Vases with a twist

Ashwini K Bhat, a professional, always had an inclination towards art and craft.

One day while surfing the internet, she came across 3D origami art and found it very exciting.

She was inspired to make paper vases and has been doing so for a couple of years now.

These are displayed beautifully in a showcase in her house Ashwini is grateful to her husband for his support.

“The first vase I made was very special. My husband appreciated it a lot and I was encouraged to make more,” she recalls.

“The vases are made of A4-sized sheets that have been used on one side. They are made in such a way that they stick together. I don’t even use any glue on them,” she says. Ashwini explains how fragile the vases are.

“A small vase is made up of 300 to 350 small triangular pieces. One gets around 32 triangular pieces from an A4-sized sheet,” she adds.

She has made a number of designs and a couple of them are in the shape of a swan.

“There is also one in the shape of a peacock,” she says. It takes anywhere from a week to a month to make these vases.

“It depends on the size of the vase. Since I work as well, I cut the pieces when I get some time off between cooking or even while relaxing and watching TV,” she says.

A lot of work goes into the making of each vase.  

“The work is very intricate and one needs to have a lot of patience to do it. It is important to realise that an art like this will take time.”

Ashwini says that her favourite colours are pink and green.

“My collection has vases in many colours though. I use shining or glaze paper, which is available at stationery shops. My husband and son also suggest colour combinations that I can work with,” she says.

“Once you start doing work like this, it is not that hard to get different ideas,” says Ashwini. She adds that in the past, she used to get inspired from various designs online.

“But nowadays, I just push myself to create something fresh every time. Also, my friends and family suggest different patterns and I try experimenting with them,” she says.
  
Speaking about the showcase in which she has kept her collection, she says, “The glass panels of the showcase have air passing through them. So the collection will stay safe for a couple of years,” she says confidently.

She loves gifting her craft to others. “I give them away at anniversaries and birthdays. The delight on people’s face when I give it to them is priceless. Getting appreciated always encourages one to do better,” she sums up.