Boldoe

​Paddy straw art is a 2000 year old art form. It began before the invention of paints, dyes or other forms of color application. This is an art at the edge of extinction and is practiced by a small group of artisans in remote villages of South India whose unique skills have been preserved over the centuries from generation to generation.

 

Leaves of rice paddy plant are handpicked and dried to become straws. Each straw is cut to the right size and glued by hand using tree-sap, one straw at a time onto a crepe silk canvas to create this masterpiece. Each piece takes several months to make, depending on the complexity of the art. The artist is now inspiring a small group of women in rural India to learn the art and earn a living, while preserving this tradition.