KOCHI: When her responsibilities in life eased, Bessy George decided to dust off her passion for art. After perfecting her glass painting skills, pottery decorations and clay art, the Ernakulam-native recently ventured into bottle art. Glass bottles in intricate clay detailings, embellishments and jute wrapping, plunged in vibrant colours are lined up at Bessy’s residence. Her newest interest, ‘decoupage’, can also be spotted among them.
The french art form where you decorate an object by glueing coloured paper cut-outs and decorative elements has slowly crept into Bessy’s bottle art collections. “Whenever I come across uniquely shaped glass bottles, I have the habit of collecting them with the thought of putting them to better use. I guess I always wanted to make art out of them, but now became a good time,” quips Bessy.
Vintage-toned florals assembled in the most aesthetic way dominates many of her decoupage works. The snowy pine trees, owls wearing Santa’s hats, golden and copper clay inserts — these are some of the highlights in her recently released Christmas themed decoupage art. “Bottles with artwork will not just spruce up one’s interior. It can be used for many purposes too, like to put plants in. The Christmas themed decoupage can also be used as wine bottles,” says Bessy. It is not just bottles, Bessy’s expedition to create art out of purposeful objects has led her to try decoupage on even bamboo food cover baskets!
On the surface, a mixture of glue and paint is coated thrice. Printed tissues are then cut into the required pattern and size and stuck on the surface. “To get the finished look, mod podge glue will be applied to the printed tissue. This will also prevent the tissue from tearing and give a glossy-matt look to the bottle,” adds Bessy.
The artist refuses to replicate the already available artworks on the internet. Whatever comes to her mind is made with utmost care, staying true to her homegrown venture’s name, ‘Genesys’. “It was my kids who motivated me to start a venture where I could showcase my artworks. I have plans to make decoupage out of tissue boxes as well,” says Bessy.
Instagram: @genesys.arts