Illustrator Dante Terzigni

I bumped into this beautiful etsy shop the other day; its shelves stacked up with 26 odd fresh, original illustrations and surface design prints. Amazingly subtle and bold at the same time.

Dante Terzigni's influences stem from nature, photography, music, modern architecture & artists too numerous to mention. He is an illustrator/designer who currently lives and works out of Cleveland, Ohio. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Columbus College of Art and Design in 2003, Dante began working full time as an in-studio illustrator/designer at the American Greetings Corporation. Dante has since done editorial, stationery, advertising, social expression, and design work for a wide variety of national & international clients. The best part is that he sells these prints on acid free, 100% cotton fiber paper on his etsy shop :)

Impatience

I particularly like the way he creatively uses subdued surreal pastel shades, in interesting translucent textures for the background of most of his works. It brings to attention the main subject of the painting so easily. It's simple, readable, colorful, textured and storied art all at the same time. It's almost relieving and refreshing to see easily understandable art amidst a chaos of so many contemporary works these days, where the observer can seldom understand the message (if any) behind the art work. But having said that, in the end, art is art and it is beautiful no matter what format. Right?

Presenting some of Dante's illustrations picked from his website. 

Tree Huggers

Information Overload

Infinite

Carnival, Trick or Treat

Six Pack Abs

Sushi

Traditional Arts : Applique Thangka

Artisans from one of our producer groups, The Norbulingka Institute, make these enticing Thangkas - religious scroll pictures.

Appliqué Thangka are religious pictorial scrolls, an important artistic form in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Tibetan Buddhist painting is perhaps one of the most complex and sophisticated art forms.  They are detailed and aesthetic; they symbolize the religious, mystical consciousness.

The creation of fabric thangkas, mostly made of silk, some of them woven, some embroidered are made using a technique similar to appliqué, goes back many centuries in Tibet. The appliqué artists at Norbulingka do their finest work when they make silk thangkas. Constructed of hundreds of hand-cut pieces of silk and brocade, these elaborate creations require many months of work.

Fabric pieces cut

Then the fabric pieces are assembled together

Known in Tibetan as göchen thangka (precious-cloth scroll images) or göku (cloth images), these pictures are a patchwork of fine silk satins and brocades. Thangkas were, and still are, painted with mineral colors and gold on a cotton canvas and then framed in silk brocade.

Assembly with horse hair

To start with, a stencil of the desired image is prepared by drawing a full-size image on paper and perforating the lines with a needle. This stencil is placed over the cloth that will form the background and is dabbed with a cloth laden with powdered white chalk to render the drawing visible. The individual figures assembled from silk brocade are stitched onto this background and outlined with silk-wrapped strands of Mongolian horse tail. The completed image is mounted on a plain white cotton backing before finally being framed in a brocade border.

Finished Thangka

The imagery in Tibetan thangka displays a blend of Chinese and Indian influences with characteristically Tibetan elements. The pictures on thangkas usually depict idealized figures which symbolize the expansive qualities of enlightened mind, such as wisdom, compassion, energy, and fearlessness. Some thangkas also illustrate scenes from the life of the Buddha, or occasionally even history. 

Apprentices at the norbulingka institute train to make appliqué thangkas. They become thoroughly familiar with the forms and proportions of Tibetan iconography before learning to mark, cut and sew pieces of silk brocade to assemble brilliant sacred images from them. Hats off to the patience that these guys have for creating such breathtaking pieces!

These beautiful artifacts are available at The Green Elephant by order, customized to your size requirements. If you think this is a must have for your home/office or facility, do give us a shout. We would love to hear from you. 

All images courtesy : Norbulingka Institute

Kazuri = Small and Beautiful in Swahili

Beautiful fair trade gifts for me! yay! :) 

One of my very good friends recently got back from her yearly visit to her mother back home in Kenya and like each time she got me another cool gift.  She handed me this little paper bag saying "i thought you'd appreciate this" :) . I read the tag and knew before looking at the contents what it was and i said -  i do! i love it! They were all fair trade products :)

The bag itself is hand made from recycled paper by street youth and women of Nairobi. Kawangware vision center was started as a project to create and open up positive life opportunities for orphans, vulnerable children and for youths at risk in the community. They initially started by making handmade paper bags out of recycled paper which they sold to tourists and to safari companies. The income earned was used to improve their lives as well as maintain their business. Today Kawangware Street Children and Youth Project is a registered NGO. It's main activity is a micro business in which young children, both boys and girls, hand make and design, silk screened eco-friendly gift bags, greeting cards, gift wraps and T-shirts. The income generated in turn is used in several constructive activities for the youth and women of the community. 

And the contents of the bag, also fair trade - were a beautiful pair of earrings and a matching clip made out of handmade beads made by the women of an organization called Kazuri. This organization excels in hand making and hand painting amazing ceramic beads, jewelry, pottery and bags. Their jewelry is enticing and all their products are top notch in quality - i can vouch for it as i own a pair myself now! The Kazuri workshop in Karen employs over 340 women, mostly single mothers. They produce over 5 million beads a year and export to over 30 countries world wide.

As a company dealing in fair trade products we'd like to tell all our readers one thing - One does not need to fill up their wardrobes with fair trade products in order to support these communities but each small random purchase like this, might make a huge difference to their lifestyle. As for most of us, it probably would be just another piece of shopping right? Why not make it count?

Memories of a Butterfly - Sreeti Mondol

Today’s designer, Sreeti Mondol was introduced to me by a dear friend from back home.  Sreeti works with beads - a medium that fascinates me too. Beaded curtains bring back some nostalgic memories from my own childhood. It reminds me of the bead curtains my mom stringed for our house using some raw looking wooden and ceramic beads. The tradition is carried on with much sophistication and elegant style today by this young chirpy girl-woman, Sreeti Mondol. I had to get in touch with the person who shares my fascination and who has been able to make her passion a way of life. 

Sreeti churns out beautiful twinkling bead creations from her warm and inviting home in Bangalore.  She has worked as a strategy planner with ad agencies in the past but now since last 4 years she designs bead curtains, full time. It's been a one man show for her, when it comes to running the business with only a few trained girls that assist her in stringing the beads. She says “What we love about bead curtains is that they not only allow for a play with color, light and texture, but also enable us to create natural connectors between spaces. They have the ability to create privacy without disconnecting an area from the rest of the house, office, bar or restaurant.” Her company 'Memories of a Butterfly' designs bead installations for residences, retail and hospitality spaces. They work hand in hand with architects and interior designers to bring about customized one of a kind, space specific creations. 

Here’s sharing an intriguing heart to heart rendezvous with a passion driven artist who has an immense zest for life. She talks about her struggles, about her company and how it came about. But before that, I’d like to suggest a read from the 'About' page of her website, where she has reasoned out the very name of her company - ‘Memories of a Butterfly'- it’s beautiful! 

This one is for you Sreeti :)

Ad agency to bead stringing, when and how did this transition come about?

Post accident in 2006, I broke my neck in a freak accident, got bed ridden for 8 months and had to quit advertising. As i healed, i explored different avenues. I’ve always been excited and fascinated with beads. As a child my creative mother has had a great influence on me.  My grandfather too, an ex-air force, taught me creativity along with electronics and plumbing :) If I think back now, am not sure what exactly was it that led to beading in particular but I guess its a mix of interiors, beads, color, fresh lease to life, good business opportunity and the need to be hands on creative.

How did you happen to make Bangalore home after London? 

After London, i interviewed with ad agencies in London, Delhi, Bombay and Bangalore. Had gotten through almost everywhere but I chose Bangalore. It is cosmopolitan, cultured, has great weather and is comparatively cleaner to other Indian cities. More importantly it was home closer to home. I made the plunge 8yrs ago! I love its laid back pace and ability to take life as it comes. Suits me. 

What keeps you motivated and inspired?

Everyone who likes my work and tells me how much joy seeing bead curtains gives them, keeps me motivated. Remember how marbles made us feel when we were kids - like you are watching an endless galaxy with a glass ball (i miss marbles). Well a bead curtain has a similar effect, it is transparent yet translucent, ever changing, moving, interactive and glass beads are always so mesmerizing!

I have so many stories of slightly snooty clients, who order the curtains for "the look" of it in their houses or restaurants and are somewhat cold to the entire creative process. All they want is to get it done. But when the curtain is up, they are like kids in a playground – all the grown up sternness vanishes. The happy and satisfactory reaction of my clients is what keeps me going.

Bead curtains are not so common these days, how do you bridge the gap between the business side of designing?

I was with client servicing and strategy planning in advertising and even though i left, i loved what i did. Advertising gave me a very string ground to stand upon for being able to easily begin my own business. I find business in itself  creative and have always taken it slow and easy and let it guide me of its own course. I have not pushed and it has, until now worked. Designing has been fun. A THRILL. Everything we do is customized, so every order involves new ideas and new client needs to be fulfilled. It’s also interactive as clients are welcome & encouraged to be part of the sampling process. Its good fun!

What kind of beads do you typically use? Where do you source them from? Are they generic or made to order?

We use colored glass beads, glass crystals, acrylic (sometimes), topaz (SHELL), wood, colored pebbles, pearls & metal to name a few. We get beads from India and import some from elsewhere too. My suppliers also produce beads specific to our needs especially colors in glass or the varnish on bone beads etc.  

Have you experimented with eco-friendly materials yet?

This is the first time someone has asked me this and I’m glad. Have i experimented before – yes! I’ve used eggshells, nuts, seeds, stone, wood etc. Shells i use even now. But the unfortunate truth is that the demand right now is for 'other' things like Glass.  I try not to use acrylic as far as possible and i hope the "green" bug hits my clients soon so that i can use even more eco friendly materials.

What do you do when you are not stringing beads?

I live life finally. Mine is fortunately not a 9-9 job. I read a book when i please, watch a movie, have friends and family over, take off for Goa, cook up something interesting on impulse. I do more of what i have always "wanted to" but never had enough time. Luckily I do a job that i love and am challenged by, not obligated by!

I guess not many people get to say that these days! Thank you for your time and patience Sreeti, your work is truly inspiring and so is your zeal for life and resilience! We wish you the very best for all your future endeavors!

If these beautifully colored installations resonate with your creative aspirations for your room/space, do get in touch with

Sreeti Mondol, Memories of a Butterfly

+91 9845508083, sreeti@gmail.com

http://memoriesofabutterfly.wordpress.com/

Studio (by appointment): Langford Road, Bangalore, INDIA

All images used here are provided by Sreeti Mondol.