Botanical Art Workshop at Rao Jodha Desert Park

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Botanical Art Workshop at Rao Jodha Desert Park

Jodhpur, Rajasthan

August 2019, 2022–25

The Rao Jodha Desert Park in Jodhpur is a painstakingly restored desert ecosystem on the rocky slopes below the Mehrangarh fort. Invasive species and barren rock have given way to a flourishing expanse of local, endemic plants.

The week-long workshop has intensive art sessions and informative daily walks in the region with naturalists to understand the unique desert vegetation.

Rao Jodha Desert rock park is the location for the workshop. The historic Mehrangrah fort provides the dramatic backdrop.

The park is a carefully restored landscape, bursting with colour and monsoon foliage. We explore the trails and understand the native plants with expert naturalists.

Traversing the Hathi nala is always an adventure in the rains. On both sides of the nala are rhyolite and sandstone rocks, which give the area its characteristic rust and violet tones.

Outdoor field work is integral to the process of making botanical art. Observation, drawing and notation in the restored char-bagh of the Abha Mahal at Nagaur.

Photographing the lily ponds at the Abha Mahal. Taking detailed pictures for reference is important, as samples tend to wilt and change colour.

Typically, a field journal will include size, colour, texture and detail of the botanical sample. It helps to have a magnifying glass to peer at the smaller details.

One on one tuition is provided, in different mediums such as pen, pencil, and watercolour.

Painting outdoors at the park. After field work, it’s important to set up a workstation with a sample to finish the artwork.

There is an exhibition of the participants artwork at the end of the week. It’s a heartening and enjoyable end to a fairly intense week!

Informal talks and discussions at the guest house, where participants also share their different work experiences.

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Malini Saigal

Create Your First Project

Botanical Art Workshop at Rao Jodha Desert Park