Artist inspiration for the weekend

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. 

Here's this particular video of her story:

And don't miss exploring the entire story here at The unskilled worker.

Evelyn Tannus
Obsessed over this Brazilian artist's ceramic tattoed hands! ❤❤❤

I also love this lamp which could hold fort on its own on a dinner wagon or a side table in your home library. And these tattoed ceramic Greyhounds!

Website, Instagram.

Stories of two creatives to inspire you this week

Two creators to inspire you this week:

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.

See more of Fenny's work on @suterdesignco and website link.

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!

Awaiting the Chitra Santhe 2017, Bangalore...

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.

3 groovy picks - Rugs, Typography, Illustration

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.

Happy New Year folks, and a Roundup of (blog-year) 2014

Wish you a sparkling new year 

filled with positive, creative energy! 

Spread love and cheer as you go, 

and may your dreams have wings!

And Thank You, from the bottom of my heart, for hanging out with A Sunny Yellow Window every now 'n then. 

I promise to bring you the best of what my right-brain can conceive and curate in 2015 and the years to come :-)

Here's a round-up of 2014 with a few old posts you might still find relevant and useful:

7 Reasons Why Creative Entrepreneurs Must Have a Social Media Strategy

Wood-Block Art DIY

An ode to the Leather and Fabric duo

Frida Kahlo - a face that launched a thousand products

Transforming Spaces with Art - Aradhana Anand's gorgeous Delhi home

Designing a room around Artwork

Transforming Spaces with Art: 8 Creative Ways to Display Art

And in case you are planning your travel to these places and need ideas on artisan visits:

Craft Tour: Mask Making in Sri Lanka

A Bohemian Home Tour - a gem of a place to stay in Colombo

Beautiful remnants of colonialism in Sri Lanka

11 Must-Do Textile Tours and Craft Tours in India

Art & Artisans of Fez & Asilah: Morocco on my mind

Signing off for the year,
ambika.

The Evolution of a Canvas - Gypsy and Deer - New Artwork update!

A blank canvas is intimidating and exciting at the same time. 

When you start off, there are a riot of ideas in your head which spin and swirl and do the somersault with every stroke of the brush on the canvas.
Several coffee breaks and iterations later, you decide to call it Done.
In fact, it is never Done, it can evolve as long as the canvas stays with you. Calling it complete is often a tough call to make. Have you felt the same way too?

I definitely prefer it that way though - just as in life - a broad layout to start with, and then set off on an adventure. Chuck guided-tours!

Thought it better to show you my canvas from start to finish in this quick animated-gif.

Midway, I tried to bring in other aspects of this gypsy's life, but finally chose to keep it just to this precious moment between Man and Nature.

A moment in her day when she chooses to pause and befriend a deer that crosses her path.

Gypsy and Deer. Ambika Sudhakaran, 2014

This happens to be the second in my series of Gypsy art.

See the first here - Flower Gypsy.

Three Groovy Inspirations of the Week

(1) Photography

Aya Cabauatan's photography is gorgeous in one word. This teenager's subjects are simply her group of pals it appears, but her work celebrates the lightness of being, most of her photographs glow like surreal. 

Her instagram feed _positivity has some serious magic for you.

(2) Cinemagraphs 

...  are images that contain within themselves "a living moment that allows a glimpse of time to be experienced and preserved endlessly." 

I LOVE this breezy animated skirt by Kevin Burg and Jamie Beck. Follow the link for more!






(3) Illustrated Book

This is the cutest I've ever seen, haha! 

BIRD BEAK BOOK by Oscar Bolton Green. "His immediate, essential style, with its patches of colour and clarity of line, shows how tiny hummingbirds stretch into the flowers to draw out the nectar and how graceful flamingo dips its spoon-shaped beak beneath the surface of the water."

I think having a toddler at home makes me listen keenly to the sound of say, a cuckoo, just to point it out to him and do a cuckoo call together! :-) And this "birdie" book totally sings to me.

10 Unmissable Textile Tours and Craft Tours in India

Are you the kind of traveler who loves a dive into the art and crafts scene of any place you go to? Do you love watching artisans create from scratch? Or learn ancient techniques of weaving, craft making, and watch experienced hands at work creating magic with their fingers?

Here is a list of craft tours and textile holidays in India that you must check out.

Sources (Clockwise from top): BoutiqueTours, MastyaCrafts, GoIndia.about 

1. Textile tour in Kutch, Gujarat: Kutch is a destination quite popular among art and textile lovers already. The Mumbai-based Neha Gandhi of Matsya Crafts can take you on an unhurried, customized journey to the craftsmen of rural Gujarat.


2. A Textile Trail in Kanchipuram by Breakaway: All die-hard Kanchipuram saree lovers must do this one to know where your "temple borders, checks, stripes and floral buttas" are coming from. Visit the traditional looms to see how your Kanchipuram saree gets woven from raw materials sourced from all parts of the country.  


3. Indigenous textiles, jewelry, and handicrafts in Delhi-Nagaur-Jodhpur-Jaipur by Prior Knowledge: This is a 12-day tour initiated by David Prior. Prior Knowledge is "a membership-based ‘travel society’ – a luxury service with a not-for-profit arm, focusing on truly unique travel experiences that highlight and preserve culture, rather than exploit it."


4. The Crafts and Textiles of Kolkata and West Bengal for the longer vacay-goers: This is 11 Days/10 Nights and is organized by Lost and Found Travel. Visit weaver villages around Kolkata known for their silk and cotton hand-woven saris, dhotis, jacquards, and jamdanis. They promise explorations of silk farming, cork carving,  textile villages around Shantiniketan, a community workshop for embossed leather goods, and much more.


5. Legends of Lucknow: A Craft & Textile Exploration by Breakaway: Let the words on the website speak for themselves, "Drape yourself in the stories that make chikan so delightful to wear. Let the divine fragrances of ittar transport you to the heavens. Allow the traditions of naqqashi to delicately engrave their way into your heart." And indulge in "Ganjing" - this is a term used to describe ambling and shopping in the wide lanes and bylanes of the city's Ganj market."


6. Visiting the Looms in Tamil Nadu by Breakaway: A journey to Tamil Nadu's vibrant and time-tested expertise in textiles through Kalakshetra (Chennai), Kanchipuram, Auroville (Pondicherry), Karaikudi, Gandhigram, and Madurai.


7. Bagru Block Printing Workshop, in Bagru, Rajasthan by Vedic Walks: If you're hard pressed for time in Rajasthan, this one is for you. It gives you a quick half-day with the bagru artists in their workshop.


8. A 12-day tour to remote tribal villages on the east coast of India by the UK-based Colouricious Holidays. This tour gives you a chance to "visit indigenous peoples in their heritage villages, making their cultural crafts for their livelihood"


9. Painted Histories - Rajasthan by Breakaway: Peak into lesser known art forms, their creators and cultures - miniature art, Bundi style of painting, Kotah style, the Kishangarh style and so on in Rajasthan.


10. A Brush with Nilgiris by Breakaway: The photographer, painter, traveler Mukesh Munim offers 2/3-day workshops in photography and painting (oils, acrylics, pastels). This tour also offers a stay at a farm "at the Khans' whose 22-acre property is a naturalists haven and who have also turned cheesemaking into a fine art". This is an ideal one for artists and art lovers who want to create in the lap of nature.

Don't you feel like packing up your bags and heading out now? Any of these craft tours in India could be an ideal exploratory vacation for a creative traveler, offering a chance to briefly immerse into our artistic traditions.

Bespoke Magazine and Wood-Block Art DIY

You ought not to miss the action at the Bespoke Magazine - a quarterly publication "jam-packed with crafty projects, handmade products, artisan interviews, indie business inspiration and tips, and an abundance of creative inspiration. The magazine is primarily for and by the creative and handmade community, and is "designed to delight and inspire the international creative community." The Bespoke blog is also loaded with creative content - tips for business owners, DIYs, etc.

Why am I excited?

I am guest blogging at Bespoke this entire week.

Today's post is a smart wood-block art DIY that you can try out too. How do you transform plain-Jane wood blocks into a piece of art in seven easy steps? 

Here is a glimpse... 

Please go over to the post on Bespokezine to read in detail and see the process. Do tell me if you have done any wood block artwork, would love to see yours too.

May the sun shine bright on your week! 

Three Groovy Picks of the Week

(1) Art + Photography

Antaratma by Elena Ray. Elena's stunning work is a visual exploration of a holistic universe using camera and brush. She is a "yoga student and desert soul" who lives in California. 

Clockwise from top: 'Hands of an Indian Dancer', 'Lotus Woman Meditation', 'Chosen', "Ringing of a Tibetan Bell'

(2) Creative Entrepreneur 
Ariele Alasko, a New York-based furniture builder and wood worker who crafts magic using plaster lath.

Follow her Instagram feed for some daily wood goodness with a consistent color palette that is earthy, rustic.

(3) Website with Artsy Recipes 
Erin Gleeson's The Forest Feast filled with simple, healthy recipes - the best part is Erin's photography overlaid with her type and illustrations.

(All images sourced from the respective websites.)

Art Journal Exploits Prompt #6 - LEAF

I think this prompt has endless possibilities. Even as I type, I can picture it being represented in a zillion beautiful ways.

I painted/journaled it this way!

 

She shares secrets with the leaves and the wind.

A happy rest-of-the-week folks!

Color Blocking for Summer, and Art Journal Exploits Prompt #5

Summer doesn't sizzle as much here in pleasant Bangalore as in various other places in the tropics. However color blocking with summery hues and Juicy Watermelons are definitely on top of my mind.

I put it down on canvas today...

Juicy, yes!

Alrighty, Your Art Journal Exploits Prompt #5 is

Summer! 

Tell me what is top-of-your-mind when you hear "Summer"

Guest Posting on Celebrations Decor

Dear readers, please hop over to Dr. Lakshmi Arvind's beautiful blog Celebrations Decor to see my guest post on Art and Beauty in Coastal Sri Lanka.

I am sure most of you are regular there, but for those who are uninitiated into Lakshmi's blog - it is a visual treat, and is inspired by her love for Indian Architecture, Art, Designs and Indian Interiors.

Happy reading!

Craft Tour: Mask Making in Sri Lanka

The meaning of travel has changed over the years, for me. While it used to be “excursions” at school, it was “sight-seeing” in the teen years. I no longer delight in visiting the touristy landmarks just for that cliched photograph in front of it, but try my best to get a flavour of local customs, arts, crafts, and cuisines while traveling. Time usually does not permit, but I try to squeeze it into the itinerary and it usually leaves me with a more open mind, and a greater appreciation of the place and its people.

The idea is not just to buy crafts as “decor accessories” to adorn a shelf at home. I really get a high on watching artists at work, seeing art supplies strewn around, savouring the smells of the craft room (of wood, paints, etc.) and just absorbing the positive energy that emanates out of creating art.

Fitting in a craft tour in my Sri Lanka itinerary

And so, a super-short beachside vacation planned in Sri Lanka HAD to be peppered with visits to a mask making factory (and a 140-year old Batik artist’s home, which I will write about in another post).

Now if you and I are on the same page, Ambalangoda in South Western coastal Sri Lanka is one of the destinations you can bookmark if you are planning a visit to the island nation and would like a flavour of local, traditional crafts. I must say that the predominantly grotesque demon masks with bulging eyes didn’t look appealing to me at first sight.

However, a glimpse into the stories behind these masks, and watching the carving and painting process in one of the workshops, made me respect this age-old craft.

The masks are painstakingly carved of Balsa wood, painted bright with vegetable or chemical dyes and used in traditional dance dramas, folk plays, pageants, and processions.

The master carvers apparently have traditional formulae for carving different types of masks. The entire process (for us laymen) is this ... sawing wood into blocks > measurements, applying the formulae > hollowing out the wood as per design > smoking for weeks > demarcating main features > smoking, drying > chiseling as per design > smoothening > painting.

Craftsmen at work in the chiseling stage

The main tools of the trade are hand saws, chisels, knives, abrasive leaves or sandpaper, paints/vegetable dyes.

Art supplies

Wood shavings, tools, and a vintage radio to lighten the mood

Oh, and not all of the masks looked evil, you know.

Traditionally, the demon lookalikes were used in driving away illnesses, and in exorcism.

There are the theatrical Kolam masks which are used in folk plays which are distinctly different – they portray kings, queens, men, and animals.

The whole story of mask making which used to be practiced in the hinterland villages sounded deeply mystic to me. One little story of queens satisfying their pregnancy cravings of watching mask performances seemed particularly delightful to me.

A completely different masks scene in contemporary Sri Lanka

Nowadays, mask dances are performed only for tourists and mainly in the beach resorts. Mask making which used to be a deeply ritualistic process is now only a means-of-livelihood for some families on the coastal regions. And masks are now highly marketable handicraft products for art collectors and tourists.

Time takes its toll on traditions; however, this craft still remains ever in demand. And it added colour (vibrant primary colours, mind it :-) to my otherwise blue-green beachside vacation. 

Art Journal Exploits - Prompt #2 - Portrait

I exchanged some interesting notes, and got to meet (virtually) a lot of creatives who journal their heart out! A truly enthusiastic bunch of them linked up with some wonderful pages, and I am glad we got it rolling! I hope this has been of help in getting atleast some of you to reach for your journals! :-) Click here to reach prompt #1 and see the journal pages linked up!

And, 

This week (March 17-23), let's go for

Portraits

To see the rest of the prompts go here.

And this is what I have to share with you folks, the first time I ever let my paint brush lead me, instead of the other way round. I like it this way!
I usually just "color within the lines".

I let all the colors run down and meet at the very bottom... my way of saying - She is one with Nature.

Pleased to update that this 8*8 inch artwork is now Sold. 

Now, I'll wait for your versions of Portraits.
Have a good week ahead!

A Bohemian Home Tour

In one of the residential streets of uptown Colombo, Sri Lanka is a small colonial villa whose facade is shadowed by a wall of creepers surrounding the gate.
Enter,
and a purring cat welcomes you along with Mrs. Padminee Nanayakkara, the charming owner who has traveled far and wide in her heyday.

(This was the first time I walked into a truly Bohemian home, it had only been Pinterest, Blogs and Instagram images of "bohemian homes" in faraway lands, so far.)

The Facade of Plants

A glimpse of the garden. (Doesn't look Boho, not yet!)

The highlight of the villa is the breakfast in the backyard garden, which is dotted with plants, terracota artifacts and masks from different parts of the world.
You can check out Padminee's website here which has pictures from her villa.

Now, we got to spend a day at her colorful apartment (next door) which is tastefully peppered with artwork and collectibles from the world over.

Stylish furniture, Plants, and interesting Fabric take centre stage framed by the Yellow wall

The beauty is that despite the presence of rich musuem-style artefacts, the apartment is casually styled and looks lived-in, as if the owner just stepped outdoors after a cuppa coffee.

Large floor cushions, books and footwear on a dhurrie in the middle of the room

Plants, Earthenware, Green, Paintings - my favourite corner

A corner on the floor for a quiet read, or for playing chess on a wood board 

Zoom in - The wooden chessmen

Another wall... more artefacts, Orange, artwork!

Much more for the eye to devour, the red painting on the left caught my fancy instantly

The home of a well-traveled person always springs up surprises, don't you think?

On a visit to Colombo, you can keep Mrs Padminee Nanayakkara's homestay in mind for a quiet stay in the middle of the city, interrupted just by bursts of color!