An update on the June 2014 contest

June 5th each year is observed as World Environment Day. Heck, some places even celebrate the entire month as 'Environment Month'.  

At A Full Moon, we source our products from local communities who handcraft gorgeous works of art & craft using natural materials and processes. Their skills provide them with a livelihood that offers them and their families a better quality of life. 

The June contest turned the spotlight on the environment especially on India's natural wonders. Answer 5 (eeeasy) questions (or so we thought) and the winner would get a hand-painted folk art (unframed) by a Santhal tribal artist. 

The contest ended on June 13th, the day/night of the full moon. Unexpectedly, not one of the entries got the right answer even with the descriptions (read hints) supplied along with the questions. We then had to take the unusual step of not declaring a winner. 

So so disappointed! 

June 2013 'Honey Moon' Photo credit: Stephen Rahn

On the fun side, though, I learnt that the full moon falling on Friday the 13th (which I don't consider unlucky, whatsoever) would next fall only on August 13, 2049! 

And the combination of a full moon on Friday the 13th in June only in 2098.

This year's full moon is also called a 'Strawberry Moon' or a 'Honey Moon' for different reasons - It's time for strawberry picking and the moon is the colour of honey respectively.

That's all the full moon trivia for now. :) While completely unrelated to the products we retail, it's just so much fun knowing stuff like this! Ask not why? 

Yes, a bit geeky, we know. But what to say, we are like this only! :)

Patterns

The other day while browsing through some old photographs, I realised there were so many photographs of walls that I had captured over time. Not huge imposing barricades as the word conjures up but pretty colours, tiles and textures. Almost works of art that these walls (and some floors and ceilings too) were adorned with.

Interestingly, many of them hundreds of years old. Intact and surviving.

Take a look at what I found...

Ceramic designs decorating a doorway in Old Goa

Tiles long forgotten in an erstwhile 'chai' cafe in Mumbai. 

Rough, rugged walls of the fort in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra.
Standing tall since the 17th century, approx.

Patterened terracotta tiles decorating a wall 

Grass growing between stone blocks forming a
pretty pattern on the ground in Old Goa

Restored floor tiles at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai

Restored ceiling at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai

Here are two more that I just could not resist including. They are not Indian but their sheer opulence ensured they made it into this post. :)

Buildings at the Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand

Rock paintings

An early rock painting in India

As far back as 9000 BC, rock paintings have known to exist in India. Created using natural pigments, these paintings depicted the life of men as hunter-gatherers. These paintings extended from the Mesolithic (9000 - 3000 BC) to the early medieval historic period. More...

These could be seen as the pre-cursor to the folk & tribal art in India as we know it today which continues the tradition of painting scenes from life as well as the use of natural dyes and pigments. 

Mind boggling, isn't it? :)

(Image courtesy: wikipedia)

Being fascinated

I have always been strangely compelled to pick up interesting pieces of art and craft that I came across whether it was in my travels or at exhibitions or stores. India has so many different types of crafts, that one can easily lose count and themselves. 

This interest of mine possibly has its roots in a nomadic childhood as my home was always filled with bric-a-brac from the different regions my family lived in. It was mostly was the same with friends and neighbours too, so the scenario did not seem very unusual. 

And, my fascination for India's arts and crafts has only grown over the years. Here are a few things, similar to the ones I grew up seeing around me. 

Batik painting

Walnut wood carved partition

(images courtesy: Google.co.in/images)