Henna design bottle

This has been a year with the spotlight on my hand-painted bottles. My unique form of bottle art has gone places, literally. So many pieces have found new homes, within the country and overseas. Sometimes I feel it has all been a dream.... such amazing exposure for my humble art.

I have a huge stock of bottles waiting to get done but am giving myself a break from bottle painting, as I explore other forms of art. Only occasionally playing around with a bottle; today I share one such creation. Most likely the last bottle to feature this year, this henna design bottle was made on commission for a friend.

I love how the pearl shades show up so well against the dark green background. Makes for a striking piece, in daylight or in artificial lighting.

As the year draws to a close soon, I am hoping the next year will be bigger and better for my distinct style of bottle art. Looking forward to another creatively satisfying year in 2016!

Nature Journal: November Nuances

November was a slow month, mostly because it was the fag end of the festive season (and I swear, between celebrating all the festivals, birthdays and anniversaries, I do get a tad tired by this time). But the collections for the journal were on track, and I finally compiled everything together on the last day of the month.

The owls at the local park kept us super occupied with their antics through the month. Playing peek-a-boo almost everyday, posing happily the days one didn't carry the camera and throwing royal tantrums on the days one did! Sometimes too sleepy to even care how close we crept to their cubby hole, all in all they were fun to watch. Now they are off for the winters.... not to any other place but snuggling deep into their tree-trunk home, in hibernation I guess.

We are keenly looking forward to having some organic peppers soon, planted by the kiddos! Other veggies growing in the garden include beans, tomatoes, chillies and spinach. Here is a  glimpse of the Oct-Nov double spread.

Feels strange to think there is only one more month to record in the Nature Journal, and then it'll be complete. I have already started working on the back cover pages and am really enjoying the process. In the meanwhile, if any of you did start a nature journal of your own, or are planning to, I'd love to hear from you! Do share your experiences in the comments section of this blog or write on my Facebook page.

Paper Beads Necklace

So I decided to take a detour into some jewellery making! Howzzat?!! Those of you who keep an eye on my Facebook page would know about the paper beads I had been making a couple of months back.

I posted pictures of the sheets of abstract art that me and my daughter created.... just random splashing of paint followed by equally arbitrary designs! No stress of creating art, this is just having fun with paints. And mostly we used the thick sheets that come in with the newspaper as advertisement inserts; their paper is glossy and thick enough to hold a decent amount of paint. So there, recycling was duly done.

These gorgeous sheets of painted paper were then cut into strips and rolled with pencils and toothpicks to form paper beads.... loads and loads of them, in all shapes and sizes. Well, finally we had enough beads to string together a long necklace. And just see how gorgeous it looks!

My daughter had a field day wearing this creation all through the festive season in the last couple of months. I just love the fact that it goes with any kind of attire - western or traditional. And between ourselves, we got a load of compliments for this unique paper bead necklace! :)

Nature Journal: October Observations

Bringing you the much-delayed October page of the Nature Journal. The changing season, the clamour of festivals, and a general lassitude kept me from finishing the page on time. Not that there has been any dearth of experiences to document....

That is the thing about Nature, I guess - there is never a day when you don't have moments to cherish. Sharing some of my October observations with you all....

Now that this year is drawing to a close, with just 2 more months left to document about in the Nature Journal, it seems like such a wondrous journey. Me and the kids love flipping through the previous months' pages, reading on our (often shared) experiences, and touching and feeling the specimens stuck in there.

As another year is soon to start, I again exhort you all to make a Nature Journal of your own. Not only will it discipline you to observe your natural surroundings, it will bring you immense pleasure once you have completed a whole year of recording your observations. Go ahead, try it! You will surely thank me if you do. :)

Happy Diwali

Serving Tray Makeover

So there was this old serving tray lying around the house. It had been gifted long back by some relative and though I hated its tacky looks right from the beginning, my mother refused to part with it. Sentimental reasons and all that mushy nonsense! It lay around in our shelves for years, getting used occasionally.

Till finally last weekend I gave it a much-deserved makeover. See the transformation yourself.... now the tray sports a Poppy theme, and looks (hopefully) more elegant.... at least to my eyes. 

I have used combined techniques of decoupaging, layering and sketching - using a photograph clicked by me and some newspapers - to give it the present look.



 

 

The last picture shows you a close-up of the tray surface, where decoupage and paint come together on a background of newspapers treated with gesso. I finished the tray with a generous layer of sealer so it could take spills and occasional washing.

Hope this post encourages you to try making over any such unused items lying around the house, giving them a fresh lease of life just in time for Diwali. Now tell me, which version of my tray do you like better -  the Before or the After?

Warli Bottles

I have been on a Warli bottle-making spree this last month, with some pending orders and some random pieces for my own stock.

Warli motifs are always great fun to work with. Even though they require a lot of precision, with their stick figures looking blotchy if the contours do not come out well. But Warli motifs are familiar territory for me now since I have done so many bottles with these designs.

Yet every time I make sure to introduce some new motif into each bottle - for my own creative satisfaction more than anything else. No wonder they are some of my hottest selling items! Want to gift one this festive season? Write to me at creativerumblings@gmail.com and set the ball rolling.

Tiger Lilies

A unique-shaped four-sided bottle deserves a special design. The reason why tiger lilies seemed the perfect flower to bloom across this beauty. Let the pictures do the talking....



Not only do the flowers look gorgeous, the bottle looks beautiful as a lamp when you toss in fairy lights. But pity I don't have a picture to show you the bottle in its lighted glory.

One of my personal favourites.... and still available. Go on, indulge yourself this festive season! :)

Nature Journal: September Serenades

The September page of my Nature Journal has been a pleasure to make. A surfeit of experiences ensured that the page got completed within the first 2 weeks of the month.



But what I love most is that the September page is a feast for the eyes.... full of visual experiences! Right from the bird hanging from a branch at the top down to the numerous ant hills at the bottom, it was fun sketching and colouring in the details.

 

Hope you enjoy taking a look as much as I enjoyed putting the page together.
 



Glass & Bottle Painting Classes Schedule

It gives us great pleasure to finally bring you the schedule for the Glass & Bottle Painting Classes.

Keeping in mind the requests received from our patrons and followers, the classes are based on weekends so that office-goers and school/college students can also attend. We are starting at 2 venues, one in south Delhi and one in west Delhi, and both locations are easily accessible by the Delhi Metro.

Seats are limited and will be reserved on first-come-first-served basis (as per registration). We are keeping limited seats so that individual attention can be given to all participants.

Please note that the schedule for the Glass & Bottle Painting Classes is also available under the Classes & Workshops tab of the blog for your convenience. In case of any queries, feel free to message us through our Facebook page or write to us at creativerumblings@gmail.com.

The Glass & Bottle Painting Classes start in October.

 



Nature Journal: August Observations

The August page of the Nature Journal got completed on the last day of the month. But unlike July,  this time there were enough specimens to fill the page.

Two of the August specimens came from my son. He collected the samples while playing basketball in school. The basketball court is adjoining the park, and hence an equally good site for getting hold of interesting stuff.

But what I loved was the fact that my pursuit of nature journaling has begun to have an impact on the kids, making them more aware and enthusiastic about their natural surroundings. Someday I can hope to have at least two nature warriors following my example! :)

And here is ending this post on a happy note - even before we hit mid-September, my journal page for the month is already finished! Yippeee!!!

Lantana Inspired

Sad how with time certain species seem to disappear from our environment. And I don't just mean birds, animals or insects but also floral species. Like the Lantana that was so much a part of my growing-up years but can hardly be seen in these parts now.

So how many of you remember the Lantana plant that was mostly used to build hedges - in parks, in the small gardens adjoining government quarters, and was a common sight. Its multi-coloured florets were a magnet for butterflies while the coarse, gravelly feel of the leaves would keep most animals away. Good for the plants as animals wouldn't care much about eating and ruining them. Wonder why there was this drive to uproot the lantana from our local ecology.

Anyhow, I digress.... the point of this post was to present to you my Lantana inspired bottle that I created in July. The yellow-green combo really stood out on the dark olive-green coloured bottle, and it got sold on the last day of the exhibition. No worries, if the design catches your fancy just drop me a mail at creativerumblings@gmail.com and I'll be happy to make one for you.

On hindsight though, those flowers should have been a combination of yellow, pink and orange; then they would truly mimic the real Lantana flowers. What say? Hmmmpphh! An artist is never satisfied. :)

Nature Journal: Cover Page

The Nature Journal finally has a front cover. One of the first things I made post-exhibition. Was a wonderful break from the bottles, and helped me relax my over-tired body and over-charged brain.

I tweaked the inchie collage technique and came up with this design that features almost all that constitutes nature, and that I come across regularly in my interactions with the natural world. I am pretty pleased with the end result. What do you think, dear readers?

Workshops/Classes Announcement

New month, new direction!!..... Creative Rumblings is proud and happy to announce the commencement of its workshops and classes very soon. After a lot of interest and queries during our outing at Select Citywalk, this was the next logical step to take.

We are currently working out the venues and timings. So keep an eye here and stay tuned.... for dates will be given out soon along with other details.

Curio Bottle

So who says bottles are only meant to hold flowers or money plants? See how perfect these found bird feathers look in the small curio bottle.

The abstract design (that many folks at the exhibition called the Tiffany stained glass effect) is eye-catching and attractive. Simple yet beautiful.

I absolutely love how you can view the design on the other side superimposed on the side facing you.

And of course, a single floral stem would look equally nice in that bottle! So what's holding you back from getting one? :) Write to me at creativerumblings@gmail.com to get yours.

Nature Journal: The July Page

Umm, well, I don't know how to start this post.... Writing about the July page of the Nature Journal is somewhat embarrassing because the page never got written on time! The July page got written in August.... well, most of it.

All through July I was so preoccupied with the upcoming exhibition that the Nature Journal got a royal ignore. Scrambling to create enough inventory for a 3-day showing, I had no scope whatsoever to think about what I wanted to put in the journal. That explains the lack of a natural specimen on the page!

Couple of random observations got recorded, but the remaining month an almost-blank page stared back at me. Till I jotted down major topics on my phone, and proceeded to write about them after the exhibition was over. Thankfully, by then, my favourite creations around this time of the year - the toadstools - bailed me out. So you have a mushroom bloom garden finishing off the July page. Hope that gives you some ideas to go mushroom hunting whenever it rains.

The Minions

They are the hottest brand on the horizon, the characters everyone is raving about. You know who I mean, right.... the title to the post gave that away!

I caught up with them last weekend (thanks to my kiddos) in the movie by their name but not before I had captured them on a bottle. Yes, the Minions, with their oh-so-cute expressions adorned a jam jar at my recent exhibition.

And since everyone wants to be seen with them, a not-so-little-kid-turned-adult picked them up for his home. So he could "Be one.... in a Minion!!" :)

The Minions jam jar now doubles up as a pen/pencil holder and works equally well as a night lamp!

Aren't they looking super? If you want something similar for a kid you know, or for the kid in you, write in to me at creativerumblings@gmail.com and get your own Minions home.

Showcasing Bottle Art at 'Artivity'

How time changes perspectives!.... Read on to know why I write this. And yes, I'm sounding a long post alert too. So proceed at your own risk! :)


The Creative Rumblings stall at Artivity, Select Citywalk

To think that just a month back I was choosing to ignore the invitation mail from the Select Citywalk team for participating in the Artivity event. And here I am, giving you all a round-up of our experience. Yes, it all started on the wrong note.... by my not wanting to participate. But then, as they say, destiny had other plans!


View from the inside

A close-up of our name board

This was the first edition of Artivity at Select Citywalk, and it was aimed at promoting both traditional and modern art forms. There were 16 stalls in all, each giving a glimpse into a special form of art. Right from traditional crafts like wire craft, rice etching and calligraphy to modern ones like decoupage, dry flower crafts to bottle art.


At the risk of sounding clichéd, I have to say that our experience at Artivity was quite similar to our first exhibition at Gurgaon last Diwali. So many people showered love by visiting our stall, taking time to look at the pieces on display, clicking pictures (sometimes with and sometimes without our permission!), openly appreciating our work and saluting our creative thinking. Our penchant for upcycling and giving the discarded a new lease of life won us lots of accolades. 


The uniqueness of bottle art was very well received as countless people stopped by to appreciate, to ask us how we work, what materials we use, and most importantly, to show their children, family and friends this unusual form of art.

Interacting with our admirers and patrons

Many people who had seen our work on Friday came back with others in tow on the next two days, giving us knowing smiles! Sitting three whole days doing 12-hour shifts in a mall is not easy; we were dead tired by the end of it all. But such a heart-warming response made all our efforts worth it.

Loved the joy on the faces of the young and old alike

Our original concept of turning old CDs into rangoli diya trays was also a big hit, both with elders and the young crowd. Not only did the diya trays sell like hot cakes, many promised us to try out similar decorations this coming Diwali. These encouraging reactions to our endeavours always keeps us on our toes, motivating us to further innovate with recyclable materials. Must confess I felt elated being recognized for my small efforts in the overwhelming presence of the big brands surrounding us.

Discussing, explaining and conveying our thoughts

The artist as mommy on the final day :)

And of course, all this would never have been possible without the 24/7 support of my home team. The youngest ones who showed a little more independence so mom could work on creating enough inventory. The eldest one who kept his demands to the minimum so as not to burden the rest. The mother, who handled the home front single-handedly with a smile, and had encouraging words on her lips every time I had moments of self doubt. And the hubby, who stood (sometimes behind and sometimes beside) like a rock, steadying me each time I faltered. Last but not the least.... my buddies (you know who you are) who trooped in to motivate, encourage, support and lift us up. I feel blessed, truly!


Since we received a lot of enquiries, I plan to introduce workshops shortly. So keep an eye on this space and our Facebook page, and you'll see announcements soon. Till then, apart from resting my tired bones, let me bask in the glory of a job well done. Whoever heard of modesty?!?.... Modesty is out of fashion!! ;) Hope you enjoyed reading this long post.

Thanks!

A big Thank You to all those who made our outing at Artivity, Select Citywalk a grand success!

Pictures and details coming soon.... stay tuned.

Creative Rumblings Exhibits at Artivity, Select Citywalk

The time has come, dear readers and followers, to finally let the cat out of the bag.... sharing with you all today the 'big news' that I harped about in the last post!!

And the news is that Creative Rumblings has been chosen to participate in Artivity, a celebration of traditional and modern art forms, at the posh Select Citywalk mall in Saket. Artivity is an initiative by the Select Citywalk team to bring art to public spaces, out of the confines of galleries and elitist surroundings.

Creative Rumblings and our unique brand of bottle art, is proud to be associated with this venture to connect better with the public and bring art into the everyday realm - to be touched, felt and explored. We wholeheartedly support this initiative of taking art to a public domain and reaching out to a wider audience.

So look forward to seeing you between 31 July-02 August, 2015 at the Central Atrium at Select Citywalk. We will be at stall number 15. 

July Snippets

Those of you wondering about my disappearing act for the past few weeks.... well, I have news. But first things first. July seemed to have gone by mostly in a blur, for various reasons.

The kids are back to school, which means a fresh flurry of projects and activities to do with them. Like this tile painting that had to be submitted to commemorate the school's golden jubilee. Sonny and I chose to paint five different types of flowers, each flower representing each decade. These tiles will be put up on the school walls to make a colourful collage of sorts.

The rains have been playing spoiler with my walks pretty often. And as a result, till date I have no sample in place for the July page of my nature journal. This isn't quite stressing me out but I like to be on top of things, and my July page is running woefully late.

I have also been working non-stop at a feverish pace through the month. The reason why time seems to be flying extra fast! There is something very exciting round the corner.... yes, it is BIG NEWS!!! All the slogging away of the past few weeks is in preparation of that 'something', but I cannot reveal details till things are formally finalized. For me, it is a pretty big outing and I am super excited. But phew! I have been killing myself trying to finish up before D-day hits.

So, stay tuned and I'll be back with the details soon. And yes, wish me luck!! Hope the next post will make up for the rather plain one this time!

Nature Journal: The June Page

Presenting to you all the June page from the Nature Journal. This was one page that was ready much before the month ended.... perhaps because I chose to use a picture this time and that covered up quite a bit of space on the page.

Surprisingly, June brought with it quite a few showers that dispelled the searing dry heat of May. And gave us gorgeous evening skies to celebrate! Believe it or not, one evening also brought a full grown peacock, sans its long tail but strutting around our terraces just as proudly. Such a feast it was to watch the magnificent creature from up close.

June was also dedicated to seeds and seedpods. As the storms ensured that a lot of seed dispersal happened successfully. So it was only appropriate to stick on a pretty pink seedpod collected by my daughter from the neighbourhood park. I have no clue what tree that belongs to; anyone out there knows?

Soar

One of my first tries at doing an intuitive painting. Takes a lot of courage to let go of all plans, shun any pre-defined ideas and not look for pointers.... an intuitive process demands that one just jumps into the fray with a brush and paints.

However, since this was my first attempt, I tried to make the process easier by adding another background layer to the piece. I started with some doodling or random sketching using permanent pens. After that I splashed paint on the page - no order, no specific plan. Just put whatever you please wherever. And see what emerges.... Make things up as you go along.



After the paint wash on the pen sketches, I approached small sections one-by-one. Adding a detail here, a motif there. Till it all seemed to come together. Especially loved how the first layer showed up in parts through the final layers, bringing an extra dimension to the piece.





But what was most interesting about this piece was to see the transformation to the central part of the painting. What started out as a checked criss-cross metamorphosed into a flying bird by the time the painting ended (click on the second picture to see up close). And that is why I named the painting Soar.... a celebration of life!

Dandelion Inspired Bottle

The bottle featuring today takes its name from the very common wildflower - the Dandelion. Little yellow flowers bobbing up their heads in between the grass, tough enough to bloom in the most arid conditions. You can read more about them here.



But the beautiful thing about the Dandelion bottle, with its swaying seed-heads, is that it takes me back to childhood. Running after the white and wispy flying dandelion seed heads in the park is a memory that gets evoked every time on seeing this beauty. The minute one caught a fluffy dandelion ball in one's palm, it would disintegrate into a thousand little wispy white strings (basically individual seeds) that flew off immediately. Doesn't that sound familiar? :)



In fact, in India children call the dandelion seed-heads " buddhi mai ke baal" (or the "old woman's hair") in Hindi, given the flying tufts of wispy white strings. Isn't it strange, funny and awesome.... where all one can get inspiration from!

Nature Journal: The April-May Spread

Here is a peep into the April-May spread of my Nature Journal.

 



 As I mentioned in one of my posts last month, the April page features a lot of doodle flowers and sketches done randomly. But the best part of our April experience was getting up close with the blue pansy butterfly.



As for May... since we had been reeling under a severe heatwave, it led to repeated illness and I had to miss my morning walks many days. Moreover, the mornings at the park - my best time to commune with nature - were crowded and chaotic due to ongoing summer vacations. But nature doesn't stop its annual cycle; the Amaltas and the Gulmohar bloomed with as much abandon this year too, though their blooms dried up much faster this time.

My idea of countering the may heat and drying blooms? - I created some paper flowers on the May page.... and they won't dry up ever! Try some yourself; they are great fun!