Monday, August 30, 2010

And inspiration found him...: Mick Canning, an artist's journey.

I'm not sure what words to use to describe the artist I'm to introduce to you today. He is a man of many, varied, talents and I'm hesitant to label him solely as an artist. I chanced upon Mick Canning's work when I was searching for art covering Indian doorways. One look and I was hooked! I read on, and finally mustered up the courage to request an artist profile, because I simply had to share!!! Mick was kind enough to respond immediately and here's what I found out about him...

Not only is Mick a photographer and an artist, his day-job is that of an outdoor instructor --"work" involves climbing, canoeing, navigating, and he's hoping to set something up in Ladakh one day!!!  I also suspect that there's a writer lurking somewhere underneath as well. I'm sure you've all read "Seven Years in Tibet" and "Three cups of Tea", now just imagine what happens when you send an artist (he didn't know he was one till he got there!) to the roof of the world. Here's how the forces shaped him and how his art emerged.....
 

"Ladakhi Door".

Mick, on inspiration: " I developed my artistic style as a response to my first visit to India over 20 years ago. I was so knocked out by the place that I was trying to find some way of expressing my feelings, which neither poetry or prose managed to do.


I have had a little formal training since then, but am largely self-taught. The semi-abstract style that I use was developed to attempt to depict my impressions of first India and then Nepal. I now use photography more and more, as I learn more about it."


"Swayambunath".
That's pretty amazing for a self-taught artist don't you think?


"The Mists of Time".
  

"Monsoon". This has to be one of my favorites..I love how he's captured the downpour here....beautiful!!


"India".


"Gaya Street".
 I love how he turns the ordinary into something so beautiful!

He is also a professional photographer...his photographs are a work of art in themselves; This is how he views the world, probably the reason his paintings are so evocative....

Gompa, just below Leh palace, in Leh.


and this breathtaking view.......

"Roof of the World".

His description of the plane ride to Ladakh had me in splits (it sounds very much like the ride described to me by my dad...he had served in Leh when he was younger.)


"Prayer Flags". Darjeeling.



Monastery at Darjeeling.


For all you art aficionados and travel buffs, his website covers travel and art from all over India, Nepal and Oman; I just chose to focus on his Indian paintings. When you have the time, I would strongly recommend that you grab your favorite cuppa and head on over to his website and really read the entries in his online journal......you'll see what I'm talking about!! I'm going to leave you with an excerpt from his website, describing how Ladakh moved him (I'm sure this will have you clicking on over faster than I can say "interwebs"...:) )

"Later, I’m walking around the market. How strange to go around market stalls and shops in India, not getting pressured and hassled at all. Even by the Kashmiris! At times it seems almost unreal. You wonder whether suddenly it’s all going to crash around you and normal India will be resumed as soon as possible. The longer that you spend here, the more laid back you become. I don’t think you can help it! Everyone strolls around smiling and Julay-ing you and each other. I know that Ladakhis consider it the height of bad manners ever to lose one’s temper, but it really does seem unreal. I think it would be easy to just sink into the ambiance of it all and find you’d suddenly missed your flight out and had overstayed by weeks, or months…

Andrew Harvey said, and I’ll have to paraphrase because I can’t remember the exact quote, ‘The wonder of Leh is that there is absolutely nothing to do. Nothing to do except slow down, switch off and just observe. Just be.’ I understand that, now. I realise that that is what I have been doing the last few days without realising it. It was only three mornings ago that I was feeling jaded, by golly!"
All pictures courtesy of, and copyrighted to, Mick Canning. Mick is based out of Tunbridge Wells in the UK. Several of the paintings featured above have already been sold, but a few are still up for grabs; at his website, you will also find links to a series of greeting cards featuring his art.

Mick, Thank You for sharing your world with us!!


Merry, Manic, Monday!!

A big hellooooooooooo to all you lovely readers!! How was your weekend? We had days of glorious sunshine, a bubble truck meet, a birthday celebration in the park....there was cake and ice cream and water sprayer fun, there were balloons and much ripping of gift wrap, several kids hit the dreaded sugar high (but it was okay since they got to expend all that energy running around!!) It was tiring, exhilarating, fun, chaotic and organized  at the same time!!

In other news, I wanted to share with you one picture from last week.......

I'll feed you the details later!!  ;)

So what are your plans for the coming week? This week is brim-full of to-dos for me...I have stuff spilling over from last week that needs to be completed asap, else I'm going to go batty! There are some very interesting posts scheduled for this week, starting with an artist's profile later today......get ready to swoon ladies!! Later this week, we'll be visiting a lady with a lot of attitude (the right kind, and oodles of it too!!) for a tour of her fabulous home in Texas!! I'm also planning to revisit the "what's on your entryway" post and turn it into a series with some glimpses into real-life honest-to-goodness blogger homes..loads of yumminess to be ogled at.....

What do you think? Are you up to it? Good, its a date then!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Scheduled hiatus: a picture a day

August 29th. One corner. One morning. My place.  :)....


Ubiquitous rajasthani elephant. Some zany grass/plant that hubby brought home. Detailed view of the tabletop here.

Howz the weekend going? See you tomorrow!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Scheduled hiatus: a picture a day

August 28th.


Beat up couches? Got some fabulous bedspreads lying around? Time for a cover-up. Doesn't this space look soooo inviting?

Friday, August 27, 2010

Scheduled hiatus: a picture a day

August 27th.


I'll take one of everything, please. Heck, i'll take everything!! Mosaic table (who needs a tablecloth flapping in the wind anyways?) Yellow planter!! Brick wall? --yes please! Cute arch with equally cute hanging thingys? check!

Have a great friday folks!!!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Scheduled hiatus: a picture (or two) a day

August 26th.


Love the inspired color-combo!! And please take note of that mirrored headboard. All in all? Swoon!

In other news: am feeling much better, buoyed on by your lovely comments and wishes and this:

Anthropologie, fall collection.

Oh all ye beauteous things, why do you tempt me so?

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Scheduled hiatus: a picture a day

August 25th.


Teal+orange. Fireplace with fire. Gorgeous side table. Pouf. Sailboat chandelier. Totally OTT but so interesting!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Home Tour: Yolanda's Oasis in California

Here it is folks, the home-tour I was alluding to yesterday! I would like you to welcome Yolanda Odom, (or Yolie as she likes to be called) to the center stage at P&P central. Yolie is a mixed-media artist (as will be very evident from the pictures that follow, a subject that deserves another post altogether!!!); she is an avid gardener and dog-lover to boot. Today, she shares with us some pictures of her magical garden and home...


That's a very happy plant out there!!!


Talk about curb appeal!!


Sweet peas and prayer flags!!


I wonder where the monkey is going...that's a lot of suitcases for a little guy like that!! But seriously, isn't that stack of vintage suitcases to die for??



Entryway (with a cute doggie-leash holder!). And another very happy plant!


You know I love terrariums, right? I'm so drooling over her lovely collection!!!


Bookcase with some more doggie-love.


Inside her studio...


Pottery collection


The "lair"-- her beautiful outdoor space for relaxing and yoga!


Another perspective of the lair....


Magical bench, with flowering vines....(I would so love to have one of these when I grow up.. :) )


Peace prevails..........

 Yolie blogs here and here. Go check out her photostream at flickr for more magic.....

Yolie, thank you so much for sharing your magical oasis with us. As always, all images are copyrighted to the original author, in this case, to Yolie.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Sneak peek.......


Stay tuned.....home-tour tomorrow!!

(In other news, that virus that's going around has finally found a nice n' cozy home in my throat. Am all scratchy and hoarse---oh, woe is me!!!-sorry for the theatrics girls, but I think I may need to take a few days off from bloggin'--there's a pile of stuff waiting for me to tackle, and its making me antsy (we have a birthday party to organize and  loads of little projects are pulling me in every direction!!!!). ... So here's what I'm hoping to do--I'm going to post one picture a day (you know the type-- worth-a-thousand-words) for the next few days (tomorrow, I'll be running the home-tour, so don't forget to check in!); I should hopefully have my act together come Monday. Hopefully you'll like the pictures and notes!!..... :)

Rainy days and mondays.....

...(don't) always make me cry!! So it started to look like rain in the morning, but it never really did (rain, that is); however, it was enough to put a big damper on my day, or at least it managed to make me very moody (you hear that Thor? I'm blaming it on you!!). Are you like that? does a gloomy, cloudy day affect you as it does me? So anyway, when I'm like that I need a pick-me-up, and that's what this post is all about...my attempt to revive my flagging spirits, which I did, with a steaming cup (or two!) of adrak-chai (ginger tea), some favorite music (see below) and tripping on some nostalgia (thanks google!!). I have to warn all you design junkies---this is NOT a design-related post. (One will follow later tonight, but for the time being, I just want to sit here with my cuppa and reminisce.)....

First, the music...tell me if anyone out there remembers/{hearts} it as much as I do:




Indie-Rock rocks!!! can't get over the Tabla/guitar combo. And hard to believe but I had a massive crush on Uday Benegal back in the day...(that hair makes me cringe now, just so you know!!)


One of my favorite memories of childhood involves the (now defunct) children's magazine, Target (I can't get over the fact that they now have a wiki page for it---someone else out there remembers, and loves, it as much as I did.) Unlike Chandamama and Tinkle, which have entertained generations of desi kids and are still going strong, you need to belong to a certain generation to have memories of this beloved children's mag---it was only published between 1980 and 1995. It was the magazine that I cherished most, with detective moochwala (by the brilliant Ajit Ninan), Gardhab Das and granny's gup-shup!! back then , they had a pen-pals club (yes, I belong to a generation that wrote postcards with ink pens! gawsh, I feel old!!), which I never did get around to joining...that regret has lived in me, all these years. And that is why I blog, so that another regret isn't added to the list.... :)




(Yes, I'm tripping on COMICS. There are FAR more nerdy things I've done in my lifetime, trust me...you've only just scratched the surface of the iceberg yet!)

Anyone out there reading this, feeling the memories rush back? Anyone? What about Chandamama, Tinkle and Amar Chitra Kathas? and while I'm on the topic, anyone remember Asterix the Gaul? or Tintin? Talk to me. I know I'm not the only one out here...(someone had to have written all those wiki pages!!)

So anyway, there is a point to this post (I think)....there's this children's magazine, Kahani, that I'm planning on subscribing to for my son, who turns six this week. From the website:

"Kahani is an award-winning children’s literary magazine illuminating the richness and diversity that South Asian cultures bring to North America. Completely ad-free, full of great stories, art, activities, and fun facts, Kahani is a must-have for any family, school, or library seeking to empower and educate global citizens."

Other magazines my son enjoys: National Geographic Little Kids, Highlights High Fives and chickaDEE (all via the local library). Do you subscribe to any children's magazines? which ones? Talk to me.....I'm all ears!

Happy Monday!!

Hola!! Let's infuse some color into this week shall we?


In case you're wondering where this wondrous place is: this glorious riot of color exists in Guanajuato, Mexico!! How goes the week, buddies? Hope you started it on the right note.... Me, I have several projects waiting for some magic. I'm amped up on inspiration and ready to go!!!


What will you be taking on this week?

Friday, August 20, 2010

Have a great weekend folks!

I've been meaning to introduce you to a very creative blog that celebrates friendship in pictures!! I love their philosophy and I love the sweet inspiring photographs....The blog details the "conversation" between two friends separated by 7500 kms, and is aptly named "7500 km away". Here are some sweet images to soothe you into the weekend...









All images: 7500 km away 


What are your plans for the weekend? I'm going to be doing my usual mad rush of errands+chores. I also have a few DIY projects that I've been putting off for a while now (Hobby Lobby moved a little farther from our home and I turned extremely lazy at the thought of driving an extra 4 miles. Yes, I. Know....its not like I have to walk the distance---I told you, Lazy!). So tomorrow, it will be stock up time as well (something to look forward to!).....

I would also  like to take a moment to thank all my wonderful friends in blogland for your support. It means the world to me that you would take the time to vote. Thank you.

Have a great weekend folks, I'll see you Monday!  :)

A contest, a submission and a (very shameless) request.....

...for your votes. CB2 is hosting a contest for inspired spaces and for the first time in my life, I found it hard to resist entering a contest. I need your help, the top 50 vote-getters will move on to the next round, so I'm politely pointing you in the direction of my submission. The contest is open to all US residents and if you plan to enter, please let us know and I'll vote for your submission as well. You will need to sign in, but it wasn't a very lengthy process...from what I could gather anyone can vote (umm, gentle readers from far-away lands?). Any help will be much appreciated!!



Thursday, August 19, 2010

Akshatha's nest, a home tour

This post could easily have been titled "The Über-Talented DIY-er"..... Dear readers, meet Akshatha, author of the blog "living in decor". She's lives in Saudi-Arabia with her husband and is slowly transforming her house into a home with her no-project-is-too-tough-for-me approach. While you and I wax eloquent over gorgeous handicrafts and textiles, she gets down to business and makes them. How you ask? well, for one, she embroiders....




Yup, that's all handmade, ladies!! (click to enlarge)


she paints....................

"Peacock in the Wild"




She does batik!....



Wait, there's tons more.... She does block-printing (with blocks she's carved on her own)....



Yes. I. know.

So she makes her own duvets, pillows, artwork...Oh wait, there's more...Ikea hacks anyone??


Ikea "RAST" transformation!! (click on link to see the before)


Okay, I'd promised a home-tour and I try to keep my promises...

DIY bedroom. String lamp, by her. Bedcover, by her. Block-printed fabric on bedcover, yup, you guessed it...by her. Painting above bed-her's. Transformed Ikea Rast? uh-huh! (inspired?-good)...goes to show there's nothing you can't do if you set your mind to it (and are blessed with talent!) I'm dying to know how she made that pendant lamp...maybe we'll have a DIY guest post, what do you think? Oh and don't forget the pillows..also by her. Seriously, DIY aside isn't that the cutest bedroom ever? (I've always had a thing for turquoise......)

By her own admission, she is constantly experimenting, changing things up, and creating, she enjoys having a fresh new look each time. Here are some other corners in their home........

Nook in the living room.


Another corner in her bedroom.


Where she blogs from. (Notice her artwork up there?)


In the dining area: Ikea "billy" with (her own) artwork and Tunisian pottery.



I'm sure you must have guessed that this is just the tip of the iceberg...I'm going to point you in the right direction, where, hopefully, inspiration will find you.......... blog, flickr. Akshatha, they're all yours. Thanks for the inspiration. (Now, if you excuse me, I have pillows to sew........)




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