elegant decor

Artisan Emmanuel Atiemoh Yeboah of Ghana creates a lovely artwork of an elegant giraffe bathed in the colors of dusk. The artisan embellishes a calico cotton fabric with purple paint in the batik style and black paint to give the giraffe its characteristic pattern, cuts from that fabric the pieces that form the giraffe and glues them to an off-white fabric panel speckled with red on one side of the giraffe and blue on the other. The artisan adds details to complete the scene, such as grass drawn around the giraffe's feet. The collage is backed with heavy cardstock paper and framed with black ceiba wood.

The traditional patterns of the Javanese region adorn a myriad of textiles, showing the natural elegance of Indonesia. Inspired by these forms and colours that create unique motifs, artisan Fatchurohman creates this convenient journal whose cover combines brown, black and blue hues to create a unique Batik pattern. The accessory also comes with ninety recycled paper pages for an eco-friendly touch, and an elastic cord allows you to keep the item close and secure.

Seated on a tiger, Shiva lifts a hand in blessing. Regarded as the celestial overlord of deliverance through destruction, Shiva has his customary trident by his side as a show of divinity. The hissing cobra that slithers around his head symbolizes his potent divine destructivity, and his matted hair is thought to contain the flow of the Ganges River. Shiva is one of the most complex gods of India, embodying seemingly contradictory qualities. He is both the destroyer and the restorer, the great ascetic and the symbol of sensuality, the benevolent herdsman of souls and the wrathful avenger. Unaffected by the whims of the world, he is innocent and guileless, pure of mind and heart. He does not adorn his body with jewels or flowers — he mats his hair and dresses in animal hide.

Ida Bagus Lawa Bargawa is a master of the batik technique, sketching the figures by hand and applying the wax resist freehand, which requires great skill. A different dye bath is required for each separate colour in his elegant and complex batik "painting."

Gusti Made Sujana depicts a scene from the Jaka Tarub legend in this elegant batik painting. Jaka Tarub hid in the forest, spying on seven angels who were bathing in the river. Jaka hid one of the angels' shawls, not knowing they were magical. When the angels decided to fly back to heaven, the youngest one, whose shawl was missing, had to remain on earth. Her name was Nawang Wulan and Jaka came out of hiding to console her, not revealing his mischief.

He took her home and soon they fell in love, and had a child. Nawang Wulan magically provided Jaka with copious amounts of rice in the granary — something that Jaka had no knowledge of. But one day he disobeyed a simple request by Nawang Wulan, and with that action her magic powers came to an end.

When the rice was gone, Nawang Wulan happened to find her missing shawl, which could restore her heavenly powers. She decided to return to heaven but, before flying back home, she asked Jaka to build a hut next to their home and place their baby girl there so she could come at night and nurse her. Nawang continued to care for her family from heaven.