All of the artists are leprosy affected, and all of the artists exhibit their own style. I love the days that we get to go to the art school and look through the never ending stacks of their expressive art. The special and unique aspect of the school, is that the painters paint from imagination. In the states, we have the Internet to see pictures and we have TV and often the ability to travel. These people do not have those luxuries (except everyone does have a TV.. its a reflection of the corruption found in the government. Someone running for an office promised a TV to anyone that voted for him- and they did, so everyone now owns a TV). The pictures of mysterious mountains, of nature with rivers and beaches, vibrant flowers, all of these are from their imagination. Some have had the luxury to travel, so they will describe and tell stories to the others who will draw and paint what they imagine it to be. Something unique about buying them at the school is that you get to take a picture with your artist after you purchase the work. It is always a special moment to put a face and personality with what you get to bring home with you. The funds that are raised from the paintings goes back to the colony and its needs. The reason why we are building a community center is partly because of the funds raised from the art pieces being sold.I took my first group to the art school today, and I expounded upon what I knew of the art school, the peoples stories that I knew, and that one of the artists has a child at Rising Star. I let the group search through the stacks, while I explored deeper into the school. I found a man, who spoke decent English and he was asking me questions about America and how long I was able to stay in India. He said that he had seen me carrying bricks and cement to the houses and through the roads and how he was so appreciative of what we were doing. He is so very excited for the community center to be finished and provide a common meeting place for all of the colony members. He then grabbed my hand and brought it to his forehead while bowing and said that "God will bring many blessings for your work. You come, you build, and you still buy paintings. The money from the paintings helps build. And still you buy to bring home and we can live in America with you. You show us on your walls. God bless you..." I as so taken back by the mans gesture. This is a common way for Indians to 'give blessings' and appreciation, by putting your hand near their bowed forehead, but his words were ones I had not thought of.
We come to the colonies everyday to help and build. These people help by painting. We buy their paintings as well as help them to build. And this man was appreciative that we would tell others about him and his home by hanging these paintings onto our walls. How beautiful that all labor points back to the wholeness of a community.
Today one of the girls found a picture of a man who was painting a picture. One of the artists who is usually the translator because he understands the most english became very excited and said that this man paints the most beautiful pictures. Everyone loved him, and he passed away this year. So one of the artists drew a memorial picture of him. The artists who had passed away did not have fingers, he only had stubs for arms and he would fasten paint brushes to his wrists and create paintings that would reflect such Indian beauty. The man said that whoever bought the painting, needed to understand his story, so that it could be told as it hung on a wall. Bindu Art School: http://www.bindu-art.at/
