STEPWELL INSPIRED WORKS - PURCHASE HERE

Inspired by the Stepwells and rich colours of magical India, Stepwells are architecturally beautiful pieces of art that were once used everywhere in Rajasthan where water was scarce.

Stepwells have been described as a vast sheet of water, covered with lotuses in flower, amid which thousands of aquatic birds are sporting at the shores and bathers are washing, surrounded by jungle greenery. One could think you are describing a lakeside scene or one of India's famous riverside ghats, but in fact an ancient well, as big as a large pond.

Water plays a special part in Hindu mythology, as a boundary between heaven and earth known as tirtha. As manmade tirtha, the Stepwells became not only sources of drinking water, but cool sanctuaries for bathing, prayer, and meditation.

Arriving back in Udaipur after travelling around Rajasthan seeing all these beautiful stepwells, I then came across this cafe mural which caught my eye and as you can see it’s very much Frosty Colours :) :) and that’s when the idea struck. Inspiration and ideas often come from the most unlikely unexpected places and is a pleasant surprise giving you a warm feeling inside when something speaks to you. Truly magical.

Valentina and The Stepwell pictured at the top is using Rajasthans traditional paint medium - gouache and ink (which is opaque water colour that they use for their miniature paintings that they are so famous for) I also got to visit the local paper factory so I was lucky to get to paint on this beautiful handmade Indian cotton rag with natural deckle edge.

Handmade Indian Cotton Rag with natural deckle edge
Gouche and Ink
Approx size A4 (220mm x 300mm)
More to come in the Stepwell Series xx