MMIL's birthday photograph.

Some of you might remember my series of blogs entitled MMIL posted last autumn (2011)

Here is My Mother In Law on the day of her 84th birthday last week.

(about to be engulfed by a bouquet of floweres)

 Her house is near to being sold after a frustrating delay involving 2 prospective purchasers who kept us guessing only to fall at the final hurdle.

At last we hope we've found a sound purchaser and can proceed to

Exchange of Contracts sometimes soon.

MMIL's found a suitable flat near to where she is now. She can't wait to get out of that rambling house into something more manageable.

She's an amazing person!

Drawings, after Bhuj, Gujarat, India

Amongst many remarkable experiences during my Indian sojourn, it is the astonishing creativity of the tribal villagers north and east of Bhuj. The intricate free-form designs of the every day clothes of the women in the villages were a revelation to me. The use of vivid colours, abstract representation of domestic objects and the unbelievable sewing skills are of great significance to these rural peoples. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have visited villages, witnessed these extraordinary skills and glimpsed a way of life close to being overtaken by dramatic change.

I have been inspired to begin a series of drawings, which I title 'after Bhuj' where I am trying to understand the design aspects of the work, mostly of the Rabari tribe. As far as I was able to ascertain, the textile designs are created without a template or a drawing from which to refer; design and execution are based on using and repeating traditional motives in an free-form manner. Women work in pairs or small groups seated on the floor of their houses, chatting and occasionally referring to their work; this way techniques and traditions are maintained.

My drawings are done on pure white A4 cartridge paper, using Letraset Promarkers (a blast from the past as I remember those sheets of letraset we wrestled with on our drawings back in the early 1970's). Concentration is absolute, the mind working both to maintain a free flowing drawing style, thinking ahead the whole time about the next colour to use and where to take the design. I have over-marked with pencil to loosely indicate  sewing stitches. I'm getting better and enjoying it more.

 These three could be considered 'sketches'; I'm keen to begin work on a bigger scale, maybe A3 or A2. I'll see......

It's a pleasant surprise to recall that that day in April, in the company of Anna and

Vicktor from Portugal, Annie from France, visiting tribal villages, the breathtaking Great Rann of Kutchch and meeting remarkable people in Gujarat, should keep me company in my work room surrounded by paper and coloured markers on a chilly Spring day in England.