SEPTEMBER
WOODWORKERS OF THE MONTH
MUHAMMAD
IRFAN, MUHAMMAD INAYATULLAH KHAN AND MR. ZAFAR
SEPTEMBER
WOODWORKERS OF THE MONTH
MUHAMMAD
IRFAN, MUHAMMAD INAYATULLAH KHAN AND MR. ZAFAR
|
Dave and Gloria are proud to feature a family of woodcarvers from Pakistan, as our September Woodworkers of the Month. Actually the family consists of three brothers, Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Inayatullah Khan and Mr. Zafar. Here are the pictures of two of the brothers. (Mr. Zafar is not pictured)
|
This talented family
comes from Lahore which is Pakistan's second largest city. With a
population of 2.5 million, it is
located in the midst
of the fertile alluvial plains. It has a very old and unique history.
Muhammad Irfan was kind
enough to share
some of this with us and we'll share it with you. Just click on the
highlighted link.
|
|
Muhammad Irfan tells me that the brothers find the subjects of their caricatures in the society around them. A sense of humor is the most important skill in spotting a good subject. The three brothers share and discuss ideas for the characters and then decide what the subjects will be. Eighteen caricatures are currently in their line and they are the focus of their business activities. Finishing is done with sandpaper and the help of a wheel. The photo on the left shows us how this is done, with Muhammad Irfan putting the finishing touches on "Hunter's" face. The wood he is working would be Chnar since that is used for making faces, hands, and arms. Chnar resembles the skin of humans, especially white people, Irfan laughingly tells us. In addition, the characters are carved from Diar, Dhrake and Cheer. Now, I figure anyone who carves Cheer has to be a good person.
|
|
I wonder if this little girl realizes that she probably has 100 times as many dolls as other little girls her age. This is the daughter of Inayatullah and she is just now starting school. Caricatures are carved as separate parts of the body. They consist of the face, body, legs, arms, hand and any accessories needed. The pieces displayed are the faces of "Yachtsman". Each piece is carved by a different carver who specializes in carving that particular piece. The shop has 50 people
working in homebased carving. Thanks to teamwork, those 50 people
manage to carve approximately a 1,000 caricatures per month.
|
|
|
|
On the right is a combination tool composed of a sanding wheel, sanding disk and a hand piece. Irfan describes the hand tool as very similar to a dentist's drill and it incorporates different kinds of cutters. It appears to be somewhat similar to our Dremel Tool. While the carving is in an unfinished form, the sanding wheel is employed. The sanding disk aids in assembling the piece because it cuts wood to a better finish for assembling. German glue is used as an adhesive. Muhammad Inayatullah Khan heads up the painting department with four assistants. In addition, he is credited with much of the teaching of the carvers. There are no schools for carvers other than the National College of the Arts where a few courses are taught. All of these carvers are self taught and introduced to the tradition of carving. When all the steps
are complete, the last step is to pack them for market. Many of the
carvings are displayed in the hotels of Lahore. They are always of
interest to European and United States tourists.
|
|
Here are a couple of samples of the caricatures which are currently for sale on the auction. You can visit them at Woodworkers Auction. We're very proud to be host to these fine artists! If you wish to contact the family, email them at eastern1@worldtelmeca.net.
HUNTER |
YACHTSMAN |
Return to Woodworkers Auction Main Page
