WARLI ART

Whenever I come across a vintage saree with Warli designs on it, I know I have found a treasure. The Warlis are an indigenous tribe of India. They live in the mountains and coastal areas on the South-West border of Maharashtra-Gujarat. While they don’t have a formal written language, they use their art to depict their beliefs and traditions thereby passing their history on to the next generation. Their distinctive designs use simple shapes like triangles, circles and squares. The central motif of their art shows their deep connection to nature through scenes of hunting, fishing, farming, dancers, animals, trees, mountains and the sun and moon. Their line drawings of stick figures are direct in the same way as early cave paintings, but they can be very intricate as well.

There is a sense of joy that permeates Warli art, and it covers their homes inside and out. Since the walls of their structures are either dark mud or coated with red clay, all the artwork is done exclusively with white paint made from a mixture of rice paste, water and gum as a binding. A bamboo stick which has been chewed at the end is transformed into a paintbrush. It requires a mastery of skill to produce the precise lines and geometric designs with such a rudimentary tool.

Please visit www.tenthousandscarves.com to see our collection of scarves with Warli designs. Our scarves are made from vintage and antique silk sarees and supply is very limited.