Flowers are an expression of tradition, communication, joy, celebration and even sorrow. They add value to rituals, and landmark occasions in a lifetime. Places of worship are never complete without flowers. Thailand is a classic example of a country with a rich flower tradition. Floral art is an integral part of the celebration of life, royal feasts and religious ceremonies.
According to Intakul, the golden age of Thai floral art emerged during the reign of King Rama V (King Chulalongkorn the Great) whose appreciation of floral art drove the ladies at court to study traditions in flower arranging. Queen Sirikit has been responsible for the preservation and development of Thai arts, craft and culture.
Clay flowers called ‘Dok Mai Jark Dinh’ is an ancient traditional handmade Thai art clay flowers. In Thailand, the art is passed down from mother to daughter as we would pass down such skills as knitting and crocheting.
In Thailand, the main flower you will see is the orchid. This flower is the inspiration for Thai people and is the predominant flower they make. Each family has their own clay with special ‘secret’ ingredients that are passed down generation after generation.
I had an opportunity to attend the workshop on "clay flower art" taught by Priya Nanthakumar in Bangalore.She was specially flown from Bangkok to conduct the workshop here. Though we were taught 5 flowers and 3 promotional demos. I could not complete all the arrangements.Hence I am presenting one catteleya orchid remaining I am hoping to include in my future post
This is Catteleya orchid.The challenge lies in creating exact replica of the original flower.All it needs is patience and practice.
One more advantage of this Clay flowers are you can arrange it with different positions in different containers.
Last week I recieved an award from Dr Sonia
Visit her blog and be inspired. She is an Ent Specialist and a art/crafts enthusiast.Thankyou Sonia for your award.You really made my day.
I would like to pass on this award to my blogger friend Saheli
Thankyou for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed reading this post.Have a nice day!
