Granite sculpture

These are very very large not-so-low relief murals hand carved out of granite from southern India. I love them, especially the tree... and the fish. A little more info down below.

Granite sculpture

I recently went to a sculpture garden showcasing work by artisans from a small town by the ocean called Mamallapuram. It is located between Madras and Pondicherry. This is a private garden owned by a granite company that ships granite all over the world; I saw one really beautiful tombstone going to Minnesota. Anyway, the sculptors are taught by the older generations in their families . They have been doing this type of work for hundreds and hundreds of years. The work in my photographs were all commissioned by the company with its own granite transformed. I was so lucky to be able to come here; it is also only about two hundred yards from the beach. I was awestruck. Many of these works were done from pictures and drawings from people everywhere commissioning these sculptures, and then the company keeps this garden to show prospective clients. I want one for my birthday.





This is Shiva. He is very strong and powerful in the Hindu religion. He is believed by the Hindus to be the god of death, which also signifies rebirth.

(above left)In the foreground is buddha as a very thin and serious man. Most images depict buddha as chubby and bald. (right)This one reminds me of an American Indian totem pole.

This is one of my favorites because it reminds me of home. One time an alligator about this size chased my little brother up a tree when he and my dad were seining a little fishing hole. Daddy wanted to have a fish fry for the whole family at Easter. Not only did we have alot of fish that got scared into the net, but we also had gator tail.

All this beautifully cut grass that you see is cut by hand. Local women are hired to water it and cut it with sickles. I haven't seen a riding lawnmower since I arrived.

Above is a Bible scripture translated into Tamil by one of my Indian friends..it says,

"Love each other. Just as I haved loved you, you should love each other."

John 13:34

i love this fabric.

For those of you who don't have a clue where Pondicherry is, I have posted a little map to help you out. As you can see it is in the very southern region of India. South India is very very different than Northern India, especially on the coasts(and the food). I have always loved living near the beach and I am very blessed to be doing it in India. Pondy is small in Indian terms. It has about a million people and has a beautiful downtown section that the locals call "white town". That is because alot of French (not only french, but the majority) people come here during the tourist season (around September through March) and stay between 3 to 6 months. Why French people? Wikipedia says, " Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry (help·info)) is a Union Territory of India. It is a former French colony, consisting of four non-contiguous enclaves, or districts, and named for the largest, Pondicherry. In September 2006, the territory changed its official name from Pondicherry to the vernacular original,[1][2] Puducherry, which means "New village"[citation needed] in the Tamil language. The territory is called புதுச்சேரி (Putuccēri) or பாண்டிச்சேரி (Pāṇṭiccēri) in Tamil,, or "Pondichéry" in French. It is also known as The French Riviera of the East (La Côte d'Azur de l'Est).

It is beautiful, cheap, and very, very social. The beach promenade is full of people walking along the shore, eating, chatting, and trying not to give all their money away to the homeless on the nearby streets. This is my first time living in a developing country or in Asia. I am from a very small town in South Georgia called Tifton (USA). I have never imagined such poverty and decadence living so closely to one another. After sometime, I began not carrying my camera around with me every minute so I could actually relax and enjoy myself.

Before deciding to stay in Pondy, I lived in Auroville which is about 5 miles north. It is an interesting place, but I didn't really fit in with most of the "aging European expatriates in a perpetual summer camp" . Auroville is a place where you hide from the rest of the world, and I enjoyed that for a while. "The Mother and Sri Aurobindo" weren't really my thing either, although the Sri Aurobindo Ashram does alot of great things with the community in Pondicherry and has a nice guest house by the sea. Auroville has alot of cool architecture, experimental energies, permaculture, organic food and wonderful cashew farms! I took a class on rammed earth and unfired brick making. I enjoyed my time there.

Though most of my traveling in India is finished, I kinda prefer just to stay in Pondy.... it's still an adventure everyday.

I am so excited because this is my first shipment of merchandise back home. Keep me in your prayers!

indian market

(top left image) My little bag

(top right image) I love this HUGE market bag; no need to use plastic or paper any more! I think this would be great for the grocery store, farmers market, etc. It could also be used at the beach, as well as a yoga bag, gym bag, or carry-all. I use mine all the time when I am riding on my scooter so i can go in to town and get everthing I need. I don't have a car in India like alot of people I know here, and who needs a trunk when you have this thing! side note: no matter how heavy it is, the oversized strap makes it extremely comfortable, I am going to start having these made in organic cotton.

(bottom left image) This is a great simple design. I have this bag in black silk and it is beautiful. The tie is simple and shows the interior color of the bag.

(bottom right image) This bag is typical indian colors, the brighter the better! I love these colors, but the fabric is a poly/ silk blend. I am not a big fan of polyester ( even though I used to get a kick out of my grandmother's double knit polyester suits... they were so awesome on her) I love the shiny!

possible ideas

These are a design called Thai wrap pant. The crotch needs to be taken up some, for the Western market.The border is made from edging that is used on the "sarees" which is the traditional wrap dress worn by most indian women.

This bag is made from the cotton/silk blend and also has the saree border sewn on it. I love this fabric because it has a nice sheen. The strap is oversized so you can fold it, twist it to see the interior color. The button is made from "coir" which is coconut shell. These are pics I took of possible designs and fabrics. I would like to use silk/cotton blends for spring/summer and 1oo% silk for fall/winter.

i love this skirt.

Sooo.... this is my first real blog. I have never really been a "writer", i am a photographer, but now I feel it is time for me to put some ideas, thoughts, inspirations together so that I can see them all cohesively in one place. Also, I really appreciate critiques (constructive) and opinions from the people I love and admire so this is a way for me to communicate my ideas in a sort of stream of consciousness format quickly and get some feedback.

UUGGHHH!!! this computer just decided to turn itself off and I lost my train of thought...so India.

I have been in India for eight months and have been completely inspired in a way that hasn't happened in a long time for me. I am originally from Tifton, Georgia USA. I decided to come here because I turned 30, and I decided to stay a while because I got a year visa. I love sustainable design and development; more specifically in architecture and construction. I also like accessories; more specifically, bags.... and I love to eat.

The colors, smells, architecture, people in South India have really done a job on me. Another really amazing realization is how different business transaction, money handling, and networking is done. I try to think how I would put that down in writing and make sense of it, but as of yet, I have failed. Even on paper..... but what keeps coming to the forefront of my mind is "organized chaos, organized chaos...".

There are some things here I would like to do. I want to put up some photos of bags and clothes I have found recently at the "Goubert Market" in Pondicherry (Puducherry) Tamil Nadu, India where I now reside and love. This market was a little difficult to find at first, as it is inside one city block. There are entrances to the outside between the buildings facing out to the street. After a while, I found that most of the entrances have yellow painted arches that say "Goubert Market" leading you in. How could I have missed the yellow? I don't know, I think I was looking too hard, like when I'm stalking mosquitos in my room to kill before I go to bed at night. To my defense, the signs are dirty and stained with everything imaginable.

The merchandise is mainly cotton, silk/cotton mix, and silk. The designs are clean and modern; simple but great fabrics, colors, and shapes.