STAINED, The Indian Art of Bandhani: A Love Letter to Women
In a contemporary world of increasing automation, few people concentrate on performing work that consumes their entire attention, one that combines their physical, mental, and emotional being. Our explorations of the Bandhani textile trade showcases these fabrics to be excellent examples of expert craftsmanship that tells a story of honor and tradition, and its influence and enrichment of our modern day world.
creative direction, styling & photography: @tembotones
models: @eyesminc & @syl.v.ie
producer: @sergile123
makeup: @theeislandboi
hair: @sunny_hair_
retouching: @jessicagaberstudios
It’s official! TEMBOTONES.COM is live. 🐘🤎✨💭
And we are immensely grateful that you chose to be here and celebrate this launch with us!
Our website is a growing portfolio of fine art and branding services that represent an immortalization of our deepest wishes for humanity. We hope you enjoy taking the first glance at our gallery, collection of services, and musings on our blog.
We are committed to building brands for people and businesses that are anchored in truth. Before paint ever touches canvas, we embark on a journey to:
– create a sacred space where you can speak your truth, knowing it will be honored
– seek to understand your missions and goals
– develop ideas to energize your vision, mission and community.
In doing so, we reclaim the power of your intention, voice, story and birthright.
This account will continue to celebrate the work we create with our clients and collaborators, as well as showcase the art made by BIPOC creators that inspire and encourage our growth daily. We hope you appreciate our #moodboard goals. To hear more exciting updates, client sneak peaks and featured work, sign up to our e-newsletters via the link in bio.
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muse: (and crush) @anaiaku
HMUA: the genius @nickblackartistry
photography and set design: yours truly, @tembotones
from vision to identity 🪷✨
over the past few months, we’ve had the privilege of bringing @myarvasi to life— a brand rooted in science, tradition, and intention.
as creative director, pooja led the brand and creative direction: shaping a voice that honors ayurveda’s 5,000-year-old wisdom while grounding it in the needs of today’s modern woman — reverent, nurturing, science-forward, and deeply reflective. for her, this journey has been both professional and personal, reconnecting with the practices her mom and grandmother instilled, while reimagining them through a lens of empowerment, self-discovery, and cultural pride.
alishbah, as graphic designer, translated this vision into a timeless visual identity. drawing on her own south asian roots, she crafted a design language that embraces cultural nuance while holding space for modern elegance— a process that gave her the confidence to fully embrace heritage with design at the highest level.
together, we discovered how seamlessly our paths aligned— a flow from concept to creation, from time-honored practice to modern possibility.
we’re endlessly grateful to the arvasi founders @avantikumarsingh@tanmeetsethimd and team for entrusting us with this brand. this is only the beginning, and we can’t wait to share what’s next 🤎
with love,
pooja & alishbah
Excited to share the launch of @myarvasi ’s new e-commerce site! Arvasi is a wellness brand offering seasonal ritual sets—designed by physicians and personalized to your dosha—to support your body’s natural rhythm.
We partnered with Arvasi to bring their story and product to life through a custom Shopify site, built in just a few weeks. A dream collaboration from start to finish!
Creative Director: @tembotones
I am thrilled to unveil the new visual brand identity for Dr. Avanti Kumar Singh! @avantikumarsingh ✨
From the moment I stepped into Dr. Avanti’s world, I knew this project would be transformative. We met over lunch at @livebian , and a few hours later, I found myself at her home as a part of an intimate dinner and talk series with her family, friends, colleagues, and peers.
Dr. Avanti’s upcoming projects require a visual identity that reflects her mission: empowering a global community to integrate Ayurveda and modern medicine.
Our brand design journey included:
• Intention-driven brand photography
• Logo design embodying her holistic approach
• Iconography simplifying complex concepts
• Typography, color palette, and textures resonating with a modern personal brand
• Cohesive social media integration
Each element was carefully chosen to reflect Avanti’s core values: compassion, representation, nourishment, integrity, and collaboration.
What inspired me most was the balance between Avanti’s clear vision and her openness to artistic interpretation. Together, we created a brand that not only represents her but amplifies her mission of compassionate care and representation in healthcare. I encourage everyone to explore Dr. Avanti’s work and platforms to learn how ayurveda and modern medicine can be beautifully integrated! I’m excited to share that I’m offering more extensive brand design experiences as part of my services! If you have a project in mind, I’d love to connect and learn more about how we can bring your visions to life. 🤎
A nighttime portrait session with Saja in falasteeni tatreez 🪡 It’s always such an honor and a gift to share space with women who inspire creativity rooted in compassion & preserving the beauty of our culture.
muse: @saja.bilasan
mua: @muasumayyah
I’m so excited to share that I am @southfacingwindows ’ artist in residence for the month of November!
During this time, I chose to work on a project that is close to my heart: a photographic exploration of age. I hoped to create a space that nurtures storytelling and feelings of belonging for our BIPOC elders, aged 65 and older, who represent an essential thread in the rich cultural tapestry of our heritage. This project, evolving into a collection or series, invites and shares the stories of BIPOC elders, offering a platform to express their accumulated wisdom, delve into their personal legacies, celebrate and embrace the joys of aging, and honor their evolving relationship with the beauty mirrored in their own reflections.
Watching my grandparents age, turn 80 years old, and reflect on their decades has taught me of the boundless reservoir of passion and resilience that pushes the human spirit forward. Age truly is a perspective; beyond the number, lives a heart and mind that has flourished through life’s highs and lows, joys and sorrows, successes, and failures.
I’m excited to grow this intention alongside my creative team as we strive to create future spaces where elders and their stories feel welcomed, respected, celebrated, valued, seen, and heard.
📸 behind the scenes photos by the incredible @alinatsvor
photography & creative direction: @tembotones
light: @cedielphoto
production: @sianifilms
studio: @southfacingwindows
seating: @my_modern_oasis
backdrop: @ultravoiletbackdrops
collaborative minds: @taytoldyouso & @merelpetri
#artistinresidence #aginggracefully #bipocelders #portraitphotographer #chicagophotographer #sfwstudio
Seeking to honor, understand and energize each other to reclaim womanhood — or define what the divine feminine means to us today — is an evolving effort. #InternationalWomensDay reminds us to take a moment to celebrate all that we are, in our multitudes. Let us continue to expand our range of connection with life, while on the journey of coming back home to our core selves. We’re on a beautiful path, we always have been. 🤎
We are so grateful for all the women who have supported us, shared resources and guidance, expressed love and compassion, and helped us hold sacred space for creativity, care and the cultivation of community. Because of you, we are able to produce art & beauty that is in alignment with our purpose. Thank you for being our greatest inspiration and for grounding us with intention ✨
Viñales is a town in western Cuba surrounded by tall, steep-sided limestone hills known as mogotes and a lush green countryside. You are welcomed by roosters and pigs squealing in the morning for their breakfast and you fall asleep to distant chatter and music from your neighbors front porches at sun down. The rich red earth is an indicator for the some of the most fertile grounds for tobacco farming and cultivation. Here, we learned the art of cigar rolling and honey pairing, and rode horses through the aromatic wildflower fields 🌱
Jesús and Aliuska Gastell in their art studio home in Soroa, Cuba.
Jesús is skilled in drawing, painting, ceramics, illustrating and most recently, digital photography. Instead of only establishing himself as a master of representation, Jesús uses his extraordinary abilities to reveal the hidden connections between “the real” and our cultural perception of it. His artwork operates as a continuous exercise of questioning models, assuming the nature of intellectual pleasure as an illuminating experience.
It was such an honor and pleasure to meet the Gastell family and engage in conversation around their art practice and art school teachings 🤎@gastellimo@womenphototours
