Date:13/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/13/stories/2008081352580200.htm

Kerala

With hand as the canvas

Deepthi’s eager eyes widened as the ferocious splendour of a speckled owl slowly took shape on her hand. Artist Sreeni Paleri worked on her fist, demonstrating the nuances of a rare art form — hand painting.

Deepthi K. Jayan was one of the 30 selected students from different schools, to attend a children’s workshop on hand painting — Camouflage-2008 — organised by the Regional Science Centre (RSC) and Planetarium here.

As the artist released her hand, giving the bird its final touches, the delighted girl rushed to flaunt the “newborn wonder” to her camp-mates. Mr. Paleri had only just begun. His dexterous brush would soon draw a whole range of birds and animals on the jostling fists of the participants. Hand-art or ‘hand painting’ is the application of make-up or paint to a hand to make it appear like an animal or any other object.

Italian origin

The art form, said to be popularised by Italian painter Guido Daniele, is yet to gain currency among the art lovers here, says Paleri, who leads the workshop. “As far as I know, this is the first workshop of this sort in the State,” says the artist, who is a drawing teacher at the Holy Family HS at Perambra here.

Thirty students with an aptitude for drawing were selected for the workshop from 15 schools in town. The event started with an introduction to the hand-art by the artist, who then demonstrated a few stunning sketches to his wards, before dividing them into different pairs to practice the drawing on each others hands. Students were also given models of different hand-art paintings.

Love for animals

Within a few hours, the hall was animate with the painted heads of fierce tigers, dappled birds and seething cobras, all on the hands of the participants.

The students brought the brushes while the acrylic paint was provided by the organisers.

“We always wanted to do something different to trigger students’ creative talent,” says RSC project coordinator V.S. Ramachandran, who also feels that animal images drawn on students’ fists can help arouse their interest in the animal kingdom. “When you see the docile face of a zebra on your hand, you cannot help loving it,” he reasons.

Jabir Mushthari