Little Sister

Little Sister watercolor by Meera Rao

This special little baby girl was a pleasure to paint. When it is hard to visit grand babies because of the pandemic, painting them has been a truly unique gift for me. It also gave me an excuse to watch her baby videos on loop and cherish the play time with her on video calls. While painting this portrait, I could almost feel her ‘baby smell’ and soft skin with each brush stroke :)

Blissful Baby

 

Blissful Baby  watercolor by Meera Rao 

I finally finished the baby painting of my grandson. It was really long overdue (five+ years!). I was somehow never satisfied with my earlier attempts. This time, as preparation, I  watched many of his baby videos. That made it a lot more fun, felt a little bit easier and natural to sketch and paint. I am sure sketching consistently over the past few years also helped! In the end it turned out to be an immensely rewarding experience. 

If you could say it 

in words

there would be no reason

to paint.

~Edward Hopper~

Changing Dance of the Universe

Changing Dance of the Universe watercolor on Yupo 

My Dad breathed his last on January 21. I know death is inevitable but letting go is never easy.  The pandemic fears meant I was not with him in person. But the marvel of video call technology and my dear brother's intuition made it possible for me to be there just minutes before he slipped away.  My swirling emotions later poured out in "Changing Dance of The Universe." 

Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2022 week 4

The photograph for that week in the Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2022 - 'Untitled Female Dancer with Mirrors' c1950 is attributed to Robert S. Scurlock. "The Scurlock Studio was an African American family photographic business that flourished in the Shaw area of Washington, DC., from 1911-1994. Among thousands of photographs in the Archives Center of the National Museum of American History, dancers represent a frequent subject, including professional performers, Howard U students, and private dance school clients. The identity of this dancer, shown rehearsing is unknown" 

Wearing Pearls and Celebrating Kamala  watercolor on Yupo

On January 20th 2021, Kamala Harris became the first woman, first Indian American, first black and Asian American to be sworn in as the Vice President of the United States of America! I wore pearls, a bright blue top that day as I watched the ceremony on TV and celebrated the historic moment. 

Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2021 week 4

Minnijean Brown-Trickey's graduation dress,1959 graces the opposite page in the Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2021: "Minnijean Brown-Trickey (b1941)made history by simply going to school and claiming her right to belong. In 1957, four years after 'Brown v Board of Education', she and eight classmates integrated the all white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Bullied and eventually expelled, Brown graduated from Lincoln High School in New York city wearing this dress, which she designed. She later remembered 'I felt perfectly beautiful in it'."