The
painter takes a small amount of the paint and works it into a pliable paste on
his palm around the stylus used for application.Home Indian Trips <<Previous Gujarat Next>>
The first village we visited was Nirona which is the one place where Rogan painting is produced. This is a form of painting on to fabrics using a paint based on castor oil. The oil is cooked for 2 to 3 days until it has reduced to a quarter of its original volume and become very thick. Natural pigments are then added to this base. The paint it applied to the fabric using a metal stylus, either by dabbing movement for spots or gently trailing the paint for lines.
The
painter takes a small amount of the paint and works it into a pliable paste on
his palm around the stylus used for application.
The
paint is then carefully trailed over the fabric to create the design.
The fabric was then folded in half gently presses and reopened creating a mirrored pattern.
The oil takes 2 to 3 hours to dry in the sunshine, when further work can be carried out as required.
Many designs are symmetrical but single images or motifs with a symmetrical pattern can be produced too by using a piece of waste fabric to press the paint.
These two young lads were working on tree of life designs.
This is one craft where work is now often more intricate than it used to be. The work on the white fabric was about 75 years old, whereas the top item was produced recently.