Pune: For a Pune-based artist the process of preparing a single collage by semi-parching nearly 1 lakh pieces of residual straws of wheat ear and pasting it to prepare a single piece is nothing less than undergoing labour pain. The unique art of artiste Ramesh Baheti has won him first and second place in the portrait category of a US-based online art gallery.
A gold medalist from Aurangabad’s Government School of Art, the 54-year-old artist was born and brought up in Aurangabad and later he shifted to Pune for a livelihood. After taking up two to three jobs he discovered this unique and ‘unheard of’ collage making art and is doing collage for the last 30 years.
Baheti’s work ‘The Vintage Lady’ has won the first place while his collage work of Wheat Ear residue titled ‘Obama’ has won the second place at Focus Point Shape International Online Art Gallery which has its head office at US. Curator Elizabeth Merchant conveyed to Baheti on July 15 that two of his collage works were adjudged first place and second place in the portrait category.
Baheti told dna that being a farmer he came to know during his visit to Ambejogai, his native village that farmers have to burn these wheat ear residual straws since it decomposes at a very slow speed and cattle do not eat it. Baheti discovered that the straws when burnt catch fire immediately but the color of the straws changes to brown, dark brown or black. Being an artist he thought of using these straws for making collage. He then makes slices the straws that are as thin as 1 mm diameter and by pasting these small pieces in lakhs of numbers he prepares portraits. Baheti has prepared more than 50 portraits and one collage takes almost 5 to 6 months since the right kind of expression in the eyes and skin tones.
The US gallery would be displaying Baheti’s portraits for the entire year on its website.
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