Thanks to Deepa Sunil, the Owner of Hues ‘n Shades, we gained a great understanding of  traditional art techniques originating from various parts of India. That’s what ARTE is about. Exploring one’s heritage and culture through an artform that one may choose, and sharing these with ARTE customers and community alike.

From the paintings Deepa had on display, it is evident that this talented lady has  a clear eye for details. We admire her fine eye sight to  paint (with the triple zero paintbrush, can you imagine?) the outline of the beautiful Rajput princess’ garment or doll up the rural village women life. Mind you, Deepa has a fantastic handwriting script.  How do we know this? She was kind enough to write down the names of the various artforms.

The lady behind Hues ‘n Shades

Madhubani Paintings from Bihar:

In the olden days, this painting style was attempted with natural pigments and using tools such as twigs and matchsticks, even fingers. Geometrical patterns are predominant in this artform.

Madhubani painting style (L) as demonstrated by Deepa Sunil. The painting on the right is a depiction of the Kalamkari style as detailed below.

Kalamkari paintings from Andra Pradesh:

Look at the photo above. The painting on the right is a depiction of the Kalamkari style.

In simple terms, Kalamkari refers to a type of block-printed work. It enjoyed popularity under the Moghul rule.

A close up of a Madhubani painting by Deepa Sunil

Kerala mural paintings:

Mural paintings usually depict legends and mythological figures. It was quite a wide spread form of art in the 9th to 12th centuries. We are glad that Deepa does every bit to keep this arform alive, right here at ARTE!

A Mural Painting on the right of the photo

Rajput painting from Rajasthani:

It is thought that the colours used in these paintings were extracted from some precious stones. Wonder if the precious stone derived colours were used in Deepa’s painting below. We love the way that both of the paintings are two share some strong yet veiled expressions of pomp and desire for all things beautiful. The artform flourished in the royal courts of the Rajputana and the walls of palaces of old formed delightful canvasses for this form of art.

Look into my eyes, these paintings seem to say! A typical Rajput painting by Deepa.

Fusion of styles:

In the painting below, Deepa has taken one step forward to create a fabulous fusion of the Madhubani art style and her own contemporary version. This painting was sold by the time ARTE at TSC in June ended. Well, what can we say? Happy news! We are glad that we managed to take a snapshot before it was sold.

Final stop. The painting below is absolutely stunning in its simplistic form. Love the touch of the 3D beaded earrings. Deepa says, “I just felt like painting something that didn’t fall into a particular form.” We secretly think that the lady in the painting is her. What do you think?

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