Saira Wasim

I chanced upon Saira Wasim's work via Yuti, the creative powerhouse behind Udd. I am fascinated by the miniature painting tradition and am always on the look out for the original, and the more contemporary takes on the art form. I found Saira's work very engaging as it not only draws inspiration from the miniature art form, but the theme is current - politics and world drama. Her witty and satirical take has been feted by international galleries and in numerous exhibitions around the world. 

Take a look at Saira's portfolio right here.  Also see her recent project for Vogue India's 5th anniversary issue.

[All images and art work copyright: Saira Wasim]

New and Happening!

Syed Ali Arif

Syed shared his striking art work and the heartwarming story of his journey into the world of art with me recently. An artist at heart, Syed went through the cycle of conventional education and 'regular' jobs, before he gave in to his passion of creating art. Self taught, with an artist friend as a mentor, Syed is now sought out by independent galleries and art lovers from across the world. Using various paint techniques and mediums, his work covers subjects like Indian mythology, religion, sexuality, performing arts, individuality and self identity. 

Take a look at Syed's art portfolio on his site and on his facebook page.

Urban Yogi brings Good Earth to Dubai!

 

Nisha Varman Shetty, the brainchild behind Urban Yogi, had reached out to me sometime back and shared her dreams and ideas of creating a luxury sustainable brand in Dubai. So with much delight, I announce the launch of Urban Yogi, and it's first project - a collaboration with the iconic Good Earth. Urban Yogi brings to Good Earth to Dubai via the 12th Women Exhibition currently happening at Dubai Ladies Club in Jumeirah. Click on the pic above for more details. 

And, a fabulous offer for all my readers in Dubai - Just mention that you are a reader of 'An Indian Summer' at Urban Yogi's stall, and get a 10% discount on all products! Happy Shopping!

 61c

A shared love for stationary and a passion for design is what led Supriya Kejriwal and Prashish More to join forces and create the paper brand 61c. Turning the mundane everyday paper products into magical, collectible items, the duo has launched an eclectic range of notepads, cards, gift packaging, wall art and other exciting paper accessories. I am love with their Panchatantra range of products featuring quintessential Indian motifs and design. 

Connect with 61c on facebook here and shop for their exquisite products right here. For a week, An Indian Summer readers can avail a special discount of INR 200 off on every purchase above INR 610 by using the code AIS61C when you shop. And if you 'like' their page on facebook, you can get an additional 6.1% discount! Just leave a note on their page to get the additional discount code. 

Urban Ladder

For Ashish and Rajiv, the inspiration to create a store that provided easy access to great furniture, came when they were building their own homes. They had a first hand experience of what a consumer would like for in furniture and what was missing in this area in the online retail segment. After months of research into design and manufacturing techniques, and sourcing unique quality products, the duo has set up UrbanLadder.com. With a range of well designed furniture and decor pieces, UrbanLadder.com promises to provide a seamless online retail experience. 

Check out the collection at UrbanLadder.com and connect with them on facebook right here.

[Al images copyright An Indian Summer and respective owners]

This week's goodies!

Kinche Boutique

Payal Jaggi, the owner of Kinche Boutique, started the boutique to bring her favorite style of decorating - the french country chic / cottage style to India. After 15 years of experiencing the world as an air crew member, Payal's boutique brings to us the very best in her preferred style, with her carefully researched and hand picked products. Kinche Boutique is located in Gurgaon, India, and soon, would be available to us via her online store! For now, browse through the expanding collection here. 

Krya

When Preethi  Sukumaran, the creative one half behind Krya, send me an email sharing her company's philosophy, I did a quick little jig right in front of my surprised laptop. You would too, if you were handed an organic and natural alternative to your daily washing machine detergent. Preethi graciously sent a packet to me to try out, and for probably the first time ever, I couldn't wait to wash clothes! Krya's natural detergent is made of soapnuts (known as reetha in hindi) and works way better than regular detergents (my personal experience!). And the fact that you are contributing your little bit to help  protect the environment, well, that makes the mundane task of loading a washing machine, a whole lot agreeable!
Read about, and shop Krya's first product here. Connect with Preethi and Srini on their blog or on Krya's facebook page.

TexturedInk

Ankita Kejriwal, the vibrant owner and graphic designer at TexturedInk is truly a child of the east, and now, a citizen of the western world. Her work is a beautiful balance between the rich colors and contrasts - an influence of her eastern upbringing, and the crisp, simple lines - an impact of the minimal western design aesthetics. Ankita's shop on Etsy called TexturedINK, is the place where she designs and sell modern graphic design paper goods for the home. Apart from paper prints, posters, art panels and personal stationery, she's also proud to offer unique products printed on recycled wood panels - the wood for which has been salvaged from fallen trees in apple orchards! And what's more, Ankita is offering a 10% discount to An Indian Summer readers for the next 15 days [i.e till Dec 10th]. Use the code Thanks11 to shop now!  

Collective Craft

Collective Craft, founded by Shweta Mohapatra and Sibanand Bhol is a collaborative effort of a group of designers, artists and architects. It is based in Delhi and Orissa, India. Collective Craft works on sustainable design practices, craft revival and also, in developing contemporary craft products along with local artisans. For the founders, creating a smaller ecological footprint and developing sustainable products are two critical parameters for all their design projects. 

The philosophy behind their products, combined with their sublime designs, is a winning combination for me. You can read more about their process on their blog, and get in touch with them via Collective Craft's facebook page. 

 Shakiraaz

Shakiraaz, the online store for all the all things pretty, has been started by Shakira Lima, a textile and graphic designer.  Shakira is based out of Melbourne, and creates beautiful designs on, and from the textiles she sources from India. She would soon be launching a printed range of tableware in silk and linen. Get in touch with her on Shakiraaz's facebook page.

Aniika

Aniika, which means 'beautiful' in Sanskrit, is an apt name for Meghana Rao and Shamim's  maiden venture. Aniika, headquartered in India, with offices in the US, is a virtual bazaar for emerging Indian designers to build their brand and sell their creations globally. Aniika, currently still in beta, will be an excellent source for design enthusiasts to get their hands on fresh contemporary designs from India. Connect with Aniika on facebook, and shop their current collection of goodies here. 

Devajyoti Ray

My post on Indian Art Collective yesterday reminded me of a talented artist who had shared his work with me a few weeks back. Devajyoti Ray, whose work was recently exhibited at Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai, is inspired by the concept of pseudo-realism. His paintings pick mundane scenes from day to day life and convert them into color blocked works of art. Take a look at select paintings here and the schedule of upcoming exhibitions here.  

OMI

OMI [Oh My India] by Omi Gurung, is a group that aims to be the catalyst in changing the lifestyle of people in India, by creating awareness to reduce, reuse and recycle domestic waste. Omi's site is a growing resource for DIY tips, reuse projects and sustainable products, and helps people get started in this direction. Connect with Omi here.

 Kabutar.in

And finally, a happening new site for, well, that what is happening right now! Shubhendu, one of the founders of this wacky site, send me an email that made me smile. And at the threat of his 'standing in a corner to sulk', I promised him that I'll share kabutar.in with you guys :). So here it is - a new place to share your pic and let the world know what is happening right now! And if this is your thing, then there is an iPhone app too folks!

[All images copyright respective owners and An Indian Summer]

All this Art...

K Laxma Goud

 ...is now available online!

But just for this week! Indian Art Collective, the first ever online art fair in India is on, and everyone is invited. Selected art works from galleries across the country, have been brought together in this online fair and are available for sale. While most of the art work is targeted towards serious art collectors, there is a decent representation of comparatively affordable work from new artists. Even if you are not keen on picking up an art piece, you could still spend hours browsing through and get inspired by the vast range of original paintings, sculptures and installations showcased on the site. Here's a really very brief glimpse into the variety of art the fair brings for us:

Chitta Prosad Bhattacharya

A Ramachandran

Seema Kohli

 Dibin Thilakan

Jamini Roy

K.S. Kulkarni

Manjit Bawa

[Image copyright: India Art Collective]

I'll be back tomorrow with some talented people and interesting new stores and products. Sorry, I was away last week - have been having a busy run! Can't wait for that elusive time off. Sigh.

 

Ta da!

Meet Diya Dasgupta!

This, my lovely peeps, is the young designer who won the 'An Indian Summer' logo design contest! You can see her hard at work above. And below, here are a few of the designs she deftly created for An Indian Summer. And up there, you could see the new banner, while towards the right, you could see the new widget for An Indian Summer. As you look through more of her designs in the post below and in her portfolio, you would figure why I feel like an art curator showcasing the work of a brilliant designer in a gallery :)

Calling colour, pattern and print as her greatest loves, Diya's goal is to design a visual language. Her core design philosophy addresses the notion of (cultural) identity through the medium of design, and thus her work is an infusion of her Indian upbringing and her experiences of other cultures, places, people etc that she has come across in her life so far.

Sketches and paintings - couple of many techniques used by Diya in her textile and graphic design work

 

This is a part of Diya's final year project - The Tactile Manifesto, and is a reflection of her personal design philosophy. The Tactile Manifesto examines whether the homogenizing effect of globalization curbs individuality and thus, creativity, or whether it is possible for designers to maintain their (cultural) identities and creative spirit in a globalizing environment. One of the designs from this project is already being used by a furniture supplier in Sydney.

Diya's project where she designed a concept for a screen/room divider that is inspired by Indian Mughal architecture.

In Diya's words:

I moved to Australia in 2007 to study and have recently completed a Bachelor's degree specialising in Textiles and Graphics/Media at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales in Sydney. I completed high school in Berlin, Germany, middle school in Kathmandu, Nepal, primary school in New Delhi and pre-school in Belgium. Although I feel somewhat like a nomad, I consider myself very lucky to have been exposed to different cultures and ways of thinking from such an early age. It has framed the way I see the world and heavily influences my work.

A series of textile concepts designed by Diya, for an Oriental boutique hotel

Diya was one of five finalists in the 2009 Rug Up competition organised by Designer Rugs. The shortlisted design 'Hope' is the first one in the image above.

Diya and I had a great time developing an identity for An Indian Summer. While it was a really tough call trying to select from the many incredible designs that came in, I felt Diya was able to put on paper the essence of what I had in my mind. I wanted a distinct 'motif' that captures the exuberance of this blog, and yet, is simple enough so as to not overpower the brand. 

Like Diya's work? Well, the good news is that she is open to freelance work and exciting projects and I can't recommend her enough! You can reach Diya at this email ID.

Over the next few weeks, I'll try and clean up Mr. Blog to make it more reader friendly. Any one who has tried to clean up a boy knows what a task it is going to be! ;). Drop me a comment / email if there are changes you would like to see. And do tell Diya and me if you like the new logo! 

[All images copyrighted to: Diya Dasgupta]

Gro Mukta Holter's Art and Home

Gro Mukta Holter, originally from Bangladesh, is an artist and a designer, and has been living in Oslo, Norway for many years now. As a young girl of 13, Gro started to paint, inspired by the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. She also fell in love with the work and the life of Frida Kahlo, who till date inspires Gro immensely.  

Gro calls herself an 'art nerd' and has always made things - paintings, clothes, bags, pillows, jewelry and dolls. In her own words: My art is much about the magic realism and I see the magic moments in the everyday life. I blend in references to art history, literature, pop culture, music, movies and most of all, travelling and observing other cultures. 

Gro, as Frida Kahlo :)

Gro's exuberant personality and her innate love for color and context is not limited to her paintings alone. Gro's home, which used to be a soap factory, is a reflection of her gypsy spirit in every sense. She has combined antiques, design classics, east and west and calls her style a mix of eclectic, art and urban bohemian chic.

 

Some inherited, and others handpicked during her travels

The bed was custom made from recycled wood, and shipped from Kerala, India

In Gro's words: I collect a lot of things from travelling, and we have a lot of art and furniture that comes from our family.  I love to mix colors that might seem a little odd, but can give some lush combinations. My home got to be playful and I try to make it a place that invites visitors to feel relaxed and inspired!

 

Gro, her work and home have been featured in many magazines over the years. I adore her flamboyant style and have picked up some ideas for my home. Hope you too enjoyed the tour of her work and home as much as I did!

[All images copyright: Gro Mukta Holter. Gro's work: Find here and here]