Lizards and Tortoise

Two large lizards tumble across this handmade painting by Ram Bai Tekam, their stout bodies rendered in alternating bands of red, ochre, purple and brown, each stripe filled with dense rows of short dash marks that give the creatures a heavily textured, almost armoured surface. The upper lizard stretches diagonally with limbs outstretched and splayed fingers, its single eye gazing forward with quiet alertness, while the second lizard curls beneath it in a complementary arc, its body a shade darker, its purple bands adding a cooler note to the warm palette. In the lower right corner, a small green tortoise completes the composition, its shell built from layered sections of bright and dark green dashes, its round eyes peering out with a patience that contrasts beautifully with the sprawling energy of the lizards above. Painted in acrylic on paper against a warm peach ground, the work presents three forest creatures with the directness and warmth that characterises the Gond tradition's relationship with the natural world.

The earthy palette of red, ochre, purple and green gives this original artwork a grounded, organic warmth, the banded colour fields creating a visual rhythm across the composition that feels both decorative and structural. Ram Bai Tekam's dash-work technique builds every surface from thousands of individually drawn marks, each band of colour containing its own dense pattern of short horizontal lines that give the creatures their distinctive, woven texture. As a piece of handcrafted Indian art, every lizard, every tortoise shell segment and every dash was created entirely by hand, carrying an authenticity and individuality that printed reproductions cannot replicate. This painting holds compelling appeal as distinctive wall art for contemporary home decor and as a culturally significant collectible from the living traditions of Gond tribal painting, available on Rooftop.

Why This Artwork Stands Out

• Every band and dash mark is applied entirely by hand by Ram Bai Tekam, making this a unique original artwork of exceptional handcrafted detail.
• The interplay of two sprawling lizards and a compact tortoise creates a dynamic composition that balances movement and stillness within a single frame.
• The warm, earthy palette of red, ochre, purple and green gives the work a grounded, organic presence that complements a wide range of home decor and wall art settings.
• As an authentic Gond painting by a practising master artist, this artwork carries significant cultural relevance and enduring collectible value.