Cushion Cover 40x40cm Damien and Nyinkalya Marks DYM975 – Better World Arts

This traditional Kashmiri handicraft vitally suppliments an often fluctuating rural income. Wool is custom dyed to match the original artist’s image and hand stitched onto a cotton base. Each cushion is backed with natural coloured cotton canvas, and closes with a zip. Please note cushion fillers are not included. Royalties are paid to the artists for sales of this product. 
Story: ‘Family and Country’ by Damien and Yilpi Marks. This is a very detailed painting which describes a dry time of year in Damien’s homeland, Mount Liebig. The painting illustrates aspects of landscape and culture around that area that was told to Damien by his great-grandmother and great- grandfather. There are women sitting with their children collecting bush potatoes (the mass of red shapes at the bottom of the painting). The women are talking and getting ready for a ceremony. There is one man (wati) sitting down with his waru (spear). The spinifex is dry and so the man is walking around making bushfires. He is a good man, he is undertaking controlled burnings so the spinifex burns up and then good fruits can grow after this. There are several symbols in this painting. The small sun-like symbols represent women’s body painting – these are the images the women are painting on each other as they sit down ready for inma – traditional ceremony. There is a dry creek bed running through the painting (in red and white), and there are cracks in the ground and claypans. There are also dried rockholes (tjukula), and next to them are tali – sandhills. 
Size:                     400x400mmMaterial:             Cotton Backing, wool crewel work