N a t u r e   w i t h    G E N I N N E   and   a   G I V E A W A Y!

Text : Divya Agrawal

It's celebration time at On The Design Boat.
10,000+ views for our blog! 
We are celebrating this milestone with 

a  

Giveaway that celebrates nature

And

a feature on the very talented, Geninne Zlatkis's work

Images: Left: Gennine Zlatkis; Right: On the Design Boat (Giveaway)

All are invited to Participate:

1. Leave a comment on OTDB's FB page here (in the comments section of this post) The comment should include the thing/ things you enjoy in nature. Ideas? Try an exciting format : a poem, an acrostic, a haiku, or anything that makes for an interesting narrative.

 2. Double your chances of winning : If you like us, share this post on your timeline :)

One lucky winner, anywhere in the world,  takes home these lovely products (picture above): A pen stand and a 40 sheet 12x17 cm notebook, both made out of natural leaves, flowers and handmade paper, in Auroville.

The winner will be announced on OTDB's FB page on Saturday, 02 May 2015

Now about our featured artist..

Birds (other than crows and pigeons) are a rare sight in a dense city like Mumbai. A Koel cooing and a pair of parrots performing acrobatics on electric cables is just about the only avian treat I can relish in the mornings. However, as a little girl I had a treasure trove of bird feathers - a collection I used to build on during my walk back from school, while spotting kingfishers and blue jays. 

Recently my daughter reintroduced me to the world of birds with a lovely book she has picked up, 'Birds of different feathers' by Katie Bagli, a lucid collection of avian adventures featuring painted snipes, shrikes, cuckoos, flamingos and many more. 

And, 

a chance discovery - Geninne's drawings, made me fall in love with birds (and nature) all over again.

Geninne's birds frolic around beautiful flowers, they bring back memories when perched atop old postcards.

  

They talk to butterflies and yes, they also sew :)

Geninne calls Santa Fe, New Mexico home. 

"I’ve lived in Mexico on and off since I was a child and it has forever left its mark in my creative life. I am constantly inspired by the cheerful spirit of the people and their fearless use of color...." Geninne on taprootmag.com

Geninne's workspace is a melange of many things that she creates and is inspired from. Plants, feather, pebbles, textiles are present in her work in one form or the other, just as they are in her studio. Vases full of brushes, art prints and self created ceramic pieces line work spaces - all adding beauty and inspiring an artist!

Geninne's use of color and eye for composition, balance and detail makes each of her works a delight to breathe in.

"I am inspired by the culture, the colors and the diverse flora and fauna of the different regions that I’ve been blessed to experience...My environment is definitely a big influence in my work." Geninne on taprootmag.com

Geninne's imaginative collages are a treat to peruse - postcards with motifs, maps, stamps all have been incorporated to create artworks that leave one spellbound. 

Paper is just one of the canvases in Geninne's repertoire. She also works with pebbles, leather, clay, rubber, and, would you believe it - eggs!!

Geninne, besides being incredibly talented is also a very generous artist - she has shared detailed lists of materials and video tutorials on how she paints and makes stamps on her Blog. (I made my first stamp following one of her tutorials)

A self taught water colorist, Geninne sure does paint magic with a brush. Thanks for inspiring so many of us with your colors, birds, butterflies and endless imagination! 

Visit her Etsy Shop to get some of Geninne's birds and cats home! 

All images: Geninne Zlatkis

Text & creative layout copyrights: Onthedesignboat   

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T H E  G L A S S  M A I D E N

Text: Hina Nitesh

Long back when I was in school, we were taken for an educational trip to a lab whose name I have forgotten 

for it really was ages ago. What I do remember is witnessing the process of glass blowing for the first time. I was quite impressed with the skill of the person who effortlessly made glassware by 

blowing as if he was blowing up a balloon. 

A few years ago, I witnessed the process yet again. This time I was in Venice, the land of Murano Glass. At a workshop the master craftsman used many complex techniques and produced colorful and intricate glass figurines. The techniques used to create such exquisite glass pieces have since fascinated me. 

What I find really interesting is that glass which is so rigid and regular and breakable becomes malleable like a piece of clay waiting to be molded when it is hot. 

Glass blowing then becomes an art form which can be acquired with a lot of practice and patience. The person who I am going to be talking about in this post has both. Srila Mookherjee, an alumnus of National Institute of Design also has the credit of being the only lady glass blower in India.

At NID, Srila specialised in ceramics but later went to London to learn the art she had come to love. Under the guidance of the renowned artist, Antony Stern, she learnt the techniques of glass blowing. She came back to India and set up Aakriti - her studio in Kolkata. 

Her portfolio of works contains vases, containers, plates, bowls,decorative pieces etc. She has also worked with jewelry designer Eina Ahluwalia to produce pieces which combine glass and other materials in wearable pieces. She has also experimented with glass to make off beat stuff like trays, lamps, candle stands etc. 

Her early works reflect the influence her training in the west had on her. As a result, the form and patterns on the early pieces are a reminiscent of the European glassware.

In her later works, she has explored ways and means to deliberately link her work with India. For this, it is not just the forms and patterns but also the tradfitional crafts that have been integrated into glass articles. The silver wark (thin beaten silver foil used to decorate Indian sweetmeats) has been used beautifully in her works.

The use of colours in Srila Mookherjee seem to add to the fragility and delicateness of glass.

Looking at her works, I am reminded of the craftsman in Venice in whose skilled hands and through whose expert eyes the lump of glass was shaped into a memento to be cherished forever! 

To know more about the artists and her works log onto her website

 All images: Srila Mookherjee

Text & creative layout copyrights: Onthedesignboat   

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 c h i l d 's    P L A Y

Text : Divya Agrawal

How many of us have been stopped in our tracks by a smiling cat? 

Well, I for one have been and she is right here on my desktop, making me smile each time I turn the monitor on :)

Delightful, rich, fresh and playful aptly describe Helen Dardik's illustrations. Flora, fauna (and happy people) populate her lovable graphics. 

 Mother to three, Helen has lived in Siberia and Israel before settling in Canada. Her illustrations bring back childhood memories of circus performances and being in the woods surrounded by nature.

I like the bold use of color in the lion print above. The bird print below is a sharp contrast - a folk approach to illustration.

 "I would describe my style as vibrant, folksy and playful.... I mainly work in vector using the magic of imagination combined with watercolor, oil, gouache, embroidery and vinyl. My inspiration comes from my childhood, my three girls, nature, vintage books and midcentury design." Helen Dardik

 These dolls are lovable! What a striking looking cat coming out of the equally striking Ikats.

Here are some products that Helen has illustrated for : Notebooks, tags, chocolates, coffee beans and more!

Helen's work displays her versatile approach to art. I have much enjoyed going through all these beautiful illustrations. Hope you too have!

Prints of Helen's artwork are available for purchase at her Etsy Shop.

All images: Helen Dardik

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