The Warli & its transformation : Warli had been one of the most fascinating cultural art forms I have ever known. Why I enjoy painting Warli? Well, just imagine, a simple combination of basic forms like triangles, circles, lines and curved lines creating a whole complex structure of interest in favour for life. A panorama depicts happiness in life with different celebrations like marriage, birth, Harvesting, deaths, expression of Love & gratitude towards nature.

Its journey started as the ritual paintings usually created on the inside walls of village huts, painted using Bamboo sticks chewed at the end to create a feel of paint brush. The only paint used was a white pigment made from a mixture of rice flour and water, with gum as a binder. Today, it has reinvented itself in various colours on different artifacts, fabrics or Canvases.

The existence of this ancient art is known from as early as 10th century A.D. A Tribal art technique from Thane district, the Northern outskirts of Mumbai that extends up to the Gujarat border in India. Today, it has been recognized globally by countries like France, Japan & Holland as one of the most significant traditional folk-arts. Its existence has been restored & transformed in our modern world still retaining its unique features.

Now here is a fun fact – I have not come across any Warli creation that had not been engaging! A viewer is forced to dive deep to learn the story behind every pc. Try it…

- Mrs. Gauri Honavar (Warli Artist)