I have been meeting amazingly creative designers and artists on my blog journey. Abhilasha of Mish Mash Designs is among the most inspiring artists who turned their dreams into reality. I really liked her work and couldn't wait to feature her work on the Design enthusiast.
She is the creator and designer at MISH MASH DESIGN...Mish Mash Design is a venture into hand Painted products. I love the finesse on her work, which includes cushion covers, Pillows and tote bags and fabric. All these are made of cotton silk and Organic Cotton. Here is how she describes herself - :)
I,Abhilasha am a dreamer,an art lover, a painter,a photographer and Jewellery designer and merchandiser by profession, who have small set up where i make jewelery for my clients Design ideas come to me at anytime!!! ( be walking on the beach or be Dreaming!!!) some of which work out well and the others I guess were just a part of the experimentation.I don’t remember a time when I have not drawn or painted or infact been involved with anything creative.Though my work comes from no particular school of art, every piece of art is handmade,unique and done by single hand.
Her Designs are diverse and range from ethnic Indian, Tribal, Fun, Dreamer to some that simply can't be labeled. She is someone who loves what she does and it definitely reflects on her work
A Sneek Peek into her collection and description (in her own words)
Royal Collection- the entire collection is based n inspired by ethnic india. This collection includes Jodha -Akbar, Mumtaz -Shah jahan, Rajput princess and Prince
Tribal Collection - This collection is based on my own art work which is inspired by tribal theme. Tribal Man,Shy
Woman,man & woman in love, Radha & Krishna
Dreamer Collection : My Dream Girl in deep thoughts
Power of love : Tribal mask inspiration
Mish Mash Potpourri
Ethnic Golden Elephants & Lotus sutra, Indian puppets playing Didge, Ganesha & many baby Elephants, My blue Elephant
To see more of her work, check out her blog. I am sure you will love her work and her blog as much as I do.
Wishing everyone a joyous celebration and lots of happy moments.
This Thanjavur /Tanjore painting has been done by my Sister in law. I had written about her in a previous post >> Artist Showcase: Sunayana. She is in the process of setting up a blog to go online with her work.
I have been waiting to publish this post about a very talented Artist.
Nithya a.k.a Lakshmi Kalyani is an Artist with oodles of talent and abundance of inherent creativity. She has a Fine Arts Degree from Andhra University with a major in Painting. What could be better than to start the showcase with a very colourful depiction of Sree Ganesha
Gajanana - Acrylic on canvas
Her talent was recognized very early when she won laurels in various state and national level painting and art competitions while in school. A few of her achievements include, 3 gold medals in 3 consecutive years at National level painting competition and a 4th place at National level held by Vijay Information, Hyderabad. Constant encouragement from the family fueled her desire to do well as an artist, while still in middle school.
She says, “I am lucky to have been born in a very loving and encouraging family. Being surrounded by Art lovers and patrons who believe in me, has fueled a desire to do well in a less treaded career path.”
One look at her work will convince you of her passion and seriousness towards her career.
Title: A long way to go -Acrylic on Canvas
Nithya says- “I honed my skills in drawing sketches and in water color with the help of my Drawing Teacher.Regular participation in art competition fetched me few laurels. Moreover my painting on ‘World Peace’ got selected at district level Competition held by Lions Club.My painting was adjudged winner in the Amul Butter girl contest. I went on to represent the State of Andhra Pradesh, India, at the National level competition held at Anand, Gujarat in January 2000. These milestones and all the support from people in my life, encouraged me to pursue a career in the same field of interest.”
Title: Blossoming Childhood - Acrylic on Canvas
What drew my attention to her work was her choice of subjects showcasing burning social issues. Given that she is in her early twenties, I couldn’t help admiring her sensitivity towards these issues.
Title: Prized Catch - Priceless childhood! - Acrylic on Canvas
Nithya adds,” Through out the Bachelor’s course, my pet theme was always a social cause.My painting projects depicted children and their cause ie, Child education, Child Labour, Child Abuse and female foeticide/infanticide etc. My work has been received well and appreciated by all.”
Title: Burning Midnight Oil - Charcoal on Textured sheet
She is an expert in using vairous media and her quality of work reflects in even her pencil sketches.
Pencil on Chart
Water colour on chart
Title: Nestling Ideas take flight -Oil on canvas
She says, “The scene of neglected childhood on my way to college moved me a lot and that reflected on my canvas.Paint and Brush are my aides to express my feelings for these issues. “
Title: Street children -Charcoal on Chart
I loved every minute I spent chatting with her and getting to know this amazingly talented girl. I loved the way she ended her conversation with me –“ Thus I stand an artist in making.” Her expertise includes Portraits and her ability to replicate a picture as is...I am awestruck!! She accepts orders for portraits. All you need to do is to send her a nice picture. :)
Charcoal and Water Colour on Textured paper
It is encouraging and heart warming to see the family she was born in and the family she has married into, to have immense faith in her. I wish her all the best with her career as a full time artist and wish her many more accomplishments in the field of Arts. I hope you liked her work and would surely mention it via your comments.
A call to all Art patrons - Nithya's work is for sale. She would be glad to work on any medium or theme. Do leave your comments and queries in the comments section. Nithya will respond to all of your questions.
Copyrights:All pictures and paintings are Nithya's original work. No form of misuse please!! Images are scanned copies of her work. Please respect an artist's creativity and right to appreciation. Image resolution has been kept low for copyright purposes. Please ask for higher resolution pictures, if interested.
I feel proud to be the first blogger to be writing about Sunayana, a software engineer by profession and a budding artist, and an excellent classical dancer by choice.
I was introduced to her pencil sketches and 2x2 Oil canvases around three years ago, and I just loved them. I grew to become a fan of her work and her dedication to art.This post has been long overdue. I had mentioned my intentions to showcase her work (in a previous post) - I wrote about her work on store bought Terracota pieces. This post finally happened once I could lay my hands on the pictures of her work. A very shy artist that she is, I had to send in constant reminders (and threats) for a set of clicks. I am honoured to be providing a sneak peek into her world. Her work reflects her passion and dedication towards art. She enjoys spending hours on her projects (and forgets to eat at times). I hope I am able to do justice in showcasing a wonderful artist. I wish I could share all of her work here...but had to make do with a few that I chose at random. I hope you too would enjoy her work and encourage a budding artist who deserves to make it big!
A wall mural she painted in her spare bedroom. Mowgli and friends..(loved this.)
A beautiful mixed media on 6'x4' canvas. Women's embossed jewellery in this canvas needs a special mention (though not visible in this picture).
Women find a special place in her work. A Rajasthani woman (4'X3')
A vibrant Ganesha- oil on canvas (3'X2')
She is great with abstract and modern subjects as well. Charcoal (3'x2')
Her contemporary Krishna - (2'x4') oil on canvas
Her interpretation of women.(4'x1') (oil on canvas)
Loved her 3D murals in mixed media.
Another pair of 2'x1' murals complimenting each other, and looking so wonderful together
One of her Thanjavoor paintings - The show stopper!!
This is what she has to say about her work....
"my work/painting queue is overloaded.... the moment I finish 1, 2 more gets into the queue...More I work, the more exciting it is getting to work on new media and subjects... I am currently finishing a buddha ( oil ) on a charcoal background....thats something my mom had asked me to do for her... work is in progress.... the next in queue is a Thanjavoor Ganesha (2 ft X 1.6 ft) - I intend to work on it once the buddha is all done and framed. My house now looks more like an art exhibition :D....I am striving to create my own style.... And that needs me to be persistent with my work..its practice that I need all the way!"
Do let me know what you think about her work and Sunayana will respond to your queries and questions in the comments section....I wish her all the very best.
Art patrons can now buy her work!! Sunayana is all set to open her online catalog and a Studio blog. I 'll provide updates in a later post.
PS: Oh! did I forget to mention....she is my SIL!! :) and I can actually demand personalized artwork for myself! lucky me.
Copyrights: All featured mural and paintings are Sunayana's original work. No form of misuse please!! Images are pictures of her work. Please respect an artist's creativity and right to appreciation. Image resolution has been kept low for copyright purposes. Please ask for higher resolution pictures, if interested.
UPDATE: Sunayana Sarangi has started blogging over at : http://skartstudio.blogspot.in/. Do stop by her blog for the latest from her studio :)
I came across Thangka on flickr and loved it. I read more about it and had drafted a post for The Design Enthusiast. The subject of Thangkas was so expansive that I was lost among the number of documents, library material and books I had collected to write this post. However, I still feel I could have written more on this ancient art form.
Image Source : wiki
This is a Bhutanese thangka depicting the Jataka Tales, from Circa 18th-19th century,
Location: Phajoding Gonpa, Thimphu, Bhutan
I saw the Calender version of Thangkas framed in a house tour posted in one of my oft visited blogs :)"Once Upon a Tea Time Design Stories" and was inspired to finish and publish this post. I am glad that Thangka is going to be my come-back post after a month long hiatus.
A "Thangka," also known as "Tangka", "Thanka" or "Tanka" (Pronunciation: [toːnkoː], the "a" as in the word "water;" the "g" is silent) (Tibetan: ཐང་ཀ་, Nepal Bhasa:पौभा) is a painted or embroidered Buddhist banner which was hung in a monastery or a family altar and occasionally carried by monks in ceremonial processions. In Tibetan the word 'than' means flat and the suffix 'ka' stands for painting. The Thangka is thus a kind of painting done on flat surface but which can be rolled up when not required for display, sometimes called a scroll-painting. The most common shape of a Thangka is the upright rectangular form."
History and Origin of Tibetan Thangka and Fresco
The origin of Thangka dates back to the early Tubo Kingdom in Tibet region. This art is said to have been prevalent as early as 3rd century AD, in Nepal.
Circa, 605 CE, King Srong Tsan Gampo united Tibet. As part of a political diplomacy, he married Princess Chizun, also known as Princess Bhikruti of Nepal and Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty. He constructed Potala Palace and decorated them with murals and Fresco, and there by promoted Tibetan style of painting. Princess Bhrikuti, a devout buddhist, is said to have brought the images of Aryawalokirteshwar and other Nepalese deities and the Nepalese art form - Thangka to Tibet.
Fresco and thangka are two most popular forms of Tibetan painting and a major Buddhist art form in monasteries. Thangka is thus one of the oldest art forms still in existence. There are records of fresco on monastery walls which date back to the times of Lord Buddha and the early Buddhist monks who lived in Himalayan monasteries of Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet and India. This makes Thangka at least 2000 years old. Over the centuries, Nepali and Chinese art have had a significant influence on Tibetan painting and art in general. This is reflected in the facial features of an image or the depiction of scenes and backgrounds in a Thangka.
As of today, we can find exquisite Tibetan, Nepali and Bhutanese versions of Thangkas on murals and fresco in monasteries and palaces, and as scroll on cotton and silk.
Image source: artsfish.com
There are prints and postcard version for those who cannot afford original Thangkas.
Thangka - technique and process
Painted Thangkas are done on cotton, canvas, or silk cloth and mounted on silk brocade. Colours used are water soluble mineral and organic pigments, treated with herbs and natural glue.
Thangka painting techniques follow stringent iconographic rules. From the way a canvas is prepared to the actual drawing, painting, and mounting the finished work in brocade, are all done with meticulous detail.The technique used to paint arms, legs, eyes, nostrils, ears, and various ritual implements are all laid out on a systematic grid of angles and intersecting lines. It is more like assembling a painting with icons of existing clip art for example, objects such as the alms bowl, animals, or even the shape, size, and angle of a figure's eyes, nose, and lips etc are painted using strict geometric grids
Although the process seems to be too mechanical and very scientific, an artist needs to have a strong understanding of the symbolism involved to capture the spirit of the thangka he creates. Most of the Thangkas are explicitly religious and every symbol or emotion depicted must follow the guidelines laid out in Buddhist scripture.
Image source: tibettrip.com
Mural of Chenrezi - the bodhisattva of compassion, Palkhor Monastery, Shigatse
Image source: wiki
Bhutanese thangka of Mt. Meru and the Buddhist Universe, 19th century
Location: Trongsa Dzong, Trongsa, Bhutan
Popularity....
Buddhist monks who traveled from one monastery to another used thangka paintings as a teaching tool which could be rolled up and carried around. As of today, Thangkas are more than just wall hangings or art. A well made Thangka is an exquisite piece of art and is used -
as a teaching tools when depicting the life of Buddha
as a medium describing historical events related to Lamas, narrating myths associated with various deities.
as the centerpiece during a ritual or ceremony
as a meditation tool to help bring one closer to divinity
Image Source: wiki
About the Thangka (above) : 19th Century Mongolian distemper with highlights of gold, depicting Shakyamuni flanked by Avalokiteśvara and Manjushri The form of Manjushri depicted here, is not wielding the characteristic flaming sword, but there are many forms of the eight great bodhisattvas, some are based on the Indian tradition, and other from visions of historical masters.
Thangkas are believed to create positive influences in their surroundings and awaken the mind and energize consciousness. It is also believed that we could accumulate good deeds by just looking at a thangka. Also, one could attain inner salvation by meditating on thangkas.
Types of Thangkas
The most common ones are painted in colors
Cloth Appliqué
Blockprints
Embroidered
Based on the Background - Gold, Black or Red
Popular Subjects
A thangka generally portrays the Life and teachings of Buddha, any other religious deity, or a concept in Tibetan cosmology, astrology or medicine. These paintings generally represent Buddhist and Hindu Gods, Goddesses, meditating Buddha and His life cycle, wheel of Life, Mandala, Bhairab, Manjushree, Green Tara etc.
Image source: thangkas.com
Thangka artists
The thangka painters are mostly men who start while they are very young. They are trained by an experienced artist in the family for over 10 years. The art of making Thangka is passed down from one generation to another and is generally maintained as a family secret. Economic conditions of these artists was deplorable until a few years ago. However, a few of them have been able to open their own galleries owing to a nominal demand for this art form in the international market.
Image source: wiki
Times have changed and the Art of Thangka making has spread to the west. I get to see quite a few Thangka workshops being held by monks across various locations in the USof A. Back in Nepal, Students are also trained in Thangka schools. Here is a detailed video about Thangka making...You could find the remaining parts posted in youtube...(I recommend that you see them to understand this art form better)
I would love to own a Thangka one day or at least visit a Tibetan Monastery to appreciate it in its original splendor!!! Ah!! Before I end this post...here is a beautiful video I d like to share .....
Raja Ravi Varma was among the very famous Indian painters from the 19th Century. His work is considered the most "hung" and "auctioned" in India. A lot has been said and written about him. He is one of the major milestones in Modern Indian Art Arena. We cannot speak about Indian Art without the mention of this Icon.
I am a huge fan of his depiction of women and his overall passion for Art. He was the first artist to have created the notion of an Indian beauty that wasn't specific to any one part of India. The depiction of figure and face that is the traditional image of the Indian woman we see today is a Ravi Varma trademark. Being a well traveled and a well read artist, he was able to fuse Indian and Western techniques to come up with his unique kitsch style.
Image source:www.cyberkerala.com
He was recognized as a child prodigy and was endowed the title "Raja" by his uncle, The King of Travancore - Raja Ayilyam Thirunal. Raja Ayilyam Thirunal saw ravi varma's charcoal drawings on palace walls and recognized the talent in his nephew. His formal art lessons started when he was 6, he was later trained to use water colours by Rama Swamy Naidu, Travancore's Palace-artist. Three years later, British Painter Theodor Jenson took him under his wings to train him in oil painting. Varma won the first prize in Madras Art Exhibition in 1873 and then another prize in Vienna in 1876. This brought him an international recognition.
His paintings and techniques were said to be highly influenced by western art and artists of his times. Despite all the criticism his work received (when he was alive), it is amazing to see that his versions and interpretations of the Hindu mythology are popular even in the 21st century. Every consecutive representation of Hinduism in print, movies and the theater are all inspired by Ravi Varma's paintings.
Image Source: cyberkerala.com
It was during the late nineteenth century that the modern Indian Hindu iconography was finding its place beyond sculptures and murals in Hindu temples. It is interesting to note that traditional hindu pooja rooms (at home) had small brass/silver or gold idols at the altar. Unlike all the picture frames which are a common thing as of today.
Raja Ravi Varma is said to have pioneered the picture printing press by setting up India's first ever Lithographic press in Mumbai. He was foremost among artists to print hundreds of copies of his famous paintings. He brought religious icons and murals to the masses, there by bringing in the concept of Industrialized art to India. However, it is rather sad that only a portion of his work has been printed till date.
He was also known to have been criticized for commercializing production of pictures of gods and other mythological subjects. While researching for critical interpretations of his work, I came across this movie trailer - Rang Rasiya. This movie is said to be a biographical sketch of this famous artist. It is a nice depiction of this Artist Prince....As some one aptly said -He is a Prince among Artists and the Artist among princes.
Although, I had started out writing this article about him, I found this video (in hindi) and had to share it here. As they say pictures speak louder than words, I felt that this video would be able to showcase the artist better than what I could write. Source: youtube
It is interesting to see that he used his art as the most influential medium of visual communication in a socially and culturally fragmented Indian society. It must have been a strong force in motivating people during political canvassing in British India. Apart from the political and social influence, his paintings had an impact other art and dance forms of Kerala. For example, in 1960's, Mohini aattam guru Satyabhama made some changes to the attire and hairstyle of mohini aattam dancers. This was to give this dance form a distinction from other South Indian dance forms - Bharathanatyam or Kuchipudi.
adding pinterest script
3. Changing the Position of the Pin it! button
The cool thing about this code is that you have some freedom over where the Pinterest button for Blogger will go over the image. Take a look at the code that you just copied and pasted into the HTML for the word 'center'.
