Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
I've known Anish for a few months now. And if there's anything that can be said about him, it's this - his passion for photography is as evident and blazing like the sun at the peak of summer. Professionally, he's a fashion photographer who equally loves shooting portraits. Personally, he's my favourite Punjabi.

The photo essay that you'll experience in a few scrolls from now was shot a few years ago in his homeland. The words describing it are his. The perceptive will gauge the irony in the title of the essay. But they would also be right to think of it as gloomy. It is. In most parts, it's hazy to a point of distorted. There's a sense of longing and uncertainty that pricks through the skin. It's cold, yes, but winter is more than the drop of temperature and the absence of warmth. It's also a brutal reminder of death where the landscape mourns and come to terms with closing curve of life. 



Photo Essay: Anish Sarai's Winter Epiphany

Timeless thoughts of a winter's stare;
eyes gazing over a landscape bare.
Memories drift on a blustery breeze;
dying light ushers in the freeze.
Reaching out for a grasp on the present;
stillness sets in, alone, and desolate.
Future unknown, outcome uncertain;
brilliance shadowed by a drawn curtain.

--- By Michael A. Barron

Vision is a funny thing. How one perceives and interprets a thing largely depends on what one is experiencing in their life at that moment. Like a happy person sees brighter colours.

I was visiting my maternal village in the great land of Punjab after decades… but it wasn't for a happy occasion. The pre-fed images imprinted in my mind by Bollywood as well as the previously experienced memories of Punjab were strictly different from what I was seeing now.

In movies, this iconic land is forever depicted as green, happy and flourishing with stereotypical imagery of prosperity. But there is a darker side to my native land. Like the plain everyday fact that the community is deeply ridden with drug inflicted youth and immense scarcity of jobs.

Winters are dry with vast landscapes barren landscapes that are lost in a haze. A fog so thick you cannot see beyond it. This state of desolateness, a state of my mind at that very moment, is what I attempted to capture.

You can see more of his work on his website, Instagram and Behance. He can be reached at anish.sarai@gmail.com. All pictures are property of Anish Sarai. Republishing or using them without prior permission of the artist is strictly prohibited.

I've been terrible these past few months. Ever since I've got that neck and back problem, I've been ignoring my commitments and promises and spending precious time writhing in bed with a cold pack. But enough. Enough of pity, enough of pain sensitivity, enough of ignoring my blog/friends/family/life. It's 2017 dammit. My 28th chance to finally get it right. Besides, the new year is a good time as any to start a new music series with my favourite musician, no?

So, meet Adriel George. I met him over nine years ago when we were studying in the same college. I remember watching him with my jaw on the floor as he danced during our graduation party. Although he studied IT, Adriel chose to string together his own path, note after note. He's now a music composer (a damn good one at that) and producer for films, theatre and those Youtube ads that you sometimes can't skip and end up liking.

That's our man on the keyboards
A much sought after piano teacher, he loves sneaking into hotel lobbies and malls with grand pianos and serenading late-night guests with his renditions of famous movie themes. Although I'm yet to catch him in action, I have heard him tune out the world and drown in chords at his studio in Santacruz, Mumbai.

On a regular day, you'll find him writing hauntingly touching orchestral arrangements or obscure dance music, while smothering his cat Lilith aka Lil' Kitty (she's ghetto like that) with love and affection. I've admired his choice in music for years. Varied as it is, I somehow seem to connect with several songs that he suggests.

He was kind enough to create a playlist for this post that has been long loooonnngggg overdue. But to hell with pain and nerve compression, you are going to hear this compilation and you are going to hear it now!

Listen to his original compositions on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/seeminglythat 
And stalk him on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SeeminglyThat/

Tell us what you think of his six song playlist for January.




Adriel George talks about his January Playlist for SlowMotionThoughts.com 
The first two songs on my January list are by Glass Animals, an English indie rock band from Oxford with a very groovy sound and strong catchy melodies. "Youth (2016)" is from their album How to be Human Being and "Pools" is an older track from their 2014 album Zaba.


The third song "Diddy Bop (2016)" is by 25 year old Fatimah Warner, better known by her stage name, Noname. She's an American hip hop recording artist/ poet from the Bronzeville, Chicago.

After her track, listen to "Professional Rapper (2015)" by David Andrew Burd, better known by his stage name, Lil Dicky. He's an American rapper and comedian who admittedly began his rap career to merely get attention comedically and eventually fell head over heels with the genre.


Up next is "Au pays d'Alice (2014)", a jazz musical inspired by Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Accompanying French-Lebanese musician Ibrahim Maalouf is the rapper/poet Oxmo Puccino. A stunning adaptation of Carroll's iconic story, it features various musicians including a thirty piece classical orchestra and a children's choir. My favourite one from the album is "Jamais quand il faut" that's followed by the entire piece performed live.

This one is long long long long looooonnnnggg overdue. I met Sirawon Khathing, one half of Biscoot & Rain, back in 2014 when we worked together at Elle Decor India. She's been one of my closest friends ever since and one of my favourite Indian illustrators of all time. She has been the photographer for some of my fashion stories.



She runs a unique design and illustration studio along with her childhood friend Ben Ningtoutao. Professionally both of them are stellar designers... Sira works in Mumbai, India and Ben in Christchurch, New Zealand. A cross-continent collaboration, their sole source of inspiration and interest is North East India, especially Shillong, the hill station where they grew up. No ocean can keep this creative duo away from their one true love.

Last year, Biscoot & Rain was on a roll. Apart from collaborating on different project, they were a part of NH 7 Weekender's Periphery Art Project curated by Bombay Duck Designs' Sameer and Zeenat Kulavoor. Their illustration travelled across the country and was also a part of an exhibition at the Pune venue. The curated visual line-up included other illustrators like Sumedha Sah, Jasjyot Singh Hans, Komet Juice and others.



Every year end, come rain or shine, Biscoot & Rain brings out a fabulous calendar for the upcoming year. For 2017, they have a stunning wall poster calendar with tear-off months. I've always admired the minute details they notice and incorporate in their work. Although, I've never been to the North East, I've seen it through the eyes of Biscoot & Rain. The jhola bags, the wooden pipes, the pickle stand, the betting shop with the chuna stains... I've seen it all.

Psst: If you order their calendar before Jan 1, 2017, you'll get a 15% discount. Shop here and use this code LocalBiscoot




We spoke to the beautiful minds behind this brand to understand them more.

How did Biscoot & Rain come to be? Tell us your story...
Biscoot & Rain is a collection of illustrations inspired by places we love and have lived in. We are nearing 30. Haha. We're family friends and met in Shillong when we were about 9 or 10 years old.

Ben: I’ve always been drawing for as long as I can remember, and haven’t seen myself as anything else but as an artist since I was about five years old. I started with drawing superheroes and then I discovered storytelling and realised that art has a way of re-drawing our own (as well as others’) perspective of life.

Sira: I grew up in Shillong and then moved to a boarding school in Mussoorie. Half my exercise books were always filled with cartoon and drawings. I remember this one semester in high school, I did well in Biology and told Dad that I was going to major in it. He asked if I was sure because he knew what I really loved.

I'm so glad he did. I thought about it and dropped all major science classes, and took other classes that helped me give shape to my skills. My style is less realistic with textures. I love pencil on paper and tend to lean towards the comic style.



Walk me through your collaborative process. How do you work together and remain inspired about your main subject (North East India) despite living in different parts of the world?
I think living so far away from our inspiration and each other gives us space to think and dream of ideas. It’s not often but when we come up with new ones, we hit each other up and discuss ideas and we find that it takes off from there organically, even with our styles.

Something good always comes out of an idea, and we have never had to force anything. More that putting our ideas on papers, a lot of time goes into research to make it more concrete. Ideas come from memory, nostalgia, things we've jotted down, photos taken of things whenever we visit home. We also try to divide pencil work and colouring, so that both of us work on an artwork. Our families and friends help us with research and all the ground work.



Your preferred media and subject? There’s nothing like traditional art forms, like pencil/painting on paper and we try and do that when we can, and then finish off on digital. Subject is definitely Local Life.


I have your last two calendars and often find myself staring at the minute details that you've so effortlessly included. Where does inspiration come from?
What you call ‘attention to detail’ in our work shows up because they come out of real experiences, real smells, real taste and real moments that we remember having felt.

Sira: Living away from home makes us look at everything with a fresh eye every time we visit. Even the simplest things we use or see everyday which we sometimes take for granted make such beautiful themes and subjects.

Ben: My favourite moments growing up in Shillong happened on the streets at the food stalls, or having chai at local shops, hustling in the plaza, etc and it is the little details in those experiences that serve as visual clues to remember them by – and that inspires me.



Where do you see Biscoot & Rain in 15 years?
Ben: In my personal opinion, NE India has become so political and that makes me cringe. I want to celebrate the simplicity of life, the joys of the common street, food, culture and lingo. Can we talk about how magical the simple event of walking down a bazaar in a town in Northeast is?

I live in New Zealand and I miss that magic every single day. And in fifteen years, I hope the stuff that we love about NE India still remains. And I hope to tell more stories celebrating them.

Sira: Through Biscoot and Rain, we want to represent how beautiful Northeast India truly is. Not just the landscape but the rich culture, the life and the people. Our simple name Biscoot and Rain is also taken from a favourite time of the day, sipping on tea, breathing in the fresh air and watching the rain.



Your antidote to laziness?
Wrong people to ask – a deadline.

A talent you wish you had...
Ben: Classical piano. Rap. Hindi poetry.

Sira: Don't laugh, but theatre

One thing you miss about home (apart from family, of course) Everything you see us draw in Biscoot & Rain.



Who is the funniest person you know?
Ben: My younger brother. He’s a clown and he's smart.

Sira: My mom, she's just knows how. She gets along with all ages, and she's fun and funny.

What’s the first thing you remember about each other? Comic books in Pen and Goa

If you were a colour, what colour would you be?
Ben: White. It is the combination of all colours.

Sira: Pastel brown. Love earthy colours

There is too much of ____________ in the world.
Talk


Follow them on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Biscoot/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biscootandrain/

Biscoot & Rain are open to artistic collaborations. You can write to them at hellobiscoot@gmail.com

I've been out of action for a while trying to deal with a physical aliment. You know what they say... As you grow older, you slowly die inside. While macabre might be my mood of the hour, it is certainly on hold as I type this blog post. Meet the Puppeteer behind Puppet Diaries.



The democratic digital age has granted us access to a world of knowledge in every form and fashion. More importantly, it has given us, each and every one of us, a blank canvas. I like to think of us as artists of sorts – digitizing our lives, putting on a show, making unabashed statements and performing "live".



Then again, there are artists, in the dictionary sense of the word, who have taken platforms like Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram and turned them into permanent galleries. And this particular artist, going by the name of reluctant puppeteer recently took to Instagram to exhibit an alter ego.



The protagonist of the series is bejewelled, pink haired puppet head called Karl (that resembles our favourite fashion moghul). He is a nomad, comfortable in his own skin, who travels the circumference of the planet making astute observations and hilarious connections. As of Nov 2016, Karl has travelled to Mykonos, Sydney, Kumbh, Deoghar and Yinchuan. Like the rest of us mortals, Karl even went to the bank in India.



The puppet and the puppeteer feed on adventure to bring a timely documentation of travel... more whimsical, mighty aesthetic and delightfully ironic if I may add. (#ExtraInfo: Wanderers are my favourite kind of people).

I cannot stress enough on the impeccable eye behind the lens. In most of the imagery, I find myself instantly yet frantically looking for blingy Karl... a "Where's Valdo?" like urgency that thrills when I find the puppet, only to discover the world around and beyond him.



When it boils down to it, here's what the project is essentially about, according to their website –
A traveller, explorer and a curious soul, the Puppet Diaries is a reflection of the artists' innate desire to set aside an ongoing serious artistic practice, and bring some comic relief with this parallel project.

Although, I might not be able to tell you if reluctant puppeteer is a girl or boy (like it matters), I can however let you in on an email interview with all the scoop...

Where did the reluctant puppeteer meet Karl, the puppet?
During a trip to the Kumbh Mela, Karl happened to be with my travel group. I have always been apprehensive of being photographed, and so decided to use Karl as a front to capture my travel experiences. Since then, he has been the forefront of my travel adventures.

A photo posted by Puppet Diaries (@puppetdiaries) on


Tell me about Karl's first adventure. The first time I started documenting Karl was overwhelming, but also ethereal. More than a subject, Karl is my expression through which I experience all these new destinations.


Why does the puppeteer remain to be anonymous?
In a very bizarre perspective, Karl is a part of my own personality and nature. It is not Karl as the public icon of fashion with which I am relating, but as a character that can create humour for me, and generate curiosity among the viewers too.

A photo posted by Puppet Diaries (@puppetdiaries) on

How would you describe puppet Karl's personality versus your own?
Sometimes funny, often cheeky yet also a bit of a thinker. Now that I’m thinking about it, I guess you could say there are similarities!


What do you love the most about the real Karl?
There is no real Karl. Karl is a combination of all the places and people I experience through my travels.

A photo posted by Puppet Diaries (@puppetdiaries) on


Follow Puppet Diaries on Instagram. You can also write to the artist at info@puppetdiaries.com or visit their website.

Update Dec 7, 2016
Look who's travelling. It's Princess Pea x Pero doll and she's exploring Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2017.
Anything but a selfie and #whatiateforlunch, please. We’ve traded in the done-to-death pouts and duckfaces on Instagram for the far more creative letterforms and typefaces that typography and graphic artists are putting out. Here are seven of the most epic ones I’ve been insta-stalking...

Image source


FAVE INDIAN ARTISTS
Sabeena Karnik
Instagram: @sabeenu
Followers: 67.8k

This Mumbai-based typographer breathes life into letters using paper and glue. Her paper sculptures have made it to billboards and magazine covers. Even Instagram commissioned her for some work. When she’s not playing with paper, she’s sketching realistic 3D typography.

A photo posted by Sabeena Karnik (@sabeenu) on


Pragun Agarwal
Instagram: @pragunagarwal
Followers: 2499

This New Delhi-based graphic designer has a soft spot for calligraphy and hand lettering. An NID graduate, he admires Seb Lester’s work and is experimental with his style as well as tools.

A photo posted by Pragun Agarwal (@pragunagarwal) on


Aditi Sharma
Instagram: @aditiatwork
Followers: 470

Based out of Mumbai, she discovered this art between boring lectures and breaks in college. She uses hand and brush lettering, and digital typography to make happy and humorous artworks. The endless scroll of typeface is occasionally broken with doodles and sketchbook pictures.

A photo posted by Aditi Sharma (@aditiatwork) on


FAVE INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS
Sebastian ‘Seb’ Lester
Instagram: @seblester
Followers: 1 million

Famously called the Banksy of calligraphy, this English artist and type designer’s mini videos of him hand-drawing famous logos and movie titles will blow your mind. So incredible is his work that Penguin got him to create the cover of JD Salinger’s final reissue of The Catcher in the Rye.

A video posted by Seb Lester (@seblester) on


Becca Clason
Instagram: @beccaclason
Followers: 25.1k

After mastering calligraphy, she started playing with food, flowers and other objects to create tactile typography and stop motion animation. Rainbow-coloured sprinkles, thread, tech gadgets, cupcakes, pens, crackers and what not – you name it, she’s used it.




 Gemma O’Brien
Instagram: @mrseaves101
Followers: 105k

A type nerd from Down Under, she can letter away with almost any medium – calligraphic brushes, illustrations, digital type and even giant hand-painted murals. While travelling, she draws puke puns on airsick bags for The Spewbag Challenge.



Morley
Instagram: @offcial_morley
Followers: 48.5k

Unlike most graffiti artists, Morley puts himself out there, literally. Around LA, he creates street art with typography and figures of himself using wheat paste. A writer-turned- artist, his sentences range from soul-stirring to hilarious.



PSST...
Hashtags to search#instatype #dailytype #handdrawntype #handlettering #type #typeface #36daysoftype

I wrote this article for July issue of The Juice magazine. It was originally published here. 
D.R.R TrollKill met her before I did. Not in real life but virtually. The three of us are a part of a highly volatile Facebook Group about Goa. D.R.R TrollKill thinks he’s Goan because he spent one year there and his grandfather was from there, I heard so much about that group from him that I had to join it and Nadia…well, she’s a young thinking Goan with an opinion and a cracking sense of humour.

I met her when a misogynistic creature decided to spew crap and neither Nadia nor I could hold back. We somehow joined forces in an attempt to talk some sense into him. The long, long fight ended with the admin blocking further comments on the post. More importantly, it ended with Nadia and I becoming friends. 

When I came upon her page Little Scrawny Dweeb comics, I couldn’t stop laughing. I learnt later that D.R.R TrollKill loves her comics because it reminds him of me. Her observations are insanely accurate, her humour is madly relatable and her visuals are funny as hell. And if we weren't already in love with this talent bomb of a youngling, Nadia was kind enough to create a Little Scrawny Dweeb based us! 


She asked me a bunch of simple questions where most of my answers started and ended with Pokemon Go. I’m going to say this on record: As of September 2016, this is by far the nicest thing anyone has ever done for Slow Motion Thoughts. Know more about this young Goan cartoonist and visual artist…



Were you always creatively inclined?
I’ll to be 23 this October. I’ve lived in Caranzalem, a village in Goa, all my life but my family’s roots extend to St. Inez and Divar (in Goa) too. I began to draw when I was 4 or 5. I remember watching The Powerpuff Girls on TV and thinking to myself…how do they make this stuff and I want to do it too when I grow up. I’d sit down to watch my cartoons with a pencil and paper and try to draw them out as accurately as possible. Drawing came very easily to me so there was no going back.

I really love character designing because of animation. There are just so many styles to choose from. I like trying out different styles every now and then and I always make it a point to play with different colour schemes. Apart from this, I like doodling and typography too.

Walk us through your process…
It’s pretty simple. I usually get an idea at random and if it’s crystal clear in my head, I proceed to draw it out and render it. If not, I jot it down and try to clarify the original thought behind the design with scribbles and sketches.

Mostly, I prefer digital art. When I feel like taking a break from the screen, I switch it up with traditional media like acrylics, pen and ink, poster paints and occasionally even watercolours. I’m partial to sketching with charcoal and brown colour pencils.  

Who is at the centre of most of your artworks?
My subject depends on what’s on my mind at the moment. I noticed this pattern in my artist friends too. We have these phases where we’ll be fixated over a certain colour, shape, person or art style and it somehow finds its way into our work. Right now, most of my work is a result of my obsession with comics and graphic novels.

Where does inspiration stems from?
When I initially began working on these comics, I wanted to create something fun that we could all relate to. The content of these comics stems from and is inspired by everyday life. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look, and most of the time some comics write themselves out. My characters are based on me, my friends and family, and of course certain specimens I come across. So, really these comics are just an extension of all of our personalities.

 Your antidote to laziness
Patent pending, but my main ingredients are two parts self-loathing to one part guilt. Administer while constantly reminding yourself that you’re a pathetic waste of space if you don’t live up to your full potential. 


A talent you wish you had
Surfing, but I’m definitely going to try that out someday

The funniest person you know…
My friend Claire, for her poop jokes.

 What do you collect?
I do not collect, I hoard….seashells, sketchbooks, shiny craft supplies and perfumes.


Do check her Facebook and Instagram page for more sketches. You can contact her for your personalised comic strips, collaborations or inquiries at nadia.azavedo@gmail.com.

All visuals used with the permission of the artist. All rights are reserved with the artist Nadia Azavedo. If you want to reproduce these visuals, please ask the artist for permission first.

I’ve always had immense respect for artist and more so for the self-taught ones. To have such talent, to realise, develop and harness it ...is rather commendable, don't you think? So I couldn’t help but tip my hat to Sumedha Sah. All of 27, this self taught illustrator from picturesque Nainital has a Master’s degree in Sustainable Architecture. A keen eye for detail and a love for meticulous observation set her apart as is her affinity towards Mamma Nature. A moment with the young artist....   


Tell me about your inclination towards art and creation.
I was born and raised in the beautiful hill station of Nainital in India, traces of which I carry wherever I go. But my affair with illustrating began a little more than three years ago in Auroville, a universal city near Pondicherry. Inspired by the peaceful and mystical surroundings of this forest city, I indulged in doodling the mundane yet unique experiences of my daily routine in a little sketchbook that I carried with me. With each of my illustrations, I wrote a snippet or a story about why I chose to draw them. I drew my kitchen, I drew my dogs, I drew my friends... I drew them all. Somewhere along the way, it transformed into a passion and, as of today, I have over 30 completely filled sketchbooks that document my important life-moments, ideas, thoughts and dreams.



Walk us through your process.
I always start with a black fountain pen to draw out my sketch and after I am satisfied with it I use water colour washes on top. I also like using scraps of paper to make a collage on my artworks because they give a new dimension to my work.

As for my favourite subject, I absolutely love drawing boats because I like how they move and change direction with every coming wave. The dynamics is what I like the most. My favourite medium is watercolours; I love doing washes and really like how versatile they can be.


What motivates and inspires you to pick up that pen?
I think growing up in Nainital amidst immense natural beauty has made a deep impact on how I observe and see things. I am hugely inspired by nature, its many forms, colours and shades and its ever-changing quality. This innate love for nature and a strong desire to travel and to draw my way through the world are things that govern my life right now. The mountains have always astounded me, and I think they will continue to, as long as I live.  

 As rightfully said by the Canadian poet, Elizabeth Brewster, I too believe that people are made of places. Places they are born in, places they pass through and places they desire to go. I carry within me hints of jungles and mountains, and in my mind, are acres and acres of misty Oak wood forests.




Your antidote to laziness...
A hot cup of lemon tea does wonders to any glum mood.

Favourite genre of music?
I quite enjoy listening to the new genre called modern soul and chill out. Bands like Jungle, Bonobo and Thievery Corporation.

A movie you feel like re-watching right now
Garden State for its beautiful music and also because it’s about everything and nothing at all at the same time.

If you could be an animal/bird, which one would you rather be and why
A bird of course, after all who doesn’t want a pair of wings!

Do check her website for more sketches or contact her for collaborations or inquiries at theumbrellabar@gmail.com