Marieke's Art of Living

06/08/2026

The joy and energy of saturated colours. Adore Tuareg blue Justin Art House Museum

29/07/2026

💙 a home library and don’t understand a house without bookshelves Justin Art House Museum

13/06/2026

07/02/2026

A most worthwhile day outside Ahmedabad or en route to Dasada and the Rann of Kutch. 11th C marvel of architecture dedicated to the solar deity of Surya, exhibiting advanced engineering and astronomical sophistication. The Rani ki Vav designed as an inverted temple, the pinnacle of stepwell architecture with over 500 principal sculptures and seven levels of elaborate steps. Patola weaving that has survived in Gujarat since the 12th C requiring unimaginable skill and patience to create double ikat in silk and natural dyes.

07/02/2026

Gandhi Ashram Ahmedabad.
A contemplative Sunday morning revisiting those principles that informed Gandhi’s social activism, non violent civil disobedience, and fundamental philosophy of sustainability, self reliance, democracy as relevant today as it was in the 20thC. Charles Correa’s 1963 design of the museum is also notable for its wall sized louvres, full length pivoting doors, courtyards, absence of glass, climatically adaptive with reflection pools.

02/02/2026

One of my favourite ateliers in Jaipur .jaipur the brainchild of super inventive, ever creative, multitalented and his partner who support brilliant artists and artisans from far and wide. This year an exquisite installation by Dutch artist . They also have space for the inspiring studio who work with an ancient technique of clay and lime plaster. Fashion doyenne and dame and sculptor artist and founder of Alternative Miss World were in the house participating in one of their fabulous workshops. ❤️

31/01/2026

Mehrangarh Fort pt ll.

29/01/2026

Mighty majestic Mehrangarh Fort.
Once upon a time in the early iterations of my Rajasthan tours, we enjoyed an unforgettable private Royal tented camp with its own dining room and staff set up on the parade grounds within the battlements: nightly bonfires with exceptional music performances from the likes of , call for prayer rising high, bed tea at dawn. No one else after 5pm.
Nothing could have prepared me for the crowds of domestic tourists now visiting. It was huge given their Republic Day weekend.
So grateful to have experienced the old, slower, quieter, magical Rajasthan of yore. But still in ❤️ ❤️

29/01/2026

Meet Roopraj, one of six brothers in the Bhobariya family who have received national recognition for their exceptional dhurrie weaving - a refined skill handed down through the generations. They work in cotton, silk, jute, camel and sheep’s hair with natural or synthetic dyes. They take on even complicated bespoke designs. Dhurrie weaving is a traditional, primarily flat-weave, handloom technique creating reversible cotton, wool, or silk rugs. Key techniques include simple, sturdy plain weaving, complex tapestry, and the “Panja” method, where artisans use a metal comb-like tool to tighten weft threads. Patterns are typically geometric, woven on horizontal or vertical pit looms.
Panja Technique is a distinct technique used in Rajasthan, involving a panja (a metallic, claw-like tool) to beat and compress the weft yarn tightly, creating a robust, durable, and dense flatweave.
Weft-Faced Tapestry (Interlocking): The design is often created by interlocking weft threads, allowing multiple colors to exist side-by-side without creating gaps in the fabric.
Extra-Weft Technique: Artisans lift specific, often pre-determined warp yarns and pass the weft yarn across them to create intricate, well-defined, and often complex geometric patterns on the surface.
Weaving is done on traditional, often handmade, horizontal, or pit looms. The warp (vertical threads) is stretched between two beams anchored to the ground.

28/01/2026

A Bishnoi settlement- conservationists for time immemorial. The 29 Principles of Bishnoi are spiritual and ecological commandments from Guru Jambheshwar, guiding followers (Bishnois) to live in harmony with nature and God, emphasizing non-violence, compassion, truth, purity, and environmental protection, with key rules including daily bathing, fasting on Amavasya, not cutting green trees, abstaining from meat, alcohol, and to***co, and showing mercy to all living beings. These rules promote internal purity (controlling lust, anger) and external purity (cleanliness, filtering water), fostering spiritual and environmental well-being. Rajasthan Roads Less Travelled Tour.