Painter and ceramist Monika Rekhi used to be an interior designer before she followed her calling for creative fine arts. When she first started dabbling in art in 2001, Rekhi only wanted to draw in black and white, it took her a long time to enjoy the complexity of colours.

Born and raised in India, Rekhi shows a preference to semi-realistic landscapes. The monochrome drawings of Indian palaces and temples in her Monuments collection have limited coloured aspects such as a tree or the sun.

Her culture-based Pan African Series is charcoal portraits of African people whose arms, necks and featureless heads are adorned with bright, pastel-coloured cultural jewellery.

Her portfolio also includes a number of abstracts in acrylic on canvas and silk fabrics painted in warm shades of red and yellow. I find the most fascinating of her creations to be the ceramic turbans fashioned after the Dastaar or Pagri headdress of Sikh men. Originating from Persia thousands of years ago, turbans are widely worn in the Middle East and South Asia.

“I was encouraged and challenged by my pottery instructor, Waithira Chege, to make ceramic turbans,” says the Nairobi-based artist. The result is an array of exquisite creations ranging from red and turquoise to agate brown and milky white.

Several turbans are inlaid with beads and stained glass. Some have a glossy finish while others have patterns similar to textile embroidery or embossing.

“I get my inspiration for colourful turbans from those worn by my husband,” says Rekhi. The shapes vary from peaked fronts and rounded tops to relaxed wraps.

Rekhi is also experimenting with cloth dipped in clay and moulded into a turban. “I keep discovering and experimenting new ways and techniques to make more ceramic turbans,” she says.

Her creations are great conversation starters.