99 bottles of beer on the wall,
99 bottles of beer
Take one down and paint it all bright
98 bottles of beer on the wall
Do these lyrics sound a bit different to you? Well, I couldn't help but change the lyrics of this pretty popular road trip number after meeting Paiadaka Lyngdoh. Originally from Shillong and now living in Bengaluru, Paiadaka upcycles empty beer bottles into art decor pieces with just a dash of paint. And these can go anywhere in your bedroom, living room, even your garden. "I have never attended formal painting classes. I'm what you call a self-taught artist and I've found peace in painting beer bottles," she shares. But how did this unique passion spark in the 27-year-old? "My friends and I used to party often during the weekends. One day, when I was cleaning up, I found a lot of these beer bottles lying around. All of these were headed to the trash when the idea of painting them struck me."
Paiadaka started painting these bottles in 2019 and till now, she has painted over 300 bottles. She says, "Since I paint them the way I want to, I call it abstract art. The idea behind painting these bottles itself was not to restrict art or paint in a particular style. The first one I did, I painted a woman on the bottle and decorated her hair with thin threads of gunny sack. Similarly, I have used wheat grains and funky, colourful buttons too to decorate these bottles. I usually use acrylic paint on them." In the recent past, Paiadaka worked as a human resource recruiter but she quit her job some time ago and is currently on a break.
With sustainability being all the craze now, orders must be flying in for these cool, unique pieces. But Paiadaka informs us, "I get many orders as I post these pictures on social media but I don't really sell them because it is difficult to ship bottles. They might get damaged or the paint might chip off while being shipped due to all that movement. So, for now, my art is restricted to me painting them and then storing them in a see-through cupboard. These art pieces encourage me to do more of such work. I usually give them away as birthday gifts to my friends and relatives."
Considering how intricate some of her designs are, we wonder how long it takes her to finish one piece. Paiadaka says, "I take at least two days to paint one bottle. Remember, it's not just the painting of it, I need to clean it, remove the sticker and the lingering glue too. Then, I apply a base coat to work on with acrylic paint. Finally, I get started with the actual design and do it the way I envision it."
You can also visit her instagram page, paiadakas_arthouse
