Revisiting Exhibition Memories

Five years back, today was a day of such excitement - my 3 day exhibition was to start, and I was literally living my dream. Presenting my handiwork in a large public forum at a prestigious mall; simply loved the experience and the exposure.

You can read in detail about the exhibition here, while these pictures are a happy reminder of the event.

Now given our present circumstances and the new normal that the virus has imposed on us, such events seem rather distant. No one can really predict how and when things will get normalized in the future. In the meantime, you can connect with us at creativerumblings@gmail.com for any related decor requirements. We will be happy to serve you via courier.

Flashback!

This month, last year.... was such a super busy time. I was in the midst of preparing for my very first exhibition (you can read about that here) and neck-deep in work.

As the rains poured outside, I poured out my creative designs inside. :) Here are some moments capturing the action behind-the-scenes.

Yes, that is yours truly working on multiple bottles simultaneously. Half-finished bottles and glass pieces lay strewn around on all tables at home for a whole month.... LOL. That isn't a mean feat when you have 2 kids at home!

But when we finally lined up the finished bottles together, how gorgeous they looked...

 

As did the glass paintings...



So happy that most of my creations found new homes, and are now bringing joy and adding colour to the lives of so many others. Feel immensely grateful to have been gifted with a creative mind and an artisan's hands!

As I relive last year's journey, here is to many more to come!
 

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!

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. 

Catch Up Time

In all my happiness at having a successful show in my first ever outing this Diwali, I totally forgot to update the blog..... Ouch!!!!! Guess it is time to confess that in trying to be a one-person army, I find my hands a bit too full at times. And while I do get to post fairly regularly on the Facebook page (thanks to my smartphone), the poor blog gets a miss. To top it all, the busy festival season didn't help the cause either. Ah! well, now that you know where I come from, let me share the happy bits with you.

The Creative Rumblings stall got a very good response at the Ardee City Diwali Mela in Gurgaon. Not only was our work greatly appreciated, but each and every visitor told us how much they valued our creative thinking and our efforts at recycling/repurposing. Quite a few of our products got a new home, and I came back feeling elated. Yes, the hubby (who accompanied me to help out) and I came back happy and tired, but most of all, it was such a humbling experience to receive so much love!! Sharing here a few of our moments from that eventful evening.

A look at the Creative Rumblings stall

 

Close-up of the hand-made goodies on sale

 

The view of the mela from the other side

In the meanwhile, I am back to doing what I do best, and have a couple of half-finished bottles on my table already. Here's a peep at one of them.

Also, there are a thousand plans in my head after getting such a fabulous response upfront. As the remaining year pans out, let's see how many get translated to reality. Wish me luck, dear readers!