Artistry in Wood

Saturday, August 25, 2012

We just love the rustic simplicity of these driftwood candle holders by Kariba Arts; so organic, beachy and simply beautiful.

It all began less than a year again when German national, Kathrin Rinner-Baudy, fell in love with uniquely-shaped bits of burnished driftwood, tossed ashore by the sea and tide.

Kathrin explains, “I have always admired the driftwood I saw on UAE beaches and so after months of seeing their beautiful shapes just lying there on the beach like rubbish, I decided to collect some to decorate my home. And that is how the idea was born!”

Kathrin’s process is simple: collecting the wood, sorting it by size & thickness, drying, cleaning and then just being creative.

She explains, “I like to consider driftwood as my muse and my medium. I usually choose pieces that stand out as natural sculptures or have the potential to become something more. And then I let the pieces tell me what they should be.”

Today, Kariba Arts is a regular at ARTE, and had already built a large base of regular clients and fans, who enjoying visiting her every month to see her latest creations.

Visit Kariba Arts on facebook or email Kathrin here.

A Head Case for Skulls

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Make no bones about it; the skull trend is here to stay! Popularized by Alexander McQueen, the once gothic omens have been transformed into chic accessories and prints to give any outfit a chic and/or rock edge. At ARTE, Skulls have been embraced by several artisans creating fashion and jewellery to clothing and home decor.

Framed Flag Skulls by Gorgeoustuff

Polymer Clay and Sterling Silver Skull Cufflinks by Janys De

Skull Earrings by Lady Mauve

Skull Jewellery by Lady Mauve

Handmade Gifts for Men

Monday, July 16, 2012

We don’t know about you, but we find it notoriously hard to buy gifts for the special men in our lives. If there’s no one thing in particular that springs to mind, our fail-safe advice is usually a package of little treats, things to make him laugh, and useful objects. It’s a great solution and you can mix-and-match to fit the big guy’s personality.

What’s your guy’s personality? Dapper, foodie, adventurer, sporty, musical or geeky, ARTE has a little something for everyone…

Handmade Model Railways By Model Railways UAE

Handmade Mugs by Irene’s Pots

Scottish Tablet desert by Toffee Princess

Handcrafted Bottle Stoppers by Colin Roberts

All natural Shaving Soap Kit by PAN Soaps

Sterling silver Cuff Links and Tie Pin by Mr. Beaujangles

Elvis stencil art Cushion by Gorgeoustuff

To do or to dodo, that’s the question.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Zee’s work is a sight to behold. As seen at June ARTE fair.

Keeping an eye on Zee’s rainbow of talents, skills and ideas in her art

With the dodo being extinct, Zaahirah (ZEE) got to work to bring it back to life through her art. Thank you Zee!

For those who do not know what the dodo is, a bit of history may help. The dodo is an extinct bird (made extinct in the 17th century due to the Dutch invasion, it is believed). It was only found in the land of Mauritius. Read more about the dodo on Wikipedia.

The extinct bird, comes alive, as part of Zee arts paintings.

The reason you will see the dodo featuring in Zee’s work is this talented artist is from Mauritius. She derives a lot of inspiration from her hometown, which she then translates into her artwork.

Can you spot the dodo?

You just have to google for Zee Arts and the online search map is dotted with her art exhibitions around the world, from Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, UAE (Dubai/Abu Dhabi) and UK-London. She was the recipient of “Oscar de la Jeunesse 2001” in Artistic Pursuit organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mauritius.

Stairway to heaven? The whole canvas is snowwhite with this surprise of vibrant bouquet growing at the edge of the stairway. Takes one’s breath away.

What is so great about her art is her absolute flexibility in using a variety of materials (mixed media). She has the knack to blend together in harmony amongst the ‘amalgam of colours.’ She says, “It is the only time that I feel the real freedom- a sense of peace acumen and inner conversation to myself.”

The amalgam of colours in Zee’s artwork sets the heart on a vibrant frequency

The other aspect of Zee is her involvement in philantropic causes and social issues, involving women and children. My paintings are “a sense of reflection, reconnection or celebration,” she says.

A close up of Zee’s work that uses an assortment of materials.

Visit ZeeArts website.

Join ZeeArts Facebook page. It is dotted with all her recent laurels in the media.

Stained glass flair by talented ARTE-san pair

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Bea Bennett and Karen Scott showcase their stained glass wares at ARTE in June 2012

Here is another artisan pair who decided to come together to showcase their work at ARTE, united by their common love for a particular craft. Bea Bennett from Germany and Karen Scott from the US.

Stained Glass work by Karen. These are pretty, little things that can be hung at your windows.

According to Karen Scott, stained glass is both an art and a craft. It has a lot of technical aspects to it because the glass needs to be cut and then soldered according to the pattern. “However, it is also an art,” Karen says, “figuring out what patterns to create and use or draw, what types of glass to use and how to put it together.”

Attached is a recent series I have just done called tropical life. The glass pictures can be purchase independently or purchased in a series and hung in a row.

A recent series by Karen Scott called tropical life. The glass pictures can be purchased independently or purchased in a series and hung in a row.

Karen got into stained glass because “I love glass and color and was intrigued by stained glass windows. I simply had to learn how to do it.” It was 15 years ago when she chanced upon an advertisement in a local community newspaper for a class teaching people how to do it. There was no looking back once she signed up for the classes. And we, at ARTE, are glad she didn’t because we now have her lovely stained glass work to look forward to.

Keep up with time in the London Taxi. A stained glass clock made by Bea

According to Karen, Bea is one of the best stained glass craftspeople she has ever met. “I wanted to get better so I took classes and traded ideas with other artists such as Bea Bennett to get better.” Like many ARTE-sans, Karen can boast of a repertoire of art and craft talent. She is a photographer and published author. She also enjoys making jewelry, needlework, crochet as well as mosaics. Looks like her creative life is a mosaic in itself! She however believes that while she has a great eye for colour and proportion, that she is unable to draw.

A stained glass jewelry box made by Bea. The wire crochet jewelry piece courtesy Janys De.

Sun or Moon? This work by Bea was sold.

Bea has been doing stained glass work for only 4 years but she is already reached a high level of proficiency. She had trained as a draughtsman and as a result you can see the technical aspects of her design (clocks, kaleidoscopes, lamps and more). In fact one of the frequent ARTE visitors, Dheeraj Rupani, owner of Veesham Printing Press, was happy to demonstrate how the kaleidoscope created by Bea works. Thanks Dheeraj for being a sport when we took the photos.

Demonstrating the use of the kaleidoscope made by Bea Bennett

Bea teachers beginner’s class so if you are interested in trying your hand at stained glass making, she is the person to contact.

The facebook page dedicated to their work is yet to be set up. We will update this slot once their facebook page is up and running (and of course, ready to be ‘liked’).

Porcelain – Burn it and bring it (on)

Sunday, July 1, 2012

An array of fabulous porcelain painting crafts by Sandie as seen at ARTE.

Here is one kind of artform where you can erase the work and start all over again if you don’t like how it looks (before burning or firing it). The art is porcelain painting. Sandie Broedelet, master porcelain painter, finds that porcelain painting is more her thing than painting on canvas. “Painting on smooth and white porcelain is more for me.”

It’s been ten years since Sandie started porcelain painting, while living in Zurich, Switzerland. “When I came across a piece of work painted by my soon to be mentor, Susanna Hofmann, I just fell in love with the concept that you can paint on such fine pieces and you can also be wild and bold on bigger areas.”

These tiny porcelain jars remind us of the vintage look...

These tiny painted porcelain jars remind us of the vintage look…

Sandie has lived in ten countries before moving to Dubai. Some of the places include the Americas, Asia, Europe, Caribbean and the Middle East. “Now that I have moved to Dubai, I find myself using more Arabesque designs. I find them intricate and fascinating and they have such an effective feeling on porcelain.”

“I not only work with geometric patterns; I use floral and animal patterns. Right now, I am mixing geometric patterns with sedate roses, fish and more.”

Sandie loves Geometric patterns. This dish is one such example.

Sandie is also a bridge player and has designed bowls with signs of the cards on the bowls (basically hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs). “I love using olive green, red and black colouring and it has become a favourite of mine to give away as presents to bridge playing friends!”

What a great idea to identify what your favourite sport is and create artwork or crafts that revolve round that sport.

We heart the ace of hearts (no pun intended)….Great nut bowls for bridge lovers.

What is the best part of porcelain painting, we ask Sandie. “The best part of this type of painting for me is that I can be busy for hours and not notice the time going by. I also love the fact that

very often if I am not happy with the painting, I can erase everything and start from scratch (as long as I have not fired the piece). Some people go to the gym, I find painting is my way of relaxing.”

Hmm…perhaps we (this is Jan speaking) will skip the gym in favour of porcelain painting!

Visit Sandie’s facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SandieBPorcelainDesigns

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.

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!

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/

ARTE, The Makers' Market

Category: House