Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Block-print carving

In the government weavers' and dyers' center, the master block-print carver sits at a small table and practices his craft.






The dusty, decorated doorway to the block-print storage room.




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Back home in Boulder, and sick: persistent Delhi belly and the same bad cough I get every time I go there (a cough which develops within an hour of arriving in India); an Ayurvedic doctor I consulted said it's an allergic reaction to the vehicle-exhaust pollution and construction dust that fills all the big Indian cities. I can't believe how bad the air is, and it grows worse day by day as construction increases and vehicles on the already jammed roads increase at a daily rate. The air quality in Hyderabad is approximately twice as bad as what are considered acceptable maximum limits.

We scrambled like crazy, didn't get enough sleep, got a lot accomplished...and now it is time for me to try to recuperate. Seeing the Rumi monster blissfully napping helps immensely.



More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

9 comments:

Sonya Johnson said...

Hi Jala,

Glad you're back! Hope your recovery from the bad air and probably questionable drinking water is fast. The clean fall air of Colorado should help immensely :).

The process for creating a wood block prints looks fascinating.

SamArtDog said...

We're all finally back.
Home is where the dogs are. Okay, and the cats.
The cough is a bark. Is kennel cough vaccine Ayurvedic?

word verif.--hyper

loriann signori said...

Welcome back Jala!!!! Hope your belly and cough become a distant memory fast.

Double "D" said...

Hope you're back to Boulder health soon.

Lisa Le Quelenec said...

Welcome home you have been missed! I do hope you are feeling better soon.

Anonymous said...

good to hear you are back Jala and wishing you a speedy recovery.... now where are your paints... i always find them therapeutic.. it might be the smell of solvents in my case though;)

ArtPropelled said...

These wood blocks thrill me and when ever I see them I will buy at least one. I would love to watch the block carver working. Great to see Rumi being such a comfort. Our animal children definitely have a healing influence on us..... even whilst they nap.

Bonnie Luria said...

What a contrast in extremes that you should have to suffer the detritus of uber manufacturing in order to seek out these marvelous pockets of almost forgotten skills and crafts.
I applaud what you and Sanjay are doing.
Sorry it's at the expense of coughing and sickness.

You had to be instantly cured when you got home and saw your boy Rumi.

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

Jala, such wonderful photos but how awful that people have to live like that.
Hope you're better for you open studios and of course, getting plenty of snuggle time with Rumi ;)