Thursday 11 April 2013

Inspiring Eminent Blogger: Deepti Mittal


Any guesses who is going to join us today. Well well well.....let me introduce you all enthusiastic readers out there. Joining us today is Deepti Mittal an Indian Folk Fusion artist who is painting Madhubani for more than 20 years now and is currently residing in USA.

Welcome Deepti, it feels so proud to have you here on Design Decor & Disha. Please let us know little more about you.
Thank you Disha for having me here.
I am an MBA Finance Gold Medalist from Christ College, Bangalore. I started as an analyst with CB
Richard Ellis in Bangalore in the year 2008 where I worked for 2 years. After getting married in Nov
2010, I moved to USA where I am residing currently.

Meet the artist Deepti Mittal

That's very impressive Deepti. You are an amazing Madhubani artist I have ever come across. When and how you realized your passion about Madhubani .
I was born and raised in Bihar where this art finds its origins. My mom played pivotal role in
introducing me to Madhubani Painting when I was just seven years old. Ever since then, practicing
this form of art has been a parallel routine. I started with making greeting cards for Birthdays and
Anniversaries as my mom insisted that we give hand-made cards to family on occasions. From there
on, I slowly moved on to even painting sarees, kurtas, etc. The vibrant, rustic patterns of this style
have always thrilled me and I take creative liberty in tweaking its innate styles to create new ones.

Artwork by Deepti Mittal

Great you started painting Madhubani at the tender age of seven. You have come long way.
You have a Google site also. Can you talk about what prompted you to start the
site. In what ways has it affected your passion for art.
Actually I fortuitously happened to create a Google site which now I am quite glad about. When I
started painting after coming to USA, I wasn’t sure I wanted to take it up professionally. My husband
helped me create this Google site which was meant for sharing my art work with our families. Later,
when someone asked for my site at exhibitions, this is what I referred them to and it consequently
became my official art site. Although I am planning to register a domain pretty soon.

I am excited to see all your amazing stuff on your own website. Wish you good luck for that.
What are the tools and mediums you have used so far for your paintings.
Brush is the primary tool that I use for all my paintings. Even though line-work (kachani) dominates
in this art, purists don’t use pens/markers which is what creates its beautiful imperfections. Other
than brush, there is a special type of nib that is available in India (mostly in Bihar) which a lot of
artists use for painting on fabric.

A very beautiful creation by Deepti
I have practiced this art in every possible medium such as oil, enamel, water color, acrylic, etc and
have extensively painted on walls, floors, clay pots, fabrics, canvases and now on wood, cardboard,
etc. Owing to its versatility, acrylic remains my favorite medium.

My favorite one. Beautiful painting with some good message by Deepti
Though it's not easy to pick but of all your art pieces which one is your favorite and why.
That’s a tough one as I get obsessed with every piece I paint. I can sit and stare at them for hours
together. It’s funny I know but I do that.
I think, of the lot, the first stool that I painted in 2011 is so far my favorite work. It was a very
complicated project and painting its legs took a lot of effort and time but I was very pleased with the
final result.

Done by Deepti in her own unique style

You represented Madhubani art - an age old art in a very trendy fashion, how did
the idea spark.
I would say following the policy of “Normal is Boring” led to this trendy style as it wasn't a conscious
or deliberate effort.
I was very bored of painting the same styles over and over again. Since I have been doing this art
for 20 years now, you can imagine how mundane it gets to paint the same types of motifs in every
next project. Probably this is why, I started experimenting and have created my own genres which I
call ‘Modern Madhubani’ and ‘Folk Fusion’.

Modern Madhubani by Deepti Mittal

Although looking back, I remember when I was in school, I had painted a couple of earthen pots
which were the left overs from Diwali Pooja. It was appreciated as Madhubani Painting on three
dimensional objects wasn’t very popular then. Also, when I was in college, I had made clay earrings
and painted them in Madhubani style which the veteran artists loved and appreciated. So I guess I
always liked to paint different from the set and popular trends.

Wooden boxes, Photo frames and dresser....list goes on.
I really love your unique style of  'Folk Fusion'. 
What other then painting you love to do in your spare time.
I make videos for my online classes which are very useful in spreading the word about this art
breaking all geographical barriers. I read quite a bit, both related and unrelated to art. I also write,
although have been on a sabbatical for sometime now and I love watching movies.
Also, when not doing serious painting, I do small craft projects which include little DIY crafts, upcycle
art, quilling etc. Of them, upcycle art is what I like the best – its so cool to make beautiful things out
of garbage.

Clay earrings: Deepti's creation 
Please share the links where we can find your Art work and where my blog
readers can get connected with you.
The best place to connect is:
Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/DeeptiDesigns
Website : https://sites.google.com/site/deeptidesignsonline/
Email : deeptinirdesh@gmail.com

Which blogs inspire you and you love to visit them regularly.
I do a lot of reading about art online and keep stumbling over some exuberantly creative material
almost every day. Its overwhelming to see the amount of creative brilliance out there.
However, I have bookmarked the following for regular access
We Lived Happily Ever After
Art Instruction Blog
Darlene Design

Last but not the least, as everyone dreams of being something in life, what you
have dreamed of.
My aim at this point of time is to create art of substance and to keep this fire of insane passion for
art ignited all along…
Thank You Disha!

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Thanks a lot Deepti for joining us. We wish you good luck and successful life ahead.
Now as always I get inspired by all the artists I feature on my blog and can't resist to create my own art piece, this time also I tried to paint Madhubani for the first time. Here's my creation all thanks to Deepti for inspiring me.

http://designdecoranddisha.blogspot.in/2013/03/indian-art-madhubani-painting-bihar.html
My first Madhubani Painting on pot and envelope.

See y'all until the next time. Enjoy your weekend and in case you have missed earlier interviews here the links are:






Tuesday 9 April 2013

Indian Textile: Part 1 (East & North Indian textile)

I am so happy to know that lot of my blog readers from different countries love to read and know about Indian Art and its culture on my blog. Some of them sent me mails to appreciate my efforts and they wanted to explore more about my country. So here I am with more about a country that is very rich in culture, traditions and heritage 'INDIA'.

Today I am sharing about exquisite Indian textile. Textiles from different parts of the India that is famous across the globe.

Cashmere From Kashmir: 
Cashmere is soft fabric made of wool that is obtained from Kashmir goats Capra Hircus. These goats have double fleece and Cashmere is obtained from the soft undercoat specially from the neck and belly region of the goat that is considered as best quality cashmere. Cashmere fabric is very strong, soft and light weight and is used to make different kind of clothing. This fabric is also known as Pashmina (Pashm is Persian/Urdu word for wool). Due to painstaking process of collecting fibers and weaving yarns, cashmere garments are very expensive. Most popular are Jamavar Shawls with famous paisley pattern.

Image Source: Click Here

Banarasi Brocade:
Banaras or Varanasi is famous for its brocade. This city is one of the rich weaving center in India. Brocade is a shuttle woven fabric. Banarasi brocade is completely distinct where patterns are created in weaving by transfixing the patterned thread (specially gold and silver thread) between warp that is mainly colored silk. If gold and silver thread is weaved so densely that the ground is almost invisible then this kind of fabric is called kinkhab and it becomes very heavy is only suitable for furnishing and upholstery.  Thus brocade pattern that is scattered all over the silk is suitable for clothing and is called true brocade.

Image Source: Click Here

Muslin Of Bengal:
Muslin is fine cotton textile of Bengal. Bengal handloom industry is renowned for its cotton textile. Muslin is loosely woven cotton fabric and known as 'woven-air' due to its finer quality. It is an unbleached white cotton cloth. Hand woven muslin of Dacca was the most famous one but weavers migrated from Dacca to India practiced and mastered the technique in Bengal. Because muslin is very light and airy it is suitable for hot and dry climate.
Image Source: Click Here

This post is a short introduction of few famous Indian textiles. I will elaborate on each one later.
I love all of them do you?




Sunday 7 April 2013

MacKenzie Childs Style Painted Pieces!


It's a known fact that I adore MacKenzie-Childs style, and Courtly Check is my favorite. Here I go again, painting some aluminum garage sale pieces inspired by M-C.


 A cake carrier...














And a coffee pot...














These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Monday
Party Time @ It's So Very Cheri
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch

Friday 5 April 2013

Just Messing Around ...

TGIF, friends !!

While I *should* be working on a list of productive things that I've been putting off long enough ... like, painting my son's bathroom ... working on his playroom ... cleaning the layers of pollen off of our porch ... and, cleaning out my closet, somehow, I find myself creating new vignettes around the house today.

A new *pinterest-inspired* vignette in the kitchen:


Garden balls on candlesticks, anyone?


I will never make "bean soup," however, I'll be the first to buy a bag of it to add color to my kitchen.  Yes, I have issues!


IKEA x 3:


Annnd, a new roo admiring fancy, faux apples.


I know I'm not alone in choosing to do things that I *want* to do over things I *need* to do today!

I hope you all have a wonderful *non-productive* day ... like me!  LOL


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Thursday 4 April 2013

Bougainvillea And Outdoors

Bougainvillea definitely increases the charm of outdoor spaces. It's vibrant and rich color certainly grabs the attention. Lets take a tour how colors can add drama to any space.

Combination of hot pink and blue is all time favorite.




Image Source: Click Here


Soft pink goes well with tints and shades of pink.







And this combination of red and baby pink is looking pleasant against burnt orange wall.

Image Source: Click Here


Wish you a very happy and relaxed weekend!!



Tuesday 2 April 2013

Longitude Pillow




I have been wanting to make a Longitude/Latitude Pillow for a long time.




I first saw one in the AWE (At West End) catalog that looked like this...





I didn't want it to say Paris, but my home city of Quincy, IL. So I just Googled Quincy's longitude and latitude to find out the correct geographical coordinates.

Remember, back when I showed a tutorial of how to print on freezer paper,

Monday 1 April 2013

Interiors: Traditional

Traditional style is timeless decorating style that is very calm, inviting, comfortable, orderly, casual and uncluttered. Main feature of this design style is consistency. If you want to achieve traditional look for your home then this post is surely for you.

Furniture: Wooden furniture is the essence of traditional style. Furniture in dark wood, oak wood, red wood or mahogany will work best to achieve the traditional look. In traditional style of decorating you should opt for furniture with good combination of curved and straight lines.  Placement of furniture should be in pairs and it should be symmetrical.

Image Source: Click Here

Furnishings: Furnishings are classic and luxurious, fabric mainly damask, floral, understated stripes or small overall pattern are common. Fabric should be comfortable and  soft like silk, velvet or leather in rich color is always a best choice if you are doing home in traditional style.

Image Source: Click Here

Walls: For walls there should be moldings or rails to give the home a perfect traditional look. Wall colors should be neutral. White, cream, off white or some warm colors can be a good choice. Color scheme should be lighter for walls and deeper color for  upholstery.

Image Source: Click Here

Floors: Wooden flooring is the first and the best flooring option for traditional style decorating. You can place jute or velvet carpets and rugs also to achieve the perfect traditional look.

Image Source: Click Here

Lighting:  Lighting fixture should be  classic, silk lamp shades, table lamps, floor lamps, wall sconces & candles can be used. Decorative chandelier looks classy and give traditional look to a place.

Image Source: Click Here

Accessories: Accessorize traditional style home with, mirrors, vase, urns, lamps, oil paintings, crystal chandelier. But keep in mind use accessories in pairs and arrange them in symmetry to achieve traditional look for your home.

Image Source: Click Here

Follow these guidelines and it will be easy for you to achieve the traditional look for you abode.
In case you missed earlier post on Contemporary Interiors read it here. Keep decorating!!