Two artists who I keenly follow, and who are sure to inspire you as well...
The Unskilled Worker
Self taught British artist Helen Downie usually goes by the above moniker, and has a super popular instagram account which led to her being found by none other than the fashion house of Alexander McQueen, followed by Gucci.
Her work is intriguing, eerie and complex.Colorful and detailed. Soulful and poetic.
Sheila Berger
New York based painter and sculptor. Love her hand cast project, especially, and am dying to see them all in one big sculpture as she envisions it on her website.
Don't miss a glimpse into all her work here.
And watch this video of her story and process on Portraits in Creativity
Fenny Suter
Her embroidery is vividly imaginative, will take you to other worlds, bringing back that peaceful easy feeling.
Like me, are you also attracted to work that celebrates man's insignificance before nature?
On another note,
are you planning to visit the Bangkok Art Biennale 2018 and Kochi-Muziris Art Biennale 2018?
I am lucky to be in Bangkok at this time, and also visiting Kochi by the end of this year, super looking forward to them both!
Looking for some easy DIY Diwali decor ideas for your home this season?
Diwali decorating doesn't have to be time consuming or expensive. Mixing everyday elements with your shiny ones in interesting ways, can delight you with beautiful corners at home with very little effort.
Here are some unique Diwali vignettes I styled and shot for a collaboration with Asian Paints.
1. A casual basket of flowers
What about a basket of roses casually sprinkled over the center table, with glistening drops of water on them? (Almost like choosing wild, unmanicured gardens over manicured lawns!) Throw in some gold/brass figurines, warm lighting and you have a surefire conversation starter there.
2. Silverware and warm lighting
Dull, warm
lighting can enhance gold and silver ware and the gorgeous reflection of tea
lights on them. Bring in figurines and flowers to add life to the vignette.
3. A South Indian Diwali vignette as center table décor
Dust off those vintage paintings, and arrange them tastefully with gold plated diyas, gold jewellery, and a Kerala saree or Kanchipuram silk saree to add shimmer and shine this festive season. Group them in a spot with plenty of natural light, and simply let the vignette take centre stage.
4. A classic Indian - Mediterranean combo as Diwali center table décor Match your terracotta diyas with Turkish lamps for a novel look. You could enhance it with silver elements, flowers and shimmering fabric as the backdrop.
5. Silver jewelry and silverware Use your favourite silvers lavishly to infuse drama in your Diwali vignettes.
Time to bring out those silver, enamel earrings. Pair them with your silverware and silks for a centerpiece that glitters, but is not gold.
6. Diya decor
Local markets would be teeming with diyas of all shapes and sizes during this season. Perk up the diya spread interspersing them with quick and easy Rangolis, done using the Rangoli plates which are available in hundreds of beautiful designs.
7. Decorating your pooja room for Diwali
Deco up your Puja rooms tastefully this Diwali. Try a beautiful combination of terracota idols with diyas and mud cooking vessels, flowers and silks. Light up incense sticks and diyas, and transform your pooja space into a sensory delight.
8. Using everyday flowers in a unique way
Jasmine garlands can add instant freshness to your Diwali decor. Mix in a cocktail of lights and ornaments for some quick, sure-fire magic. This is a beautiful idea for work-day evenings during the festive season when you hardly have time,
but wish your home would transform magically in no time!
Wish you all a sparkling season!
If you like these tips, here's a video of this post for you to share/save:
(I shot these images for Asian Paints, and these images now belong to Asian Paints)
While I look forward to visiting Bangalore's annual art festival on the street, the Chitra Santhe in Jan of 2017, thought I should share some of the pictures from this year's. Almost a year past, sigh.
Rightly known as "a Kumbh Mela of art lovers", this sea of mostly original artwork is an amalgamation of artists, well known and little known, newbies and some established ones, average and stellar, those with tiny canvases to mighty ones.
The Santhe is held just once a year. Kumara Krupa Road is blocked for traffic on the day, and let open for artists to set up shop for the day. The green cover in this part of the city is enviable, and makes for a splendid locale for this art fete.
I managed to elbow my way through into some of the tiny stalls and chat up with some of the artists... refreshing! And it is meant to be all in a day's work... 12 hours (all of 12 hours!) is never enough to see the whole exhibition, leave alone engage in conversations with the artists. Nevertheless it is a treat for art lovers, or even simply someone looking to decorate a wall in their home.
Here are some of the frames I caught early this year (why didn't I post these earlier - God knows why)...
Be sure to visit the Santhe if you are in Bangalore on Jan 15th (2017).
This is no atmosphere like an elegant, elitist art museum or gallery.
It is in fact a glorious riot of colors and craftsmanship you just cannot miss, a celebration of the lesser known artists across the country.
Summer's almost here and the city's floral bounty leaves me smitten as it has every other year!
I am also deeply intrigued by these three finds this week, I hope these will feed your soul too.
(1) The Stylist Alphabetseries of blog posts where Sibella Court lets us into the curios, mementos and elements she has gathered over the years, in alphabetical order. The most aesthetically appealing A-to-Z I'd have loved to read as a kid :-)
If you ask me, The Society Inc has one of the BEST designed websites - appeals to me at every single level. And of course, Court's book Gypsy is a coveted coffee table book taking one into a tour of the bohemian interiors in the Galapagos and Ecuador, Indochine, Turkey, Scotland, and Transylvania.
(2) The bold, minimal graphic art by London-based Malika Fawre
A silent prayer goes out to Nepal in distress. In the wake of the horrific earthquake, this news about IKEA's flat-pack shelters for the displaced, is beautifully relevant. More power to socially conscious design!
That aside, here are three amazing creatives who should fire your
creativity this week...
(1) Carpets by Faig Ahmed. Love the way he breaks down the conventional structure of traditional rugs and randomly rearranges the resulting components of the traditional composition.
(2) Dana Tanamachi a whiz in hand lettering and effortless typography. You've got to start with this video of her personal project called Flourish, and go from there. I am bowled away!
(3) Assa Ariyoshi's graphic illustrations. Captivated by the way she blends bold colors, straight lines, and just the right curves.
Come Spring and Bangalore turns to one of the most beautiful cities to live in in India (forget the traffic snarls, and the pollution)... most streets are dotted by wild bursts of flowering trees. My daily morning walk to work is less hurried these days, I have to pause and take in the Yellow Cassia and Jacaranda in full bloom... simply makes my day! Just go through these digital illustrations The Flowering Trees of Bangalore by artist Megha Vishwanath and you'll know what I am raving about.
Captivated by the simple yet striking compositions in Elise Hanna's photography!
Elise is a globe-trotter but now lives and works from Chennai, India.
I like what she has to say"Too many designers and photographers are hung up in creating and photographing perfect spaces, perfect people. Less is so much more. I’ve lived in three countries in four years and I’ve learned that no matter where you are in the world, a home is more than four walls and light can find beauty in unexpected places."
Her eye for patterns and striking color combinations in everyday scenes is delightful.
She has photographed India's everyday in all its rustic beauty, (especially the food) so lovingly making the asymmetrical look symmetrical, loud colors subtle, and ordinary scenes look endearing without being overly processed.
My FAVE is this Vada-kolam with Vadas, onions and curry leaves :-) Delightful!
Mango ice cream looks yummier through her lens
Saree weaving at Kanchipuram never looked as ethereal...
Masala chai in the making!
The spices that go into a Madras fish curry...
Everyday scenes in Chennai... Parrys Corner
Pondicherry
If you love 'em you could order her printshere, and follow Elise's blogtoo.
One inspiration leads to another, or it definitely is when you are browsing through art and design websites and the gazillion images on Pinterest.
I love candid portraits shot in peoples' natural environments... in their workspaces or homes, where they are just pausing for a breather from work. Here are some well shot ones, of enterprising, thriving artist entrepreneurs! I leave it to you to click on the links and explore the beautiful stories behind them.
And don't miss exploring the entire story here at The unskilled worker.
