Attractive items from scratch

It’s no secret that nature is beautiful — and John Anthony has capitalised on this by creating wonderful works of art from bits and pieces of nature.

A resident of Murgesh Palya, he collects various things like the bark of trees, branches, leaves and sometimes, pieces of glass, which he then turns into beautiful pieces of home decor.

“I hail from a very sleepy hill station in Kerala and that is where I started making these things. The place is in the heart of nature, with lush greenery and even a river nearby. So, when I came to Bangalore, I carried all those memories as well as some ideas along with me. Initially, I thought that I would purchase raw materials to make these items. However, this turned out to be very expensive and hence, I started collecting natural things to use,” he informs.

He uses these seemingly ordinary items — like tree bark and even cane — to create beautiful items which brighten up his home.

“I make lamps and decorations, but what I insist on is using natural products. I have never used plastic in any of the items that I make. I feel that we can make use of every aspect of nature. One of the things that I made and is very special to me is a sort of pot for a creeper. I painted a bottle and cut off its top half. I then filled it with some clay and placed a creeper inside. When hung in the balcony or inside the house, it looks beautiful,” he explains.

He likes to gift some of these decorative items to his friends. “I paint cane baskets and innovate. I have a good collection at home and have been making these things for a while now. I look at it from a simple perspective — the same things are available at a very high price in the market, so why not make use of the talent that I have? Many of my friends have picked up these items. They see them at home and take one if they like it. Most of the gifts that I give my friends are made by me. There is a lot of hard work and love involved in it,” he says.

John also gives a lot of credit to his better half, who has been instrumental in
coming up with ideas and encouraging him to pursue his passion.

“My wife has been really supportive and has helped in more ways than one. Sometimes, she even helps me by coming up with a great idea,” he says.

Some people have told him that he should make money through this hobby, but John refuses to do so. “People often ask me if I want to commercialise my hobby. But I feel that commercialising something that is so close to my heart will make me lose interest in it. I will have to work according to the whims and fancies of others. I would never want that,” adds John.

“I also collect pots of different sizes, paint them and stick branches inside them. Recently, I made a Christmas tree in which I had applied the concept of fall and winter. I had collected leaves and painted them in two colours to give that feel. I used spray-paint and to add snowflakes, I used some crushed styrofoam,” he says.

Recently, he has started painting guitars and wine bottles. “I spray-paint guitars. Some very close friends liked the idea and asked me to make some for them. I use my imagination and paint them accordingly. I made many such items during the Christmas season — gifting them to friends and relatives is immensely satisfying,” he sums up.