The American philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said that every artist was once an amateur. Art, as a discipline, has evolved over the centuries to fit nearly every niche and corner one can possibly think of. Everyone and their dog knows about the immortal works of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo, but the same crowd is scarcely aware of the fact that both maestros were largely, if not entirely, self-taught.
Decoupage, or the art of decorating a given object by glueing coloured paper cutouts onto it in combination with special paint effects, embeddings and other decorative elements, is all the rage today. Vases, tissue boxes, teapots, containers and the like are all viable subjects of this art. And here in Chennai, a workshop on reverse decoupage is being offered by Payal Kedia, an Actuarial Science graduate from University of Madras. Payal began contemplating the feasibility of this art form during her college days in Bengaluru and brought it to life for those budding artists who seek to know more about this French-flavoured treat-of-an-art.
“Reverse decoupage is a variation of decoupage wherein the steps are reversed, since we do it on the back of a transparent surface, like glass or plastic. In the workshop, participants get hands-on experience in practising this art and developing their skills in it. The ‘crackle effect’ additionally gives the product a unique antique/vintage look,” says Payal. Her workshops have been held in both Bengaluru and Chennai, roughly 30 of them over the course of 4 years. “We came to know that in Chennai, reverse decoupage hadn’t really taken root, so we thought it would be a new experience for art lovers in Chennai,” says the workshop team. The members provide all possible assistance and training to the participants, and the workshop includes all crafting materials and accessories. “The participants can reach out to us at any point in the future to clarify any doubts they have pertaining to the art form,” they say.
Payal also says that her team believes in a heterogeneous audience, and would like to see more male participants in their workshops. “Though we have more female artists, we would love to see an increase in male participants. It’s open to children as well. Anyone above 8 or 9 years of age can attend the workshop, and of course there is no upper limit,” she remarks. The current package offered by the team comes to about INR 1,450 per person for a three-hour session, and this covers training and materials. Endorsed under the banner of ‘Soul Craft’, Payal and her young team would like to take their workshops to the next level. “We specialise in different art forms such as variations of the decoupage techniques, sospeso (beginner and advanced), mixed media, album making, flower making, acrylic works, quilling and a lot more,” she says proudly.
When asked about their inspiration, the team replies unanimously, “Our motive has always been to impart the knowledge and techniques that we have to our participants, so that they leave the workshop with the exact same state of knowledge as ours, except perhaps for the fact that they may have to practice more to obtain a certain level of perfection.”
For more information regarding the workshops being offered, please visit https://fr-fr.facebook.com/pg/soulcraftproducts/posts/
Additionally, Payal may be reached for enquires at +91 7259422731.
