niche with papiermache trained by mithila artist sharad kumar her creations use traditional papiermache techniques to fashion her rather urban creations after i have let the scraps of paper rot in water for about a week i use dried methi fenugreek seed powder or dink as the binder until now i have worked with acrylic paints but in the future i would love to experiment with natural dyes and pigments she said when working with papiermache artists need an armature or skeleton that holds the structure in place pitre finds mineralwater bottles function as the perfect armature for her creations i find inspiration in the people around me people walking on the street policemen and the person who does laundry delivering bundles mounted on more bundles of clothes on his overburdened moped the human form is fascinating now if you look at a bottle it has a head neck and chest perfect for my work she explained there are some who would dismiss pitres work as mere craft not serious art i have been doing this for 12 years now i guess that is serious enough i fell in love with it because it is a very forgiving medium not rigid like most others she concluded