Discovering India’s cultural hues ‘n shades

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Thanks to Deepa Sunil, the Owner of Hues ‘n Shades, we gained a great understanding of traditional art techniques originating from various parts of India. That’s what ARTE is about. Exploring one’s heritage and culture through an artform that one may choose, and sharing these with ARTE customers and community alike.

From the paintings Deepa had on display, it is evident that this talented lady has a clear eye for details. We admire her fine eye sight to paint (with the triple zero paintbrush, can you imagine?) the outline of the beautiful Rajput princess’ garment or doll up the rural village women life. Mind you, Deepa has a fantastic handwriting script. How do we know this? She was kind enough to write down the names of the various artforms.

The lady behind Hues ‘n Shades

Madhubani Paintings from Bihar:

In the olden days, this painting style was attempted with natural pigments and using tools such as twigs and matchsticks, even fingers. Geometrical patterns are predominant in this artform.

Madhubani painting style (L) as demonstrated by Deepa Sunil. The painting on the right is a depiction of the Kalamkari style as detailed below.

Kalamkari paintings from Andra Pradesh:

Look at the photo above. The painting on the right is a depiction of the Kalamkari style.

In simple terms, Kalamkari refers to a type of block-printed work. It enjoyed popularity under the Moghul rule.

A close up of a Kalamkari painting by Deepa Sunil

A close up of a Madhubani painting by Deepa Sunil

Kerala mural paintings:

Mural paintings usually depict legends and mythological figures. It was quite a wide spread form of art in the 9th to 12th centuries. We are glad that Deepa does every bit to keep this arform alive, right here at ARTE!

A Mural Painting on the right of the photo

Rajput painting from Rajasthani:

It is thought that the colours used in these paintings were extracted from some precious stones. Wonder if the precious stone derived colours were used in Deepa’s painting below. We love the way that both of the paintings are two share some strong yet veiled expressions of pomp and desire for all things beautiful. The artform flourished in the royal courts of the Rajputana and the walls of palaces of old formed delightful canvasses for this form of art.

Look into my eyes, these paintings seem to say! A typical Rajput painting by Deepa.

Fusion of styles:

In the painting below, Deepa has taken one step forward to create a fabulous fusion of the Madhubani art style and her own contemporary version. This painting was sold by the time ARTE at TSC in June ended. Well, what can we say? Happy news! We are glad that we managed to take a snapshot before it was sold.

Final stop. The painting below is absolutely stunning in its simplistic form. Love the touch of the 3D beaded earrings. Deepa says, “I just felt like painting something that didn’t fall into a particular form.” We secretly think that the lady in the painting is her. What do you think?

Follow Hues ‘n Shades on facebook.

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Calling artists who specialise in a handcraft form that is inspired from their own culture. Email ARTE to express your interest and you may just be featured.

Camel milk leads the way (to great skin!)

Monday, June 25, 20122 Comments

Essential Soaps at one of the ARTE events. Supplied photos.

Here is an ARTE vendor who has built a great client base by attending ARTE fairs, and she has been attending ARTE only since the beginning of this year. Her name is Stevi Lowmass, Owner of Essential Soaps. What’s special about these soaps is that the chief ingredient is made of camel milk.

Stevi explains, “I wanted to make something that was uniquely from the UAE. I figured that camel milk would be pretty unique for the region. All soap makers start with non-milk based soaps which are somewhat simpler to make but once you get hooked on milk based soaps it is hard to go back!”

Neatly packaged soaps waiting to be purchased! Supplied photos.

Apart from working up a great lather, the camel milk contains the well known alpha-hydroxy acids (used usually in peels in cosmetic salons) that promote lovely looking and firm skin. “Camel milk has three times more Vitamin C than cow’s milk.” Makes sense, then to switch to such a potent handmade soap.

Stevi shared some photos of her at her ‘cauldron’ as she wittingly puts it. “All my soaps are made using a method cold cold-process soap making. Contrary to the words, however, the oils for the soap are heated before being mixed with the camel milk mixture. The large pot is for heating my oils and waxes.”

‘Brewing’ away. Supplied photos.

Stevi and her ‘labour of love.’ Supplied photos.

Camel milk based soaps don’t have to be boring from the fragrance point of view. Stevi can spruce the soaps up with a variety of spices or flowers. Lavender, rose geranium, rosemary, orange, cinnamon. It’s your choice.

Visit Essential Soaps online. Essential soaps also have a facebook page.

Helen Ellinas – a trip down memory lane

Thursday, June 21, 2012

You want fantasy and nature? Find fantasty landscapes at Helen Ellinas’ stand at ARTE

Today we feature another ‘trip down memory lane’ with one of ARTE’s regular artisans – Helen Ellinas.

First stop is the ‘glass painting’ station.

“Glass painting was a medium that I discovered and used extensively in the 90’s at various art and antique market venues in England. It was something that hadn’t yet become popular there so I was pretty much alone in trying to put an original slant on an underestimated technique. The same was true of Dubai when I first arrived so I was pretty much the only person creating Arabic fantasy scenes on glass. Glass candlecups were another way to play with lots of colour and became almost a signature of my work.”

Helen Ellinas – lighting up our life with her glass painted candle holders….

Next stop – ‘wooden plaques’ crying wolf station.

“Wooden plaques in animal shapes was just my veering in another direction for fun. I only paint things I love and cats and dogs and seahorses and turtles come under that banner. It was more craftwork than artwork, so quickly ceased to excite me hence my next change of direction – canvas.”

Happy puppy….some of the wooden plaques waiting to find a new home…

Herrrrre Kitty kitty….. Wooden plaques out of stock, this painting is a representative of the kind of ‘animal’ work Helen created on wooden plaques

Third stop – ‘canvassing in canvas’ station

“I refrained from exhibiting canvas paintings until I was happy with the style and subject matter. This, and the fact that by now there were many people working with glass, made me feel that it was time to move forward and create something new that was again, representative of me and my personal style. Canvas work also allows for a lot more experimentation.”

Canvas Fantasy

Close up of a spectacular canvas work by Helen

Major influences in the life of Helen Ellinas

“The different influences of my work extend from holiday trips to different Greek islands, my love of the English countryside, the colours of the desert, the beauty of Venice and the bling of Dubai. The dome topped houses that I paint are not exclusive to any country but rather a fantasy scenario that allows me to play with as many colours as possible.

Galaxies? Comets? Or just a busy round a-bout? Helen’s canvas work leaves a lot of space for you to imagine beyond this universe’s constraints…

“My son leaving for university created a void in my daily life but also gave me the extra time to expand and experiment with other media including copper and melted plastics. I still have new artistic directions that I wish to explore but every medium I have used has become an inherent part of my artistic growth.

Copper work in a fine mixed media fantasy composition….makes you just want to reach out and BUY!

“I see myself as simply ‘an artist’ not specific to any medium but with a style that people immediately know is mine no matter what the medium or subject matter. My identity, my ‘unique barcode’ is very important to me. ‘ Loud, Proud but Never Boring’ is my Mantra.

What next?

Well join Helen Ellinas on facebook and you can find out!

Sizzle with Ra’Dazzle

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Spirally wrapped wire encases this bead. Note the clean finish of Ra’Dazzles work

Sometimes two heads are better than one. And that’s what happened in the case of the Ra’Dazzle gals, Rachna and Anjana. Their common interest in trying out jewelry making as a hobby led to them teaming up under the brand name Ra’Dazzle, jewelry created mainly from wire (by Rachna) and crochet (by Anjana).

The gals have been working together for six years now, but like many of the artisans, they have been separately involved in their own handcraft and artistic journey in the areas of crochet, knitting and card making.

Closeup of Rachna’s wire work piece to show how neatly she has finished the wire wrapping piece.

Neatly tucked wire edges are very important in ensuring the customer is not harmed or scratched when wearing the piece. Rachna’s advice

Rachna says, “The process of creating something, from scratch, with your hands is pure joy. For me, crafting is similar to meditation – complete focus on the craft, while forgetting about everything that’s happening around (the good or the bad)!”

Rachna’s work involves a lot of wire wrapping work as be seen from the photos in this blog post. We asked her what are some of the pointers that she would like to share with us, considering that working with wire can be risky if the sharp ends are not neatly tucked away into the piece (among other risks).

Add some Ra’Dazzle Sparkle to your ears.

Few pointers Rachna:

Practice wire work on copper or craft wire initially as they’re a lot cheaper compared to sterling silver and gold-filled wires. You won’t feel guilty of throwing away all those trial pieces.
Always file the ends of your wire work (after using a flush cutter) – you wouldn’t want the ends poking the customer wearing your jewellery.

Photo by Ra’Dazzle indicates lots of jump ring work, similar to chain maille.

Close up of the piece that involves using multiple jump rings. See pointers about using jump rings in your work.

Invest in a nylon jaw chain nose pliers – this will prevent marks on your wire work and it is also good to straighten wire.
Make sure you close your jump rings properly.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different wire gauges, shapes and hardness.
Lots of patience is required

Join Ra’Dazzle on facebook.

Terrifyingly Cute Monsters

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Irene Sutton’s Mystery Monsters have become all the rage at the ARTE Markets. The creative genius behind the unique pottery brand Irene’s Pots, Irene has been teaching pottery in Dubai since 2009 and is a regular at the ARTE markets.

We were especially fascinated with Irene’s imaginative miniature sculptures series called Mystery Monsters.

It was during a Summer Camp when she was wracking her brains as to what her class could do that was interesting and taught the kids about pinch pots, that Mystery Monsters were born.

Each Mystery Monster is completely unique and almost ‘unrepeatable’ since they are born of Irene’s mood and motivation at the time.

Each piece is handmade with stoneware and handpainted (sometimes badly) with underglaze before a final dip in transparent to give them a shine. The mystery is why do they like to eat socks and just which one will you want to take home!

All of the Monsters have their own stories and anyone lucky enough to own one has not only a unique and personal monster for themselves but a one-off short tale of mis-adventure about the life of their monster.

Upon purchase of one of Irene’s Mystery Monsters, owners can click here to register their monster and receive the monster’s unique mystery tale.

To learn more about Irene’s Pots, join her on facebook for visit her website: http://www.irenespots.com

Artmitul – A Labour of Love

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Artmitul, an arty brand driven by Mitul Bhattacharya, is a stunning series of mixed media paintings that capture a sense of a story, through a painstaking and labour-intensive technique, which is evocative of Madhubani folk art from Bihar, India.

Mitul, can spend days – sometimes even weeks – creating one of her masterpieces. She explains that each artwork represents a journey of exploration related to her personal experiences and memory as well as history and mythology. The working process proceeds from the inside out, unveiling an inner landscape of image, symbol and surface.

It represents that blend, which is pure and creative, exploring the intricacies of life, and some of the most wonderful things, events and objects whose inner values we miss everyday.

Mitul adds, “Contemporary art is fascinating, as the border between fine arts and craft becomes even less discerning. I say, only the prudes sit and distinguish between this and that, missing the art itself. I have always believed that art goes a step further than life. My art aspires to capture life in my own colours, in the way I want my world to be.”

A recent member of ARTE, Mitul has already received a tremendous response to her art with demand for her works on pebbles, stones and bottles growing everyday. Her work on paper, canvas and fabric have been also well appreciated.

To learn more about Artmitul and follow their journey, connect with them on facebook or on their website: http://artmitul.weebly.com/

Wrist Candy

Sunday, June 3, 2012

For an instant wardrobe update this spring/summer 2012, all you need is some stunning chunky wrist-candy.

At ARTE, they come ranging from the sparkly Swarovski cuffs to some of spring’s most attention-grabbing and colourful bracelet. Each piece is an original and eye catching piece handcrafted by locally based artisans.