Paintings That Are Down To Earth, Literally

Jai Krishna Painuly loves to be called the “maati’ man. Maati means soil and he got this name as he uses soil as a medium to make paintings. The 49-year-old chemistry teacher of a government school in Rudraprayag had a passion for painting but didn’t find the time to do so. One day, in 2007 he decided that he would daily devote two hours to the thing he loves to do most- paint. Painuly started painting the canvas with mud and soil of different areas of Uttarakhand like Kedarnath, Gairsain, Niti Valley, Badrinath, Joshimath, Srinagar and Tehri. Later on, he visited some foreign nations like Thailand, Singapore and Malayasia and brought the soil from these countries. His procedure of painting with soil is extremely simple, yet complex as it requires absolute perfection. Painuly mixes the soil with water and applies three to four coats on the canvas until the time he gets the perfect colour. He also uses resin from trees, which is mixed with soil and water to give the desired effect. Painuly explains, "The most difficult part is knowing the colour of different areas and how it can be used with perfection on a canvas. What colour would be most suited to make face, hair, eyes, body or a scene is an essential part. At times it takes 20 days to a month to get the exact painting." Painuly has completed over hundred paintings and has held many exhibitions in different parts of the country and abroad. He also takes out time to teach this art to his students.