Colours of nature: straight to the palette

Chennai resident Juwairiya H teaches children how to explore the outdoors and collect materials to create art that is natural and sustainable. Each session begins with the children taking a silent nature walk with unplanned pauses to accommodate a scavenger hunt. “We do not buy anything,” explains Juwairiya. “Everything we use comes from nature. It is playful and unpredictable. Often, we do not know what colour will bloom and that uncertainty is part of the magic.” The children are encouraged to bring leaves, petals roots and seeds. Back in the workstation, they get to work with what they have collected. The paint-making is supported by a simple base: maida flour whisked into a slurry and boiled into perfect paint-like consistency. Multiple roads to creativity, some predictable and others unpredictable, extend out of there.