Kerala Mural paintings depict Hindu Gods in the state of Kerala. The paintings go back in time between the 9th and the 12th century. This art form was enjoyed by the royal patronage. The Murals of Thirunadhikkara Cave Temple and Tiruvanchikulam are considered the oldest relics of Kerala‘s style of murals. Rooftop conducted a workshop to introduce the Kerala Mural art with talented artist Priya Satish.
About the artist
Priya Satish is from Bangalore and is a graduate of chemistry. She has been a passionate Bharatnatyam dancer for 21 years. Apart from that, she also loves sketching and is a designer at MixMedia Academy.
The Kerala Mural Workshop Began
The workshop began with an introduction of Priya, who gave an insight into the art form. She drew a fish design with a flower and grass in the backdrop. Priya started making the border with black paint and explained the process of making a Kerala Mural painting. She explained how the preparation of the wall takes a lot of days and a lot of layering.
There are three steps as it requires a mix of lime, sand, and cotton, which is blended in a ratio of 1:2. Once ready, the mixture is used to plaster the wall. It takes 25 to 30 washes with lime and tender coconut water for the wall to be ready for mural painting. She then painted the fish yellow and a tinge of orange, and the flowers pink. She also explained the shade of colour used for the grass.
Towards the End of the Workshop
Priya beautifully painted all the elements of the Kerala Mural. The attendees then shared their artwork. There was positive energy throughout the workshop and everyone enjoyed creating their piece of art.
The attendees were from different parts of the country and belonged to various age groups but their mutual love for art brought them together on one platform. One of the participants named Rojalee Panda showed her Kerala mural to other attendees.
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