to describe that which is Durga Puja! We heard this phrase first from photographer Dev Nayak, when Stan and I met him while undergoing some serious “pandal-hopping” with Partha Dey in South Kolkata. Dev’s actually comment was, “Beauty and chaos, in India you can’t have one without the other!” It’s Monday evening, […]
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Just a few more pandals…..
Read MoreThis post is a gallery of Durga Puja pandal image highlights from our explorations of Kolkata pandals throughout the following three days of the holiday. We admired some pandals for the beauty and creativity of their designs, and others for the mindbogglingly extensive craftsmanship that was required for their creation! A South Kolkata pandal decorated entirely using braided […]
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Kali Ma
Read MoreI prefer Kali to Durga. Why? Since I’m not exactly sure, I thought I’d use the writing of this post to help figure it out. In Kolkata, Kali certainly has less fanfare than the almighty Durga, but from my vantage point, Kali’s devotees appear to have as much or maybe even more fervor for their […]
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A Dentist to Lions
Read MoreDilipda is preparing no less than five images for Jagadhatri Puja, which is celebrated throughout West Bengal and parts of Odissa about one week after Kali Puja (late October to early November) and exactly one month after Durga Puja. Jagadhatri is considered to be a calm incarnation of Durga. She is known as the “Holder of […]
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Krishnagar clay
Read MoreFrom practically the first moment since I stepped off the plane in Kolkata in late August, people have been telling me to visit the town of Krishnagar. Last week I had the opportunity to visit there with a group of artist friends. Krishnagar is famous for the production of highly realistic sculpture, from larger than […]
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Elements
Read MoreIn December I was very busy with a project called Elements. Elements was an experimental art installation for children in Kolkata, the first of its kind in India, and for the kids it was a thrilling sensory experience. Created by Ruchira Das of ThinkArts, this multimedia project melded puppetry, motion-activated laser and sound, and clay. When […]
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The Goddess of Knowledge
Read MoreSaraswati is the goddess of knowledge, music and art, and is the daughter of Lord Shiva and Ma Durga. In West Bengal, Saraswati is revered by schools and universities, because of the belief that she endows the worshipper with speech, wisdom and learning. Saraswati Puja takes place this year in later January, so preparations of clay images at Kumartuli began […]
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Residency at Maihol House
Read MoreHow wonderful! In January I was invited to be part of an international group of ceramic artists who would be working together at Maihol House, an artists’ residency center in Maihar, Madhya Pradesh. Countries represented are India, Australia, Latvia, France, and the USA. Maihol House is also the family home of Ambica Beri, who owns […]
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Molela and Nathdwara
Read MoreSay hello to one of my new favorite places —- Molela! In early February, my husband Stan and I were invited by artist and professor Gagan Dadich to stay and to work in his beautiful studio in the tiny village of Molela. Located in the state of Rajasthan, Molela is famous for a unique style […]
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Mishty Magic
Read MorePlease forgive me the transgression of diverting us from all things clay sculptural, and indulge me in a bit o’discourse regarding one of my favorite parts of Bengali culture – Mishty. Mishty is the Bengali word for sweet and is also the word for a dizzying variety of sweet foods that are made with nuts and/or […]
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A Project With Ektara
Read MoreMy work on the Elements project really whetted my appetite for more exploration in creating temporary, collaborative sculpture in which the viewer’s participation becomes an integral part of the work. I began developing ideas for new projects while observing preparations at Kumartuli for Saraswati Puja. Then after returning from my trip to Molela and Nathdwara, I searched Kolkata for […]
