Dec 29, 2014

Happy New Year folks, and a Roundup of (blog-year) 2014

Wish you a sparkling new year 
filled with positive, creative energy! 

Spread love and cheer as you go, 
and may your dreams have wings!


And Thank You, from the bottom of my heart, for hanging out with A Sunny Yellow Window every now 'n then. 
I promise to bring you the best of what my right-brain can conceive and curate in 2015 and the years to come :-)

Here's a round-up of 2014 with a few old posts you might still find relevant and useful:
An ode to the Leather and Fabric duo

And in case you are planning your travel to these places and need ideas on artisan visits:
A Bohemian Home Tour - a gem of a place to stay in Colombo

Signing off for the year,
ambika.

Dec 20, 2014

Designing a room around Artwork

Am pleased to share with you folks a challenge that I attempted, that was too good to resist, and one that I've not tried before. Picked three lovely paintings from Invaluable.com, and imagined a room around them.

Invaluable is an online auction marketplace of fine and decorative arts, antiques, collectibles, and estate sales. The live online bidding platform allows collectors to bid in real-time on auctions held around the world.

I devoured the site, and here are three pieces I loved for their colors, richness, and stillness in anticipation of beautiful movement.

An Indian, bohemian art and design blog   and An Indian, bohemian art and design blog and   An Indian, bohemian art and design blog
I dig huge paintings, and so my ideal size would be anything above 36inchx36inch each.
Striking and would definitely serve as conversation starters in any room!

Now how do I do justice to these works of art?
Let me take you through my idea. Imagine...
this dark color palette: Blue, green, black, grey, red. Let's assume there's this room blessed with loads of natural light streaming in through tall French windows facing a small green patch outdoors.
To start with, I'd bathe the walls in this lovely blue, and this exact texture:
An Indian, bohemian art and design blog

Throw in one black Vicenza two-seater from Urban Ladder, and three of these armchairs from 1stdibs (three instead of two to create a more informal trio). 
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This beautiful round grey rug in the center... a huge one
An Indian, bohemian art and design blog

This Esquelet chandelier from Fenton & Fenton, again in a nuge grey in order not to take much attention away from the artwork...
An Indian, bohemian art and design blog

Now for the corners:
A deep-brown tower-shelf, displaying pottery in shades of blue, green, jade like this one (I'm talking colors like these)
An Indian, bohemian art and design blog   +  An Indian, bohemian art and design blog
with this tall buddy next to it
An Indian, bohemian art and design blog


Would pump in some poufs in neutrals for that added texture
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And a succulent group on the opposite corner to balance it out. I'd pick this Gilmore table from Urban Ladder and cover the tabletop entirely with succulents potted in silver cups and containers...
An Indian, bohemian art and design blog + An Indian, bohemian art and design blog

Done! Now let's bring these ideas together:
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This would create enough interesting points of interest in the room. If it were me, I'd be struck by these paintings first, my eyes would then dart around to take in the accent pieces and plants, and my attention would eventually come back to these huge, beautiful works of art! What do you say??

(Click on the pictures to go to their rightful sources)

Dec 6, 2014

Transforming Spaces with Art: 8 Creative Ways to Display Art

Art transforms, and how!

Walls (the obvious), get an instant facelift with artwork on them. But let's try breaking some norms... knock some of your art off the walls and see if you agree with me.

Read on. Some of them are brilliant ideas especially for those staying in rented homes.

Plonking them against the wall, on the floor

An Indian, bohemian art and design blog


Chalkboard art behind ledges
Let's call it interactive art.
An Indian, bohemian art and design blog


Putting them back where they came from... where else, on an easel
I admit having a secret crush on this one.

An Indian, bohemian art and design blog

Position it in unexpected spots, say in your kitchen 

An Indian, bohemian art and design blog
or your bathroom, above the sink, above doors, or above a shoe rack.

Inside or in front of bookshelves

An Indian, bohemian art and design blog


On stools/chairs that are seldom used



Or just resting them on shelves adding character to your vignettes


And there, you have a fresh way to add that element of surprise and interest to your home. More so to honor the artist whom you bought the piece from.

I hope you haven't missed this popular post on how Aradhana Anand has transformed her home with her art collection.

Do tell me in the comments section if you've done something radically different showcasing your art collection, I'm all ears. 

Nov 29, 2014

Travel planning: Art and Artisans of Morocco

The first thing that ever got me hooked to Morocco/Marrakech was the blog 'My Marrakech' (now M.Montague) by Maryam Montague. Maryam's blog tantalizes by weaving rich images with stories from the faraway land.

And just as Maryam says in her book Marrakesh by Design, "Moroccan style is attainable yet exotic, practical yet mysterious". There's amazing craftsmanship and detailing in the everyday life and architecture of Morocco. 


Planning your culture trip to Morocco

Here is a travel plan for artsy, bohemian Morocco. Just hop in here with me... let's walk through cobblestone sidewalks, leather tanneries, visit artisans and vibrant markets and much more

Visiting Marrakesh is a no-brainer for the artistically inclined traveler, and enough has been written about the town. So I will leave it to the Rough Guides and Culturists to guide you on Marrakesh.

But for now, let's move on to two other places which are definitely not to be missed - Fez and Asilah. 

Morocco's capital of art and crafts, Fez 

The best way to explore Fez is by visiting artisan workshops with a native Fassi guide. Here are 5 things you should do in Fez.


1. Walk through the labyrinthine Medina 

Visit its teeming local markets and workshops, eat local food and wander with an artistic purpose. Visit the backyard workshops of the traditional craftsmen – zellij tile masters, weavers, tanners, coppersmiths, and potters. And not just watch them in action, but I recommend you go slow, meet them and try out some of the techniques yourself. However, if time is a constraint, you could go through Culture Vultures Fez and let them do your planning

2. Visit the leather tanneries in Fez 
Imagine giant watercolor pools like these!

The picture above shows the leather dyeing vats "containing natural vegetable dyes, such as poppy flower (red), indigo (blue), henna (orange), cedarwood (brown), mint (green), saffron (yellow), and pomegranate powder." These tanneries process the hides of animals, transforming them into leather products - all manually. The process has apparently remained unchanged "since medieval times, which makes these tanneries absolutely fascinating to visit." (AmusingPlanet)

3. Roam the Fez Medina to catch up with the classical artisans at work

Ceramists 
                     
Watch this video by the Exposé Artisanal project as a teaser.
                 

4. Don't miss the carpet auctions in the Middle Atlas Mountains

                                            

And visit textile weavers in the little caves and co-ops of the village Immouzer (off Fez).

5. Do a Food Tour through Fez

Of course, with this heady cocktail of arts and crafts, anyone would be hungry as hell. So do a food tour with Plan-It Fez or Fez-Food

That would be a perfect end to your stay in the city.  

Next stop: Asilah, a seaside town near Tangier

Asilah is a small fortified fishing village and is not to be missed by art and design lovers. Isn't the idea of "cobalt blue–painted window frames, emerald carved doors, fruit stands selling fresh orange juice, and donkey-drawn carts clattering down sun-dappled alleyspure bliss

Add to it that Asilah is a village that is blessedly removed from Morocco’s busy tourist circuit. would recommend wandering around the place on foot or on bicycles, and not following a top-10 list here :-)

I will let these pictures and captions do the talking.
Gawk at the walls of this village splattered with graffiti
calligraphy and other gorgeous work

Shop at these pretty hole-in-the-wall stores
Hunt for paintings and antiques in Alkamra
And swoon over calligraphy as effortless and bold as this.
Doesn't this virtual trip give you a happy-high?

Impromptu travel planning with the help of local hands would work best for those who like unplanned surprises. Alternatively, if you are based in India and looking for India-based travel planners who help with customizable travel packages, you could check out Discover Morocco by TravelTours.in. They offer some interesting plans for hassle-free travel.
TheWanderersTUI, and EquinoFunHolidays are other organizers you could check with.


Click on the pictures to go to their rightful sources.
Disclaimer: All suggestions are based on my interviews, experience, research and tastes.

Nov 22, 2014

Three More Beautiful, Beautiful Artist Videos

These artists-in-action inspire me no end. As they work on their canvases, creating beauty out of their fingers and right brains, I am filled with a sense of awe which pushes me to Get Up and Create.
You might have come across these videos someplace or the other... yet watch them again, soak in the magic, be inspired to handcraft a thing of joy, out of nothing!

Just watch this beauty by artist Jai Vasicek and be amazed.
"Expect bold colours, tropical motifs and ladies draped in vibrant textiles and jewellery"
Video via the Malachi exhibition by the artist at Fenton and Fenton. A post on Jai Vasicek and his work is warranted, and coming up soon!

Here's another video - Kelly Rae Roberts, a hugely successful artist and "possibilitarian"
This colorful video was shot by Vivienne McMaster and view it in Kelly Rae's own words "We spent an entire afternoon in and around my studio and she took photos and videos of the studio, of me, of my cowgirl boots, of my paints, and more. There was dancing involved. And skipping. And other ridiculous silly fun."

And this one was a bonus find for me, in the sense that it let me into Indian artist Aarohi Singh's home, a glimpse of her studio (albeit before the gorgeous painted walls), and some of her work which I hadn't come across otherwise... view it here!

If you loved these, don't miss my earlier post on a few more beautiful artist videos.

Nov 15, 2014

Leather and Fabric

Leather and Fabric... One Hot Couple!
Seen often, hand in hand, with characters in stark contrast to each other, one staid and the other more fun and adventurous. The latter breaking the monotony of the former. Both equally versatile, and create a spark in each other's company.

Been drooling over a few products which combine the two. The moment leather goods are embellished with a bit of fabric, it transforms to something bohemian. The two are very different textural elements, but they combine well resulting in a more personal and fun product.  What do you say?

LOVE, love love these boots designed by Guatemalan company Teysha
An Indian, bohemian art and design blog

And then, these oversized travel bags from Amy Butler
An Indian, bohemian art and design blog


Native print mocchasins... more for the feet, and just too good! (source unknown)
An Indian, bohemian art and design blog

Ikat and Leather! Ikat messenger bag from the fabulous Nappa Dori

An Indian, bohemian art and design blog
Rug-made bags by Rugberry
An Indian, bohemian art and design blog


Love this elephant camera strap suit made by Inspiration Work :-)
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And here's how you can bring it to your rooms - bring home this stylish midnight Ikat chair from Anthropologie
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Or re-upholster some of your leather furniture just the way Kelly of The Polished Pebble has transformed her old worn leather sofa with an old Navajo rug!

An Indian, bohemian art and design blog


Inspiration in plenty, right? Do you have any leather-fabric favorites or ideas?

Nov 8, 2014

The Journey of a Blog, and other Stories

As much as urbanization has taken its toll on the city, I can see quite a good green-cover, as I sip coffee at my workplace in the 21st floor of a building. Ah, the beautiful Bangalore weather makes me ponder, I guess. Just wanted to share a few things with you readers, fresh out of my mind.

A Sunny Yellow Window
Thinking back... a A Sunny Yellow Window started off mostly as directionless rambling, and did take a few turns in between. But it has eventually reached its happy state, and has settled down comfortably as an art and design blog - where I share mainly interesting artwork, artists, inspirations and anything artsy related to travel and decor. And of course, occasionally DIYs and my paintings. I know now that this is my niche - where my passion lies - and that's where my posts have been heading towards over the past couple of years. I am ever grateful to you readers for dropping by now and then. 

The art/design/decor blogging community of India
I am not sure if you think so too... I miss several active bloggers who were sizzling a couple of years back. BUT, there are several newer blogs who have taken aesthetics, writing and photography to a whole new level! I must say, the art/decor/design blogging community in India is awesome, with a few of them turning entrepreneurs too. A beautiful trend indeed!

Blogging & Creative Routines
In my case Blogging and Artwork have had to take a backseat over the past couple of months. With a 9-6 corporate job and a busy toddler at home - I have had to excuse myself from pouring over a canvas with my paints and brushes, or blogging as frequently as I would love to.
I have paintings pending for a few friends, and thankfully they have not given me any deadlines. At it very soon. I often wonder how some of you manage to churn out consistently beautiful posts, in terrific rhythm, and manage work, hobbies, family and friends. You simply rock!

Pinterest
Oh, there's one other thing I am pretty kicked about.

My Pinterest followers have picked up from around 1,500 to 1,68,000+ over the last few months. I guess it is the effect of pinning crazy for the last couple of years. If you are on P, pls do connect.

Have a good weekend dear reader! I will see you shortly. 

Oct 25, 2014

Three Groovy finds of the week

Here's something for you to feast on... three groovy art finds of my otherwise monotone week!

LOVE, love the sunshine and free-spiritedness in this piece... Steve Smith's Frangipani

This wonderful one by grunge artist Lora Zombie

And, this illustration by Midori Yamada. Don't miss her beautifully odd and delicate work.

Much inspiration, bags and bags of it!

Sep 18, 2014

TRANSFORMING SPACES WITH ART - Get blown away by Aradhana Anand's magic in her gorgeous Delhi home

People own the works of art that they do, for several reasons - possibly to add a famous artist's to their collection, or change the mood of a room, or just fill up an empty wall. And I am forever keen to know how they display it in their spaces.
Presenting a spanking-new feature on
 TRANSFORMING SPACES with ART
"Art" is way diverse. So I am sticking to just paintings for now.
I am all out to know how you decorate your walls with artwork, how you connect to the pieces you buy, and most of all to see how you elevate the artwork to a whole new level with your aesthetic eye.

So here I go, kickstarting this feature by handing over centre-stage to Aradhana Anand. A few clicks and scrolls around Aradhana's blog and you will know she is a traveler, a born aesthete with an eye for color and decorating, and an art lover too.

I am sure most of you have seen glimpses of the heaven she has for home in Apartment Therapy, Shalini Pereira's blog, and Jaypore. But here's a spotlight just on her art collection. She graciously takes us through her beauties and how brilliantly she dresses up her den with it. Best of all, there's a story behind each piece.

"If it were unto me",  
"there wouldn't ever be an empty wall in my house!"
And on how she chooses artwork, Aradhana says, "It has to appeal to me and my aesthetic sense; I don't buy art basis an artist street value or credibility, if I like what he or she produces, I will buy it irrespective. I don't match art to the room, I try and see if it works once the room is furnished. I can move stuff around between rooms that way, everything goes everywhere!"

A long post, and but I bet you'll tell me it was totally worth it :-)

 
"Pen on paper by Shishir Bhatt framed in colour to add the necessary pop against the dark walls"

"The black frames behind the books/lamp and candle-stands respectively are Banksy prints I picked up from Portobello Market in London. I don't want to hang them up (too much on the walls) so I've let them rest against the wall as a background so to speak against the lamp and candle-stands..."

"Vertical stack, bottom to top - tribal art from Bali (4) | watercolour and pen Cambodian Monks bought in Siem Reap (2) | oil on canvas Whirling Dervishes picked up from a flea market in Damascus, Syria | robot prints bought in Singapore. The centre - Chinese warriors on canvas picked up in Singapore {I love the frame!}."

"Vertical stack, bottom to top - Mario Miranda prints I bought while on holiday in Goa, from his store in Panjim | Any Warhol prints of his cat Sam, bought online from art.com"

"The drawing room... the art at the far end (canvas near the window in the red frame) is Krishna (again) by Bratin Khan.. the set placed vertically are by Vijender Sharma (watercolours) {his work, I really really like - I've seen his oils and I was blown away, he has a particular style of the painting merging into the frame" 

"Another fav corner, painting is by Shipra; the little Krishna and Nandi (adorable!) is Lladro - my Mother bought the Krishna a few years ago and my sister and I got her the little Nandi to complete the set. The rest is an assortment of copper and bras and silver."

"Dining room... mosaic replica's again of Mary and Christ from Russia flanking either side of the bureau... the plates on the wall are from Romania and Greece."

"The TV room/lounge - the 2 sailors are tapestries done by my Mother many many many years ago... the 2 little ones in the thick wooden frame are from Bali"

"The Krishna's - I recently got them re-framed from their erstwhile boring avatar of white mount/black frame to a maroon frame to match the primary colour of the room and a grey mount to bring out the colour of the painting."

"The 2 framed pieces on the white wall (closet area near the bathroom door in my room) are my favourite, Chinese tribal work, watercolour on paper, I found at a thrift store in Singapore."

"The staircase foyer, Tanjore art and Ravi Verma lithographs"

Way to go, Aradhana - and it totally works in your home - it reflects how much you have traveled and it is teeming with stories from the world over. I also love how diverse your art collection is.
And, thank you for sharing these Gorgeous images of your home. I thoroughly enjoyed the email exchanges we had and wish to meet you in person sometime! I definitely don't mind colorful travel stories over a drink/cuppa :-)

And dear readers, stay tuned for many more exciting spaces in this series - TRANSFORMING SPACES WITH ARTAlso do write in if you have walls to flaunt too, would love to showcase them.
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