Get creative, try floral art
Lectures can be fun. Specially when they are about flowers and floral sculptures. Vancouver-based floral designer Hitomi Gilliam took her audience at ICCR through a step-by-step demonstration of flower art. The lec-dem held on January 28 also saw the release of a book by Pushpa Bitan Friendship Society (which had organised the event), called Kolkata Through The Eyes of the Floral Artists. t2 walked away with notes and a resolution to make life more colourful and creative.
5 things we learnt from the lec-dem
- Less is more. Use fewer materials. Transparency in your design makes it more attractive, simply because of there’s a clear view of flowers. Don’t create a jungle.
- Do not make it perfect. This keeps your creation natural and exclusive. It should not have a mass production effect.
- Don’t start with flowers when creating an installation. Start with plant parts like leaves, vines, climbers and twigs and then go for any one flower to break the monotony. Try keeping your creation as cost-effective as possible. Nature does not like anything fancy or expensive. Create something that’s wild and close to nature. You can wind natural-coloured wool around the twigs to give it a softer effect.
- The first area that should be decorated in a house or at an event is the entrance. It should always catch the eye.
- A word for aspiring floral artists: People are undermined in this profession. And artists lack confidence as well. They do not know the cost and potential of their creativity, which is worse. But its prospect is huge because art never dies and flowers are something loved by all!
The making of a floral installation
STEP 1: Take a container and heat some glue chips (avoid the waxy glue chips which get brittle when they resolidify). Stack some floral foam on the container and let the glue cool down and solidify.
STEP 2: Cover a stick or wire with black paper or some shiny paper to give it a bit of drama. Stack those up on the foam like pillars. Tie rectangular floral foams to those embedded sticks in a tower pattern. Do not forget to put small plastic sheet pieces in between each foam so that the water in them doesn’t drain out.
STEP 3: Arrange some primary flowers around the floral foams. How about red roses? What is more dramatic and sensuous than them? But remember not to create a bush. Leave some space.
STEP 4: Attach Gloriosas in the empty spaces and voila! Your flower tower receives volume, edge and uniqueness.
CHAI & ADDA IN STUDIO PARA
I dreamt of being an RJ or a TV presenter and have had many a mock interview session in front of my bedroom mirror. As I sat chatting with Sukrit ‘Jhampa’ Poddar and Roy Abhisek at The Chaiwala over a hot cup of Chaiwala Special, a thought bubble popped up: ‘Only if you had given it a try….’
Well, I am a happy t2 girl now! But here were two guys — Sukrit, 24, and Roy, 26 — in front of me, talking about how they chased their dreams and made them come true. How two travel buddies took a “spontaneous decision”, like getting down to the ground floor of your house and visualising a cafe there and slowly see it take shape.
Sukrit’s eyes twinkle as he remembers the hours spent on scraping the paint off what was once a photography studio. And Roy, the “taster”, shared how the lack of space (600sq ft) at the 6/1/2 Graham’s Land address gave birth to the Fresh Bake Choco-Walnut Pot Cake.
The boys had met in Santiniketan, where Roy studied textile design and Sukrit art history. They bonded over lemon tea from Kalor Dokan in “Santi”, chai at Balwant Singh’s Eating House, more food and travel.
The name ‘chaiwala’ was born out of a raised eyebrow. “I was having a chat with my teacher from school. I told her I was planning to open up a cafeteria. She said: ‘All this hard work and you are going to become a chaiwala?’ I was like, that’s it!” smiles Sukrit. Ever since it opened last September, The Chaiwala has been gathering steam (1,349 Facebook likes and counting) enough to make Sukrit and Roy go, ‘Yes! We did it!’
A menu focused on tea, good food and a homely vibe are what you take back. In addition to burgers, sandwiches, smoothies, eggs, salads and cup soups, the ‘specials’ are scribbled on a blackboard. “We sell a lot more tea than coffee,” says Sukrit.
Guitar, Wi-Fi, a stack of books, wooden benches —The Chaiwala has a lived-in feel. Sit on a bench and sip on your cha, you’ll feel like you’re right on a parar rok! An adjacent corner of the cafe has been carved out for The Chaiwala Store. Along with Roy’s clothing line Bohurupi, there is ceramic art and stationery.
The first-generation restaurateurs — Sukrit’s parents are painters; Roy’s father is an engineer, mom a homemaker — are learning on the job. “I’ve learnt not to panic. We are not food professionals, but we had to figure out how a restaurant really runs,” says Sukrit.
Is there a Plan B? “Even if this doesn’t work, I am not looking for a job,” he says, popping a Pulse candy and disappearing into the kitchen to supervise the t2 shoot.
Where: 6/1/2 Graham’s Land, next to Indrapuri Studio
Open: 4pm-10pm on Mondays, 11am-10pm Tuesday-Sunday
Pocket pinch: Rs 60-Rs 295 per person
Home delivery: For a radius of up to 10km on a minimum bill of Rs 200
Saionee Chakraborty
