A self taught artist, artisan and aesthete with a keen eye for history, L.G. Stanley grew up in Mysore with its magnificent buildings and the occasionalBentley or antique Morris keeping pace with carriages drawn byhorses or even by bullocks. He imbibed the rosewood inlay work of Mysore from master artisans but it was when he saw Mico (Spark plug) company’s collection of evocative 17th, 18th 19th and early 20th century photographs and paintings depicting changing modes of transport on Indian roads that he decided to create their ‘period’ imagery on wood patchwork frames. His 12-wood patchwork series is a delightful combination of history, architecture, period costumes and man’s progression from carriages to cars. Stanley’s collection includes a pretty carriage drawn by a deer, a camel ‘doli’ carrying a bride, an elaborate horse-drawn carriage from Madras and an intricately carved bullock cart with temple spires. A particularly evocative frame has Charminar in the background while Kolkata’s ‘bhadralok’ are seen ‘eating the air’ in what must be one of the very few cars seen on Indian roads of that period. From New Delhi comes another car with Lutyens’ Secretariat looming in the background.
How did the artisan go about creating these vignettes of a vanished era? “I first trace the photograph/painting on a plywood ‘board,’ then cut the figures of humans, animals, tree, grass and sky from different coloured wooden pieces. Then I place the appropriate pieces like a jigsaw on the tracing and press it down with Fevicol. This is followed by sandpapering, buffing and finally polishing, to give it an even look. All the wooden pieces are natural in their colours. I do not use paint at all. The wood varieties are rosewood, teakwood, yellow teak, white cedar, jackwood, Sampige wood, red cedar, raintree wood and sea shells.”
Other attractions are iron and brass pieces in vibrant colours. Hari Narain adds vivid colours like orange, pink, blue and green to give a fresh perspective to copper and iron birds, boxes and furniture items from Jodhpur. Madhurkati curtains and table linen bring the fresh smell of grass to interiors. Also on display are Saharanpur’s sheesham wood furniture and objects d’art and wood items from Andhra. Munna and Kaushik Kundu’s clay jewellery is in demand as are coloured Chennapatna bangles.
The Crafts Bazaar is on at C.P. Arts Centre , 1, Eldams Road, till February 15.
