Chantal Guillermet – Entrance- “Zenana Mahal”
When visiting Amber, a royal fortress near Jaipur, I was really impressed by the “Zenana” part of the Palace where the women used to live.
Surrounded by gardens and running water, the beautiful Indian Architecture was embellished by a lot of small mirrors and paintings.
Using one of my picture I’ve created “Zenana Mahal” or the princesses’ Palace. The silhouette of the woman is also drawn from one of my pictures.
Material : chintz for the background, hand dyed fabrics, scraps of silk, lamé, satin, damassé …
Fabric metallic paint, gold thread, nylon monofilament.
Technique : Fabrics are cut in stripes first, then in squares and rectangles of different sizes. They are fused on the background fabric.
The sandwich is prepared, and the squares are appliquéed with a zigzag stitch and nylon monofilament taking the 3 layers (a quilting)
The Arch is fused on the top, and made with white satin printed with a lino block and gold paint.
Finally it is embellished with fabric paint ; It is quilted using my picture on tracing paper.
Close up View:
FIFTEEN BY FIFTEEN 
The archway is rendered beautifully…and presents such a contrast with the diminutive figure of the woman walking nearby.
I love the use of colourful squares in the background and the depth of field with the arches, a delightful memory. Well done
I love the contrast of the cold stone and the warmth of the surroundings; great memory.
A lovely us of the coloured patches to suggest a richer background. I like the way that this contrasts with the detail in the archway
Just one word: beautiful!
When I saw this beautiful piece I immediately knew it was you. Your India experience is so visible in the arch and the colors. I love the contrast with the small figure.
Chantal, this is a really beautiful piece of work. I love the high colour contrast of the patches, against the stone arch, and the perspective. I can always identify your work as soon as I see the photograph. Just love it..