Studio Gumani | Pia Meenakshi.

Overnight the Ash trees have turned a golden shade of yellow, there are Pumpkins of different shapes and sizes flooding the markets and it's also the first day of fall!

So let's kickstart the new chapter of Rang Decor with one creative powerhouse from Bangalore, India.

Pia Meenakshi.

Pia is a professional illustrator, designer, tattoo artist and the brain behind Studio Gumani. Her work is edgy, powerful yet has a magical innocence. Dark at times but highly inspired by nature's beauty.

Bedtime Story | Digital

She draws inspirations from that realm of the mind where dreams and reality converge.

Exhale Inhale | Ink on Brown Paper and Digital

Wolves, skulls and nature's flora & fauna occupy centre stage in her illustrations.

Prehistoric Dogs of War | Acrylic on Canvas Cloth

'She loves the idea of feral girls belonging to wolf tribes, kids living in forests and secret dreams of escaping into the wild. '

Describing her style of work Pia states, 'My work is organic, with reoccurring themes of nature and women. I like adding a bit of fantasy with the natural stuff I draw. Like imagine what secret lives animals lead behind our backs. All the things that must be happening that we can only dream to understand. I like working on imagery of nature, be it animals, plants etc. I feel that its something we are all slowly forgetting about. There is such a charm and a sense of belonging with nature that we tend to get drawn to at some point. That’s where we feel at home. Animals and plants are incredible. The way they function, their forms and behavior.'

Morning tea makes me feel like.

Totally echoing my sentiment;-)

Deep Space Diver | Digital Illustration

Pia has been featured in compilations of India's leading Illustrators
Los Cocineros | Acrylic on fabric textured paper

Being a huge Breaking Bad fan, I just had to feature her fabulous illustration of Jesse Pinkman and Walter White.

Pia belongs to the group of select female tattoo artists in Bangalore.

Pia believes, 'Tattoos are beautiful personal moments captured on your body forever. Its great to be a part of some one’s experience. Its great to get to know people on that personal level.'

Although Pia has taken a hiatus from tattooing and is concentrating more on her illustration work, I just had to feature her organic style.

Pia works on 3 Dimensional Illustrative Paper Art too where she illustrates on paper, cuts it, layers it and encases it in a wooden frame creating amazing illusions.

Rhino The Gold Miner

Rhino is an old beetle that dwells under an abandoned well somewhere in the Western Ghats. When he was a young gun, he discovered that gems and great things of value are hidden around the well. 

He was so overwhelmed by the shininess that hes made it his life mission to collect and store as much pretty, glittery things as possible in hopes that when he dies, someone needy finds it. 

He uses a small wooden box (made for him by a mouse friend) to carry his finds. The eye he wears as a chain on his back is from a great lizard he once had to kill in order to protect his treasures.

Here he is looking for crystals while carrying his newly found, new- favourite possession in his box: a solid gold nugget.

Sailor's Grave
According to myths, mermaids: half-woman, half-fish creatures were believed to seduce sailors into the sea, to their eventual death by luring them with their enchanting songs. This is my take on this classical sailor tattoo. This was a reminder to sailor's that the sea is dangerous no matter how enticing it can be. 
Here she has used mixed media ranging from paper, paint, glitter, rhinestones and fabric.

The more I read about Pia the more I am fascinated by her diverse work. I guess when one has the talent and the passion, the medium becomes insignificant.

Rock on lady!

If you are artist and need recommendation on art materials, Pia is the person. She does reviews on art materials on her blog: Why I'm Always Broke

Puppy Wave | Wall mural

Self Portrait of Pia.

Here she is with her darling Beagle Luna.
Hope Cocoa and Luna get to meet someday!

Now for a surprise, Pia has shared some frames from Studio Gumani exclusively for Rang Decor readers! Pia has designed the space herself. The charming old world Bangalorean red-oxide flooring and grillwork forms an interesting graphic backdrop. Minimalistic and functional.
Enjoy.

If you are in Bangalore do check out her creative talk and mini workshop in Church Street Social on 26th Sept, 2015.

Do connect with her on Social Media
Facebook: Gumani 
Instagram: gumanib

( Images by Studio Gumani and are copyrighted)