Sunday, March 13, 2011

seeing elephants

we are nearing the annual jaipur elephant festival in rajasthan and it has got me seeing painted elephants!


okay, so that isn't what a "normal" person might spend his afternoons thinking about...but who ever said that i was anything close to "normal"? ha!

i've always wanted to go to rajasthan this time of year and see the painted elephants in person. walk the streets where elephant owners spend weeks decorating their prized pachyderms for the occasion.  but, so far, i've had to content myself with a more vicarious viewing over the past several years. (sigh)


so, in honor of one of the most wonderful festivals of the year (well...that title is purely conjectural since i've yet to be able to actually attend one), i'll be whipping up a pack of pachyderms in cloth this week...

will they be fragments and cloths? pillows? stuffed critters? who knows? i'm not even sure...but i'm rummaging through my fibers and bits and pieces and pulling some wonderful things together to play with!  i'll post some pics tomorrow as they start to take shape...

namaste'

7 comments:

  1. Joe, I love elephants and painted ones all the more :-). I can't wait to see what you create.
    xoxo

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  2. Wow, wow, wow! I didn't know about this but my artist's imagination can see those painted elephants parading. And of course my human eyes would love to see them in person. Thanks for sharing this, I have to do a little more googling for more pics though.

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  3. HA! I too am thinking about elephants! I am making a BIG pink elephant and inside it says - you must eat the elephant one bite at a time! I LOVE that! If you could eat your elephant - getting to Rajasthan - what would your first bite be??? :) THANK YOU so much for your posts!

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  4. What a wonderful post...the painted elephants! I will google more too, I didnt know about this painted elephant festival, so colourful, so beautiful (I bet the elephants feel very special).

    Thanks for sharing...I've had elephants on my mind too!

    Jacky xox

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  5. yes. the elephant festivals of rajasthan have always been dear to my heart! i just love elephants and there's nothing more wonderful than a beautifully painted and dressed elephant! i have been creating piles of the most perfect fabrics create my brightly "painted" elephants this week! i can hardly wait to get started!

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  6. I named one of my daughters after the Taj Mahal, her name is "Taj".
    I have a love for India too : )
    An elephant cloth will be so much fun and festive. A great
    way to honor the elephant festival.
    Namaste'

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  7. The colors of these creatures are amazing! This is new to me...I want more. Can't wait to see what you create with your piles

    Shishi

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