Saturday 30 January 2016

Doors, walls and other points of view

Whilst the wealthy Jain merchants' lavish houses are now just a shadow of their former selves


who can fail to be inspired  by their former grandure?


There's faded and peeling paint,


crumbling plasterwork, torn papers, 


rusted metal,


scuffed walls


and dusty doors and grills. 


Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder!




A feast of colour ...

... even in the dark. Being so far south darkness falls early in India, so our first experience of Delhi was a whistle-stop tour of Old Delhi's Chandni Chowk market in the darkness of early evening. Despite this it seemed as if the whole world was there, on rickshaws, on foot, pushing handcarts or driving ox-carts. 

Each street has its own speciality; here are some things to inspire you...

A riot of pattern and colour in the wedding market









These are for the groom


An abundance of sari shops selling every imaginable design


and packing them up for wholesale




All sorts of food - this is paneer


Nuts and fruits - those long ropes hanging up are figs




He's a betel seller


these are selling fresh breads ...



 ... and this isn't food at all - it's a good luck charm to ward off evil spirits


So quite an experience for our first night: trying to keep up with our guide, Harry, who really wanted to show us everything before it closed, without getting lost, or run over, or cut off by a rickshaw traffic jam! And trying to absorb all the sights, sounds and smells of India.





Thursday 28 January 2016

and we're off!

Newsletter published, courses updated, emails sent, cats sorted out and luggage packed.... we are on our way! Come and travel with us as we head off on our Indian textile and printing adventure; we shall be blogging all about it, so either pop back frequently or sign in and receive the updates direct to your email!


Wednesday 20 January 2016

Brrrrrr...

De-icing the car this morning the thermometer read -7, but the sun was shining and it was a glorious sight.


It certainly made a change from all the rain we've been having recently!


Whilst our students were busy unloading and settling in with a hot cup of coffee ready for a day spent mono printing Terry braved the chill and went to capture the moment...


There aren't many hips about now, but doesn't this solitary one glow brightly ? 


 and even the fallen leaves take on a crystal coat.

 

But soon the cold will be just a memory because we're off on our very own textile adventure and we very much hope you will be able to come along too! Just subscribe to this blog and join us for a feast of inspiration.