Mudabidre : Literary enthusiasts and visitors had a glimpse of hundreds of art works at the Alva’s Kala Mela organised as part of the annual literary and cultural extravaganza Alva’s Nudisiri (2015) at Vidyagiri in Moodbidri on Friday.

As many as 70 artists from across the State have displayed their works at the Kala Mela organised as part of the literary festival. The art works are also on sale.

There was a good demand for portrait drawing and several artistes were seen drawing the portraits of people in less than 20 minutes.

Artist N B Parvatagoudar of Gadag, who has successfully experimented with wooden chip art, said that the drawing was created only by pasting the wooden chips.

He said he collected the wooden chips from various sources and put them together to create images in the reverse process of inlay work. The process takes around a month as the image and the shading is created by joining the wooden chips of various colours, he added.

He is a primary school teacher by profession.

Another artist Nagaraj M S of Chikkamagaluru, who has put up landscapes, said the ancient monuments and other places of interest in his locality which are in the verge of extinction, are the subjects of his art.

Karkala-based C E Kamath Institute for Artisans has put a exhibition-cum-sale stall.

Idols and other artifacts made of wood, metal, stone and terracotta have been displayed here. The art works were made by the artisans trained by the institute. The metal embossing works on Hindu Gods and Goddesses were rich and splendorous.

Artisan Surya said he underwent training at the institute for one-and-a half years.

The wood works are made with Shivani wood considered as auspicious for making God and Goddess idols. Black stone is used for making stone idols, he added.

Another artisan Ravindra said the price of the items is based on the intricacy of the art work. Twenty-five per cent of the amount obtained from the sale of the artifacts is transferred to the respective artisans’ bank accounts by the institute as a gesture to encourage them.

Ravindra added that artisans from the institute have exhibited their works at Shilpa Kala Academy too.

Art works, made of vegetables, were the main attraction. An array of medicinal plants too are on display at Krishi Siri.

People also visited book, cloth and fancy item stalls set up at the venue.