Star Mountain Art

Art of India Warli paintings Asian decor come from Maharashra state in the western region of India. Nestled at the foot of the Western Ghats in Maharashtra, India, is the settlement of an ancient tribe known as the Warlis. These tribal people, who survive on forest produce and worship nature, have carved an international niche for themselves by virtue of their artistry. Artist and scholars believe the painting style to have originated sometime during the tenth century AD. Tribal art Warli paintings express everyday life using extremely basic object forms and just one color white on a simple mud base. The painting style is close to pre historic cave paintings. It breaks the barrier of three dimensional rendering and the objects seldom overlap. The core philosophy and social history of a tribal society are conveyed through these paintings in all their humble renderings. Each painting is usually an entire scene that contains various elements of nature including people, animals, trees, hills etc. Tribal art Warli paintings are characterized by their depiction of triangular humans and animals with stick like hands and legs, geometrical designs with rows of dots and dashes. Straight lines were rare in tribal art Warli paintings. A series of dots and dashes made one line. Events like a marriage, a dance, sowing, harvesting or hunting are the primary themes. Birds, squirrels, monkeys, snakes and other animals are frequently depicted.

Folk of Art, Patachitra Paintings for home decor, come from a small village Raghurajpur near Puri, in Orissa. An annual ritual in the famous Jagannath Temple of Puri, a beach town in the State of Orissa, has given rise to one of Indias most treasured folk art from India, the Patachitra. The origin of the ancient India art Patachitra paintings can be traced back to the 8th century AD and it is considered as one of the earliest forms of indigenous paintings. Each year, the painted wooden images of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Shubhadra in the Jagannath temple of Puri are ritually given the holy bath. This cleansing leads to the discoloration of the images. Hence, they are removed from the garbha griha (the Seat in the Temple) for repainting. During this period, the temple images are substituted with three paintings, depicting the holy trio, on specially treated clothes or Patas prepared by the temple painter. Thus the name Patachitra (Sanskrit Pata = cloth, Chitra = painting). Organic colors are used in the Patachitras. The leaves of plants, flower petals, fruits (like mangooes), ground rocks and even the urine of domesticated animals contribute to the production of a variety of shades and hues. The predominant gem like colors that are used are vermilion red derived from cinnabar, brick red from red ochre, yellow from orpiment, blue from indigo, green from green leaves, white from conch shell and black from lamp black. Once, the colors are extracted they are combined with gum resin and then used in painting. The brushes used to apply the paint are prepared from plant fibers or animal hair. The depiction of images in a Patachitra is not always uniform.

Art of India Gond paintings of Madhya Pradesh, specially the wall paintings of Bundelkhand, Gondwana, Nimar and Malwa are living expressions of the village people, deeply linked with their day to day lives. They are not mere decorations but also instant expressions of their religious sentiments and devotions. The tribal art Gond paintings, based on local festivals like Karwa Chauth, Deepawali, Ahoi Ashtami, Nag Panchmi, Sanjhi etc. are done by women using simple homemade colors. In the Gondwana region, the Gond and the Pardhan tribes who have impressed audiences at exhibitions in Japan, France , Australia and other countries, have showed unmatched creative vision. A community of professional artists does the paintings. Horses, elephants, tigers, birds, gods, men and objects of daily life are painted in bright and multicolored hues.

Mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter a folkie? Most definitely: she and Bengt Forsberg have been sold on folksong in its various manifestations for years. But anyone with scruples about the brown-rice-and-sandals approach to such music need have no fears. This is quite simply a ravishing collection, with enough musical merit to satisfy the most hardhearted skeptic. Having said that, the term "folksong" here is loosely applied. The pieces by Dvorák, Larsson, and Reynaldo Hahn are inspired by folk music instead of arrangements. No matter--this is such a clever selection, embracing warm and winning Dvorák; bittersweet, wistful Grainger; passionate, romantic Reynaldo Hahn; and earthy Kodály (closest to authentic folksong) and Britten arrangements with all of the familiar inventiveness. In addition, there are attractive songs from Otter's compatriots Lars-Erik Larsson and Gunnar Hahn. As ever, Otter's singing displays much freshness, intelligence, and poise, as well as identification with every mood (the range is staggering for a "mere" folksong album). What's more, she encompasses six languages with ease (plus a rustic British accent in the Grainger that sounds uncannily natural). Forsberg's playing is a delight--the whole thing is a delight. Don't deprive your CD player of a treat. --Andrew Green

Jeff Larson - Upper Story landing (1995) Song List: Northern Pacific Shallowlands Point Of Rising Van Gogh And Gauguin Rain On Me California Rail Renaissance Man Unsettled Ways Changing Colors Just The Wind Ahead Of The Darkness Broken Fallen World Name Of Change Seeing Red In The Round Waiting At The Depot

American design authority Clarence Hornung traces the history of American crafts from utilitarian objects of early American frontiersmen to ornamental showpieces of the late 19th century. From cigar-store Indians to grandfather clocks, this hefty volume offers a thorough selection of works catalogued by the Index of American Design in the 1930s for the WPA. Of the book's 2,900 illustrations (scattered throughout nearly 850 pages), 800 are in color, making Treasury of American Design and Antiques an amazing survey and a valuable resource.

The brilliant colours and traditional designs of "roses and castles", the art of the narrow boat painters of the past, can transform mundane household objects into attractive pieces of art. This book explains the techniques for creating items for use in the home - or afloat. It covers topics from creating a good base to adding the finishing touches, and demonstrates how to paint the roses, daisies, leaves, filler strokes, castle scenes and many more patterns which adorned the working boats of days gone by. A wide variety of household objects, including scales, jugs and rusty irons, can be given a new lease of life, and the author has included projects and gift ideas, such as mirror and picture frames, casters, paperweights and pots, all of which can be given a personalized touch. The book also contains a list of useful addresses and places of interest.