Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine APRIL 2019 | Page 194
Shilpa’s
Unique Arts
S
Cayman’sVersatile Artist
Shilpa Tagalpallewar
Henna . Acrylic painting . Oil painting . Coffee painting
Motivating and inspiring handpaintings on wooden signs
Decorating Indian events . Face painting . Body art
Painting paper parasols . Handicraft
Decorative candle making
“I just wanted to prove to my daughter that nothing is impossible in
the world if you are willing, dedicated and most importantly you are
passionate about what you want to do. You don’t need any language to
express who you are and I think I proved that.” ~ Shilpa
hilpa is the only
professional henna
artist holding an
International
Certificate for Natural Henna
Arts (ICNHA) on the Cayman
Islands. A post graduate in art
and commerce, she has loved
art since 12 years old while in
her home country, India. She
would watch as her aunt, a
professional artist, painted and
taught art and she vowed to
do the same. And she did just
that for 15 years in India before
moving to the Cayman Islands,
which has been her home for
the past 10 years.
She loves Cayman’s sandy
beaches, sea creatures, houses,
tropical flowers, stunning
sunsets, sunrises and Cayman
heritage which are all common
themes in her paintings.
Shilpa said, “Being an Indian and
artist, I have always tried my best
to represent my culture in my art
and social activities in Cayman.
I strongly believe that the sky is
the limit in terms of art, and I feel
inspired to recreate on canvas
and you can see the beautiful
paradise in my art by my artistic
view.”
Active in her community as a
volunteer and artist, Shilpa has
collaborates with Camana Bay
Dart Group and their weekly
Artisan Market; Cayfest’s Red
Sky at Night artisan festival
and Batabano where she uses
her skills to apply makeup
and henna tattoos on to the
masqueraders. You’ll find
her at parties, baby showers,
Christmas events, the list goes
on. . .
Henna Tattoo is the most
unique of all her artwork and
she is pleased to be the one
who started this art form on
the island. Using natural color,
white, black organic and glow
in the dark colours, the tattoo’s
temporary nature, plus its
natural and painless method
of application, has resulted in
it being a huge attraction and
very popular on Grand Cayman.
Her designs are magical. Clients
would give her the idea of what
they would like and she is left to
work her artistic magic. They are
pleased, everytime!
Although henna is her favourite,
she is versed in other types of
art. Face painting, body art,
candle decorating and painting
on canvas are other ways her
skill is expressed.
Shilpa’s inspiration for her
paintings come from her
colorful, vibrant Indian culture
and the beautiful Cayman
islands. She mixes them
together and the resulting paint
on canvas is truly a reflection of
her heart and soul.