17th Blogger/Non-Blogger Challenge

this is the page for the Blogger/Non-Blogger Challenge. This one is to create something from the inspiration photo of a Kolam, which is a regional form of Rangoli, an artform from India.

The piece is of two peacocks, and knotwork. The challenge is to make a piece of jewelry in either white, red ochre, or the four colors in the picture...that is inspired by the picture.

I find this type of artwork to be terribly interesting, from an art standpoint as well as historical. The knotwork is most like Celtic knots, that I love... and the heritage of them is what intrigues me I suppose. They are very similar to Chinese knots, which are related to the Celtic knots... which came first?  We know that Celts were trading or at least visiting in Asia very far back into history, the Cherchen man and family buried in the desert having red hair and beard is ancient by any standards. Which came first? Did the Celts bring the knotwork to Asia or did they take it from their visits? I find that the latter is probably the case but there is no real evidence either way. Archeological evidence says that the Celtic tribes originated in the Balkan region or were there at least in  the 4th-3rd Century BC... so the proximity to Asia suggests that they must have traveled and traded with in the region... we know from archeological finds and written history, that China is ancient, at least 4,000 years, India, 3,000 to 4,000 years... That's a long time in the scheme of things, they must have been trading back and forth for at least some of that time. Ancient Chinese sailed to Africa, and possibly to the Americas, they must have had trade with other civilizations... same with India.
The artform in India suggests the transient nature of  life itself. The designs are made  of rice flour on the ground, it is done daily since the artwork is walked on, rained on, and blown by the wind. Mothers pass the art on to their daughters, and it is carried on from generation to generation, like other crafts and art.
The rice meal can also be considered as part of a religious ritual, since it not only feeds ants and can attract birds, it is using a commodity in a frivolous manner,  it is to Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity that it pays tribute.

sorry, this is how Google sees my picture

So... what is this to me? It is beautiful, captivating, and inspirational. Something that is so bound in the very heart of a nation as a challenge is mighty humbling. To create something that would be worthy of such an art form is daunting... but... I'm up for the challenge!!! 
Lately I have been working with the idea of peacock feathers and the shape of the peacock anyway. I love the colors and the shapes, and I recently made a bracelet and necklace set using the purple, blue, turquoise, gold and black... but the Kolam don't use black as a norm... so, I think that I will work on something that is maybe white or red ochre and in the shape of the peacock.  I do knotwork a lot, so I'm not as eager to use that in a new design... I actually make tons of knots so ... something a bit different I suppose!





http://www.weirdasianews.com/2009/05/06/china%E2%80%99s-celtic-mummies-ancient-secrets-hold/

http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-art/rangoli/kolam.html

https://www.academia.edu/7212191/On_Hohlbuckelringe_as_a_Marker_of_Celtic_Eastwards_Expansion )