Flurry of flowers and wild life

Hasina says, "I first came across these crafts in South Africa where I lived for over ten years. I had done some embroidery of my own before as a student of Home Economics College. I set myself to learn this craft, which, to me, was very attractive and soothing. I took a course in ribbon embroidery and decoupage at the Ashanti Institution of Arts and Crafts at Port Elizabeth. I've been doing the embroidery for four years and I've been following the other technique since 2001. These are my passions and which I hope to continue along with a career as a dietician at Melbourne, Australia, where I'm now living. Coming to Bangladesh for a holiday, I received a lot of encouragement among my friends and relative and so I decided to go public with my work. I'd held a joint show before while in South Africa."

Hasina explains that there is special paper for decoupage which is cut, mounted and glazed in different stages after which it gets a three dimensional effect. Some of the patterns are her own while others are ones that she has collected along the way. The equipment and material is from overseas, from UK and South Africa. One has to use silicon and water-colour varnish with it. In case of the ribbon embroidery the motif is composed on computer and transferred on to cloth and then worked open with needle, thread, ribbon and beads, by hand. "This gives satisfaction to my creative urge," Hasina comments. "What interest me in particular are trees, flowers and wild animals," she adds.

In one frame there was a pink orchid complete with petals and leaves, while another had three deep red rose blossoms, while a third had a fuchsia in grayish pink. There were other flowers too like lilies, zinnia, and iris. Along with them were flying dolphins seen in a complete landscape with the sky, trees, river and mountains in the background.

Hasina had also brought in a spotted cheetah sitting on a tree, a golden and brown lion poised in front of a tree trunk. Among the presentation of wild life were three zebras, and a bee- eater with blue and green wings complemented by its orange breast. There were many depictions of ladies seen wandering in diaphanous Edwardian flowing clothes in gardens with feasts of flowers -- taken from the English countryside. Hedges, trees, pathways, garden furniture, pots for plants were included in the composition. The embroidery and decoupage lifted one up from the world of cement jungles and carried one away to the world of birds, free jungles beasts and delightful extravaganza of cultivated garden in a great range of colours. There were clocks too in the assortment of over 30 craft pieces, where numbers were replaced with large flowers, with a clockwork machine placed in the centre, along with the necessary hands.

Hasina believes that by developing and nourishing our interest in arts and crafts, we can overcome any unrest or evil in society.