Summer is here

Hello everyone , MASALA CHAI will be on hiatus till the 16th of May , 2008. I'll be out on vacation but do write in , I will be checking my email. I've just added an interview with one of my favourite artists Mekhala Bahl , so do check that out. For the people who just got here, go ahead and take a look at the archives. Theres some interesting stuff in there. For the rest, thanks for visiting , will be back in 3 weeks. Have a great weekend !

Interview : Mekhala Bahl

Mekhala Bahl is a poet with a paintbrush and her canvas is a playground of obscured dreams, thoughts and people. She attempts to capture the intangible fuzziness of romanticized memories through pastel abstraction done to perfection. Her techniques are a schizophrenic symphony of her nostalgia, in the use of fine lines , graphic elements and heavy impasto . Dissatisfied with just paint, she attempts silk, glass, plastic - beckoning the audience to touch her imagination, a step closer to actuality. As if to literally give her recollection form, she creates sculptures from candy floss. Bahl achieves a delicate balance with her impressive use of composition & her intuitive understanding of colour – their subtlety only surpassed by their complexity. What drew me in is the probability of perhaps finding my own personal experiences floating about in there, in limbo, a childhood penchant for searching for shapes in clouds.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I have enjoyed working with paint and colour since as long as I can remember. I’m from Delhi and college too began here, at College of Art. During my second year, I attended a short summer course at Pont Aven School of Art in France and that made me realize how much I needed to work under a differently structured, yet experimental and free method of instruction. At the end of my second year I transferred to Rhode Island School of Design to complete my BFA. I returned in 2003 and now live and work in Delhi.

What would you say inspires or influences your work?

Several moments. Cartoons, dreams, memories, the material I work with, nature, and probably most of all – traveling. Usually a very stimulating experience, in terms of difference in landscape, having a chance to look at art in museums and galleries in another part of the world, working in another studio at art residencies and simply the idea of allowing thoughts and ideas to form while being away from my regular work environment. A sense of stillness or atleast calmness in my mind also helps my works process flow smoothly.

Do the colour stories in your paintings happen consciously or do they gradually evolve to look like they do?

I enjoy colour, I feel or rather am convinced that there are no two or three colours that can not work together. They simply don’t exist. While working I try not to be too conscious of my process, colours, or content. The more instinctive the flow is, the closer my process is working for/with me.

Is there a particularly vivid or beautiful memory that you made into a painting?

Yes, many of my works probably include that feeling. Sometimes the colours are faded and pale. Dreamlike. As I mentioned earlier, working from memory and dreams is a part of my inspiration. There are too many such works and its probably better when you see your own images in them, than if I were to specify. Now that you ask me this, I find that in comparison to these, the paintings which have been worked on in a surrounding that directly influences the work - while painting outside or a painting of a studio room - tend to have colours that are more saturated and in the moment, in comparison to the seemingly ‘nostalgic’ work.

What do you think of the emerging artists of India, do have any favourites from your contemporaries?

I think the art scene in India is doing fabulously well, both in terms of exposure and encouragement.All their work as well as my own continues to develop, change and grow. Rohini Devasher, Aditya Pande’s works among many others are some of the artist’ I’ve enjoyed looking at, with their process also being very interesting.

If your paintings could be a song , which one would they be?

Karma Chameleon, less so for meaning of the song, more for the feeling of the sounds. This song is a great favourite of mine, so maybe it’s simply that and nothing more. If I were to really make an effort to answer your question, the song or rather the sounds or noise which comes to mind is a sort of mix of many different genres of music, some on fast forward, some in regular mode and a few stuck in the record player. Harmony being the aim and ‘noise’ being the journey.

What lies in the future for mekhala bahl?
Lots.

Is there anything you'd like to tell the readers of MASALA CHAI?
Not really. Though I’d be happy to answer any questions they may have.

Visit Mekhala Bahl's website for more of her artwork.

Janine Shroff

click for detail

Originally from Mumbai , Janine Shroff insists her only skill is to be able to draw. And she is bloody good at it too . Shroff has a Masters in Communication Design from Central St.Martins, London. She is inspired by vintage photographs, the 20s , insects, comic books and Van Gogh amongst other things. She says she counts down the hours everyday at work to when she can go home and draw. Some of her clients include DNA Newspaper & The Guardian. More here.

Arch at Rang

Arch has long been a source of inspiration for other decor obsessed bloggers but the thing that had me going back every week is her photography. Arch lovingly documents her everyday life in the most poetic , sublime & comforting way . See for yourself over here.

Gulzar Junaid

Animation artist Gulzar Junaid comes from a family of creative people. He takes inspiration from everyday mundanities to religiously studying children to create his characters. According to Gulzar , character design isn't restricted to form and feature but more driven by personality of the character . His biggest influence, have been the Russian animation festivals he attended as a child growing up in Kolkata.

Seher Shah

"The Jihad Pop series is an exploration of identity through Islamic symbols and iconography. The consciousness of Shah being a Muslim woman in the West, and the division arising from defining personal identity, issues of belonging and influences have been in conflict.The meeting of these two words ‘jihad’ and ‘pop’ is the marriage of this exploration of identity and the simultaneous broadcast of imagery of violence, conflict and migration." Karachi born Seher Shah lives and works in London.

Auromode

Some gorgeous jewelry from Auromode . These pieces are individually designed and fashioned from natural silk dyed in beautiful, bright colours.

Ruchi Bakshi

Ruchi Bakshi lives in Mumbai with her husband, makes drawings, food, films, loves to read books and watch films of all genres except the romantic comedy kind, loves meditating, bird watching, wants to teach kids funny things and generally make a difference to the world while she is still around. Bakshi makes promos for Channel [V] , some of which have won promox awards in New York.

Forest Pottery Studio

Born in Hamburg , Germany ; Ange Peter moved to Pondicherry, India at the age of two. Peter studied ceramics under the tutelage of the renowned Ray Meeker. Her works are heavily influenced by Japanese interpretation of clay as well as her inherent spiritual upbringing.

Nimit Malavia

Nimit Malavia, born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, has been working towards earning his BAA in Illustration at Sheridan College , Canada. Nimit has always had an interest in art and draws inspiration from the world around him, as well as his own personal history. His work combines Graphic elements reminiscent of Art Nouveau and urban graffiti, as well as traditional drawing and painting.More of Nimit's creative genius here.

Gurusiddappa G.E

Banglore based Gurusiddappa draws from his life experiences of growing up in small town Karnataka in his photorealistic series titled The first rain after a long summer . More here.

Prantik Chattopadhyay

Prantik Chattopadhyay was born in 1979, Kolkota. He completed his MFA in painting from M.S.University, Baroda in 2006. Prantik’s works titled Pehchan Kaun? are based on the hyperbole of the bollywood hero. I like that the mixed media pieces have a certain craft like feel to them. He lives and works in Vadodara.Images from here.

Suhasini Kejriwal

"Kejriwal works with photographic images of flowers, picturing them on canvas not so much with a view to their direct representation, or even to their clear legibility and comprehension, but by an emphatic and all-present deployment of a gentle filigree line without beginning or end. In the swirling dynamism of her line, Kejriwal emulates the traditional South Asian mendhi patterning used for decorating hands and feet in celebrations and festivals."

Sudhir Nayak & Tapash Biswas

"Sudhir Nayak and Tapash Biswas may have chosen couture over painting, but they both remain painters at heart.Their designs at the Lakme Fashion Week 2008 resembled painters canvas with strokes of mustard, beige, deep green, blue, brown and rust."From here.