Thursday, October 17, 2013

Art is Not What You See

Laundry  Watercolor on Yupo 3.4"x4.7" By Meera Rao 

Break time from Shoe Shine Watercolor on Yupo  5"x2.3" by Meera Rao 

Beverage Service Watercolor on Yupo 3.5"x4.3" by Meera Rao

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see"
~Edgar Degas~

I have three small paintings on Yupo in "Small Works: Miniatures by Hampton Roads Artists "  The show will run from October 12-December 1, 2013 at the Charles Taylor Arts Center in Hampton, VA. All the pieces had to be 20 square inches or under and it was fun to once again paint on yupo after months of only sketching in my sketchbook/journal! I am always amazed how vibrant and brilliant colors remain on the yupo unlike regular watercolor paper where the colors dry lighter than what goes on. I also love how the differently the textures and details show on the yupo. 

All three pieces are composites of my sketches, photographs and my imagination. So when I came across the quote by Edgar Degas, I chuckled and knew I had to include it here! Laundry is of course a scene from India, Break time from Shoe Shine is a scene I still see in some airports in USA and the  Beverage Service is from one of my airplane trips :) I was pleasantly surprised and pleased when all three were accepted for the show.  It is a beautifully curated exhibit with many wonderful pieces in all media.  If you are in that neck of woods do drop in and enjoy the creativity on display. 

13 comments:

Unknown said...

That sounds like a wonderful show to see, and your pieces will be very attractive there! I like the Degas quote too, and I love the idea of not being beholden to a reference photo anymore! Your laundry painting really stands out to me, I love how you painted the shadows and the way the patches of color create the composition so nicely. It has a mood, a message, and an aesthetic beauty all in one piece. Lovely work, Meera!

Lisa Graham said...

These are wonderful paintings Meera. I absolutely love the first one...the whole composition and colors. The woman is so pretty. I wish you great success with the show. LOVE that quote from Degas.

Carol Blackburn said...

Congratulations Meera, how nice to be accepted. Your shoe shine piece is such a wonderful slice of life painting. I bet it was a good photograph too.

M R Anand said...

the colours on YUPO are definitely more vibrant! nice work

padmaja said...

These are mind blowing pieces , look at the colors and the play of light! Wishing you good luck with the show Meera! An extra special love for the laundry painting :-))

Meera Rao said...

Katherine, thank you!i love reading your comments - they are so descriptive! I have never held myself to copying a photograph/scene -- it is usually only a reference - It helps me simplify a scene and adjust the scene to my drawing abilities ;)

Meera Rao said...

Thanks, Lisa :) I am glad you like the colors and the composition --often I wonder if my love of colors drowns out the composition !

Meera Rao said...

Carol, thank you! Actually it was not good photograph(s) but had a great concept- I really had to play with the elements, flip the guy and pick my own colors :) But in the end it was very satisfying!

Meera Rao said...

Thank you Anand! working on Yupo is full of fun and challenges

Meera Rao said...

Padmaja, you made my day - thank you :)Glad you like the laundry painting - it was a fun and challenging composition for me too!

Sadami said...

Congrats, Meera! Your work is all heart warming and caring. It is no surprise that you've got in. The quote is interesting. It makes me think of subjectivity and objectivity in art. Thank you for sharing the wonderful post.
Best wishes, Sadami

Meera Rao said...

Thank you sadami and great observations about the quote!

Meera Rao said...

Fernando Santos, muito obrigado :)

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