artnlight

Its been a crazy month- full of family, friends and fun. And a couple of really interesting projects all of which I'm itching to share with you. Its also taking me a bit of time to get used to my new, fluid, no rules schedule. For now I'm taking it easy and one day at a time. My recent visit to Chennai saw me in some really nice & interesting places. Here are some quick snapshots of a beautiful balmy evening spent in Amethyst, a stately old colonial house that serves up a coffee shop-restaurant, exotic boutique and a flower shop in its lush precincts. Go here when you have time and you want to spend it well with good friends. I loved the checkered floor, the tall pillars and the taller slatted doors topped with intricate stained glass work.

The 1st view of the Amethyst from the driveway seduces you with its shimmering lights in the foyer

This doesn't happen often. When you are hit by a wave of inspiration that knocks you off your feet, drenches you to the skin & you are left laughing in sheer gratitude. Marian Bantjes' work does that to me each time. Respect, worship, awe become words that are beggared by what I feel when I see her work. So no more words, just see the magic she makes .


"I spent 3 solid weeks on it, and nearly burned myself out. But in the end, it was worth it. Some of these are easier to read than others, but I won’t “translate” them for you. Either you’re curious, or you’re not." - Marian Bantjes
Stefan Sagmeister calls Bantjes “one of the most innovative typographers working today". He likes her so much that Stefan asked Marian twice to contribute to his series “Things I have learned in my life so far”. He was so impressed with her sugar piece she did for the Fox River Paper booklet that asked to use sugar to create his phrase “If I want to explore a new direction professionally, it is helpful to try it out for myself first“.
Marian: My 2009 valentines were a bit of a departure in a number of ways. This year I wrote 4 fragments of letters; each has no beginning and no end; and each is carefully crafted to hopefully have some resonance with most people. Each recipient got one fragment."