A Prayer

Cairns watercolor by Meera Rao

 Cairns painted with every color in my Derwent Graphitint pan set. It’s my humble attempt at a small memorial on paper and a prayer in response to what is happening in the world around.  

I recently read that Claude Monet was very ashamed and guilt ridden to be painting while ww1 wreaked havoc around. He wrote on Dec 1, 1914 :  ‘’ I feel ashamed to think about my little researches into form and color while so many people are suffering and dying.” He was working on the now famous water lilies series.  Sixty five years earlier in his life, his father had given him a choice ‘go to war or give up painting’ He went to war then, rather than give up painting. He served in French military in Algeria.  According to https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/monet-and-the-flowers-of-war-concert, “ Monet felt his late paintings were an attempt at healing. They were his artistic response to the traumatic events of the war and arguably the greatest climax to any artist’s creative career”. Many years ago I saw the paintings during our trip to France - but never really grasped the depth nor beauty of the paintings. Hope I get another chance to see ‘ the two rooms filled with 22 enormous panels - more than 80 square meters of canvas. ‘ I can’t imagine the pain  and trauma he must have felt. 

Bud to Bloom

Bud to Bloom WIP watercolor by Meera Rao

Happy New Year!! I am relieved to start the new year with a negative test result for Covid. I was down with it for the last ten days of 2025 after dodging it for the past five years. As I recover, I decided I needed to do some art work everyday for my own wellbeing.  That decision has resulted in small 3x3" painting everyday as I record the amaryllis that was blooming. That was a wise choice! Posted above is the first twelve days of the my efforts.  There are still many more to come as I slowly make my way through the various stages and different angles of the bud to bloom chronology.  I am wondering if I also should record the end stages of the blooms.  

I am thrilled to discover in my research that  Amaryllis is considered a symbol of winter beauty and resilience in classical poetry by Milton and Thomas Campion to modern authors like Susan Meissner.

“An amaryllis is always waiting to delight and surprise you, 

even when your world seems cold and dark.” 

~Susan Meissner, Only the Beautiful~

How appropriate! I wish you all love, good health, positive energy, safety and peace in 2026.

Memories

Poppies in Bloom! week 25, 2021 by Meera Rao 

The spread on my upcycled Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2021

We recently returned from a trip to the UK. While we were there, during early November, we saw 'Poppy Appeal' to benefit veterans and their families. My research showed that the use of poppies to commemorate veterans not only in the UK but also in the USA & Canada began after World War 1.  An American woman, Moina Michael, was inspired by a poem, In Flanders Fields, by Canadian soldier-physician Major John McCrae in 1915, began wearing poppies every day as a symbol of sacrifice by the soldiers.  Soon, poppies became the symbol of remembrance of the lives of soldiers lost in wars. It's a coincidence that the page from my 2021 upcycled Smithsonian Engagement Calendar, which served as my pandemic diary and was long overdue for its place on my blog, had a sketch of the poppies from our garden. 

The Smithsonian photo on the facing page is of Tropical Harvest,1973, a design by Suzie Zuzek for Key West Hand Print Fabrics, Inc. It is now at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Museum. 

Poppy table at Edinburgh Railway Station, Scotland, Nov 7, 2025 photo by Meera Rao

 Nature's Quilt, week 25, 2021 by Meera Rao 

The sketch for week 25 from the 2022 Smithsonian Calendar upcycled as my pandemic diary is a colorful patch from our garden that seemed to mirror the photo of Howard Mehring Dark Star n.d. -acrylic on collaged canvas from the Anacostia Community Museum. The Yellow coreopsis, Red/Orange cannas, and the purple-hearts all resemble a flower quilt!

The spread on my upcycled Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2022

 

Unexpected Street treat

 I came across the colorful piano at Durango on our trip last year. It was on the sidewalk outside a bookstore. While I was admiring the bold colors and designs, another tourist walking by stopped and put down her backpack. She sat down and played a beautiful melody expertly.  When done, she laughed happily, joined her partner and both walked off :) Later on, my research said that the ‘Durango Street Piano Project’ was by Zack Robinson. What a fabulous idea! I really enjoyed reliving the moment when I painted this later in my Travel Journal. 

My Art on Different Walls

Dip and Shake  watercolor By Meera Rao 

This painting juried into ´Fauna and Flora’ at the Capital Hill Art league DC show and all the paintings from my ’Artist of the Month ‘ exhibition at the Poquoson Public Library are back home now after good time away. I have been busy painting but forgetting to update my blog during hectic summer days. My other interests - mainly volunteering as a Virginia Master Naturalist, sketching/painting in art & travel journals, and reading, fill up my free time keeping me quite content! I am also happily guilty about checking out awesome art by many talented artists on social media and in I turn feeling inspired. I am yet to find a right balance to sneak in a pocket of time to post in my blog. Any advice ? 

Art wall with my paintings in August at Poquoson Public Library 

The butterfly counts 

not months but moments

And has enough time 

~ Ravindranath Tagore ~

Awesome Nature

Wilting shadow1 direct watercolor Meera Rao 

Wilting shadow2 Direct watercolor Meera Rao 

Wilting shadow 3 Direct watercolor Meera Rao 

Wilting shadow 4 Direct watercolor Meera Rao 

I admire people who can paint freely and directly seeing all the colors, values and composition well formed in their heads. Of course, I also note that some do the thumbnails and try out their visions and then plunge in with the brush.  I don’t do thumbnails - but play with my photo editor a lot. But I still find myself painting very carefully -tentatively ; ‘freely’ doesn’t seem to be my nature !!! This years June 30x30 Direct watercolor challenge has been so far may be 15/30 - the month turned out to be packed with travels, other obligations, fun and challenging in other ways ! 

These paintings are of a rose that was still a beauty despite losing most of its petals. When I took it off an arrangement and laid it on the counter, the glow and the shadows formed were just stunning. I wanted to capture that fleeting moment. 

My four teabag art At the Hill Center DC 

Four of my teabag art pieces were juried into the Capitol Hill Art League exhibition in May and will be on display until September 6 2026. If you are in DC do pop in -there are some awesome pieces in that gallery. 

 

Not Just a Tempest in a Teapot

Not Just a Tempest in a Teapot - It's a Great Wave by Meera Rao

Another used teabag upcycled !! This one, along with my three other teabag paintings, is in the Washington, D.C. Hill Center Galleries 2025 Capitol Hill Art League Juried Exhibition. The show runs from May 6 -September 6.  It has been a fun challenge to think up tea-related subjects to paint on the teabags.

A lovely teacup

Steeping leaves, the steam rises

Tempest? The Great Wave

~Meera Rao~

   

Float Like A Blue Lotus

Blue Lotus  page from my India Travel Journal 2024 by Meera Rao

 float like a blue lotus 

graceful, grounded 

and

unbothered by the mud 

The Blue lotuses bloomed in a mini pond on the balcony. They are small but oh so beautiful and graceful. I used my newly acquired Japanese Kuretake Gansai Tambi paints on this page and am very pleased with the results. I had penciled in the sketches in my Strathmore tan-toned sketchbook, and painting in the colors had to wait. 

Sereni-Tea

Sereni-Tea in Every Cup watermedia on Upcycled Tea Bag by Meera Rao 

There is nothing like reliving the memories of a trip than painting a scene from the days I spent traveling there. Trip to China was a few years ago but there were many scenes I have been wanting to paint - just waiting for the right time! In my series on Tea bag paintings, so far I have limited the subject to all things tea:) There were many tea ceremonies we were treated to -each extolling the teas from the particular region. The common thread though, was beautiful serene young girls in traditional clothing serving the various teas in a very relaxing and traditional settings with exquisite tea paraphernalia. I never tired of those moments of peace and quiet beauty. 

anticipation 

tea steeping serenity

swirling aroma 

~Meera Rao~

Reliving the Memories

 Misty Paro Tatsang Palphug -Tiger's Nest Monastery 

watercolor by Meera Rao

Happy New Year!! The year has started in full swing - a continuation of the busy days of the past year. The sketch above is from the inspiring, and unforgettable trip to Bhutan last year. The monastery is perched  precariously on a cliff at 3,120 meters (10,240 ft), about 900 meters (3,000 ft) above the Paro valley, on the right side of the Paro Chu (‘chu’ in Bhutanese means ”river or water”). The hike up to the monastery was arduous - nearly vertical!  But walking slowly and steadily (it took me almost 3 hours each way!), enjoying the breathtaking views was a gift. Of course, the view from the Monastery, and time inside the monastery(just about an hour) were awe-inspiring. 

In fact, I have been energized by all the wonderful sights at home and from our trips this past year to various places in the US and abroad. Observing nature, learning, doing my small part in preserving and passing it on have become my passions. It is helping me stay sane in these tumultuous days I see all over the world. I have enjoyed reliving the experiences as I was finishing my travel journal to Bhutan. I eagerly look forward to finishing half-done entries in three more journals from the other trips. Sketching and painting is my way of journaling my days :)

“Art is the stored honey of the human soul.” 

~Theodore Dreiser~

  

A Busy Year

 

Waiting for Lunch watercolor pen &ink by Meera Rao

Boarding in 15 minutes watercolor pen &ink by Meera Rao

This has been a very busy year - lots of traveling, happy meetings with far away family, too many photographs, as many sketches as I could squeeze in, a few paintings, good number of shows, but not enough blog posts! I am way behind in posting my sketches and paintings and hope to get back to regular schedule (I know I sound like a broken record!!)  I ought to make creating and sharing a priority in the coming year. It is always a issue to post when traveling and that seems to carry on when I return. But I am grateful for a full life and continued creating in my life. 

'Being behind' is not real

We are simply where we are 

~Trish Blackwell~

Showing My Art

Showing my art at the Poquoson Public Library August 2024

Showing my art at the Poquoson Public Library August 2024

Showing my art at the Poquoson Public Library August 2024

Showing my art at the Poquoson Public Library August 2024

Showing my Art at AKKA - Association of Kannada Kootas in America World Conference

at Greater Richmond Convention Center Aug 30-Sept.1 2024 

Showing my Art at AKKA - Association of Kannada Kootas in America World Conference

at Greater Richmond Convention Center Aug 30-Sept.1 2024 

The above photos are from two of the four venues my art has been on exhibit in August 2024. I am grateful to the Poquoson Public Library for the opportunity to hang my art on their walls as the Artist of the Month for August. 

Two paintings: Changing Blooms, and Koi at the Temple  are also on exhibit at the Hill Center Galleries at the Old Naval Hospital in Washington DC . Scroll down at the website to see the paintings in the show :)

In the Fireside Gallery at the Williamsburg Contemporary Art Center, I have a watercolor painting "Hide and Seek Turtle' together with its inspiration source photograph in the From Camera to Brush and Beyond show.  

I hope to go check out both the shows soon and post the photos from the show in a blog post.

"A simple line painted with the brush can lead to freedom and happiness"

~Joan Miro~ 

 

Oyster Parade

Oyster Parade watercolor 11x14” by Meera Rao 

I started this last November and finally got around to completing yesterday.  I used many photographs that I took of  oysters by the River bank and hours of observation to cobble together a composition. I decided to capture the oysters in the glowing early morning light.  Due to sundry reasons, the painting took me a while to complete but so far I am satisfied it.  

Meanwhile, I discovered some interesting things about Oysters: 

• Oysters have three-chambered hears that pump colorless blood throughout their bodies. They breathe with the gills, just like fish. Wild oysters can live 25 to 30 years but typically most dońt live past six years.  
• A healthy adult oyster an filter the amount of water it takes to fill a small bathtub every day.  oysters feed by pumping water through their gills and I. The process capture algae and other particles, sort of like a strainer. So by cleaning the water, oysters help maintain the balance of their ecosystems. 
• Oysters change gender. Most start out as males, but some change to female after they spawn once or twice ! 

“So have heard about the oyster who went to disco and pulled a mussel”  ~ Billy Connolly  :) 

Art and Life

Sketch of ‘The ship sculpture by Emanoel Araujo’ by Meera Rao 

The ship by Emanoel Araujo 

I visited the exhibit ‘Afro-Atlantic Histories’  at the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC on June 7 2022 and was so touched by this sculpture in wood & carbon steel that I had to record it! The label reads:Araujo's work reflects the influence of European modern art and African and Afro-Brazilian cultural histories. This geometric, abstract wood structure is a direct reference to slave ship plans (like the one depicted in James Phillips's Description of a Slave Ship, shown nearby). The 31 wood sculptures representing human forms echo images in abolitionist pamphlets of bodies piled inside ship holds, while a metal chain linked to a shackle recalls the brutal restraint of enslaved people. Translating iconography of the slave trade into geometric forms, The Ship suggests the symbolic capacity of abstraction.

The entire exhibit was very powerful with many paintings and sculptures. In fact I visited again during that week to slowly taken in the works. 

The spread on my upcycled Smithsonian Engagement Calendar -Pandemic journal 2022 week 24

The photo in the Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2022 upcycled to my 3rd year of journaling during the pandemic week by week is ‘inland Niger Delta Artist Djenne, Mortimer Region, Mail Equestrian Figure 13- 15th Century Ceramic, collection of National Museum of African Art.  Unearthed from the archaeological remains of an urban center in the Inland Niger Delta region, this is among the area's largest surviving terracotta figures. Its elaborate dress suggests ceremonial military attire, and it may represent a warrior allied with the Malian emperor Sundiata Keita (c. 1210-60).’  As it has happened on almost every week there has been some connection between something my life to the photo on these calendars! I will chalk it up to serendipity. 

‘All Ladies Crew’ pencil, ink and watercolor by Meera Rao 

I was a small part of ‘all Ladies Crew’ of a Habitat for humanity house built at Suffolk, Va week 24 in June 2021.  I learned how to measure, hammer and wield electric saws,  drills and nail guns :)  It was a very rewarding experience and felt a good tired at the end of the day. 

Spread of upcycled Smithsonian Engagement Calendar week 24 2021 

The photo this particular week in 2021 is Koji Enokura (1942-1995) Symptom-Sea, Body(P. W. No. 40), 1972 Japan Gelatin silver print 1316 × 16%16 in. (33.2 × 42 cm)Collection of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Enokura was a member of the Mono-ha (School of Things) movement in Japan, a group of artists who practiced "not-making" by slightly altering materials to call attention to the relationships between things. In his Symptoms series, Enokura used photography to document his own ephemeral presence within the surrounding environment. And the photo depicts opposite of what I was up to that week - making ! 

 

Tempest In A Tea Cup

 Tempest in a Tea Cup watercolor, gouache and Ink  N.Y. Meera Rao 

A few years ago when a friend was visiting me,  I was removing a metal pin from tea bag after making my tea to put into compost. She asked ‘Did you know the tea bags are not compostable ?’  Since then I have been trying to use up tea bags I still had and buy loose tea. I have also been saving the bags and hoping to use it for some kind of eco art but never could figure out. As my stash grew bigger in a box labeled ‘tea bags for painting?’ I had to do something.  Yesterday the idea came to me to combine Hokusai’s waves coming out a Japanese teacup and title it  ‘Tempest in a tea cup’. The teabag seemed to be just right size canvas to illustrate the concept :)  So this is one of those long incubation ideas joining  my NYC metrocard art, mint tin altars, altered throwaway print photo art, upcycled Smithsonian Engagement Calendars, etc ! 

Preservation of History and Nature

Upcycled Smithsonian Engagement Calendar Pandemic Sketchbook week 23 

Parthenos sylvia Butterfly on Zinnia ink and watercolor by Meera Rao 

We visited the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA with friends visiting from India. The highlight of that trip was the enclosed butterfly garden with hundreds of butterflies from all over the world. This particular butterfly is Parthenos sylvia a species from Asia and South Asia on zinnia. Seeing the beautiful creatures up close as they come and even land on your head or shoulder, definitely makes you care and want to save them from extinction! It really paired well with photo for the week in the upcycle Smithsonian Engagement Calender - ‘Front cover from 29th Annaual Catalogue, 1899 Iowa Seed co., Desmoines, IA. This lithograph print is from Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. The Libraries and archives has a unique trade catalog collection that includes about 10,000 seed and nursery catalogs. These publications document the history of the seed business and horticulture in the United States. Through their bold text and exuberant illustrations, they also provide a fascinating window into the history of graphic arts and advertising. 

Upcycled Smithsonian Engagement calendar pandemic sketchbook 2021 week 23

Colonial Williamsburg colonial horse and buggy pen and ink by Meera Rao

At first glance the photo in the calendar and the record of a day in my life that week looks like a big contrast - and yet both are preserving the history of our country! Apollo 11 spacesuits transferred from NASA are on display at the Steven F. Unvarnished-Hazy Center, National Air and Space Museum.  The caption for the spacesuits reads: ‘Shown here at the Emil Buehler Conservation Lab at the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center are 3 spacesuits worn by the Apollo 11 astronauts on their historic 1969 mission to the moon. From left to right are the suits of Edwin R Aldrin, Michael Collin’s, and Neil Armstrong.’ 

The quest to find different walking trails took us to Colonial Williamsburg that morning. The horses were also on a walk ! 

 

Whitehouse spring Garden Tour

Band playing in the Balcony finished sketch by Meera Rao 

En Plein air sketching done while waiting around by Meera Rao 

Band playing in the White House Balcony 

On Saturday May 11, we were lucky to go on White House Spring Garden Tour - tickets courtesy of our son.  While waiting in line to get in, I sketched the Boy Scout Memorial (seen below) I realized later on our way back that the statue looks quite different up close in the front view with a Boy Scout in the midst !  I sketched the band playing in the balcony while listening to the music but could not  complete the sketch as we needed to keep moving! -crowd management was necessary when lines of people were streaming in ! It was a gorgeous day to be outside. The beautiful immaculate grounds and colorful flower gardens, luscious vegetable patches were such a pleasure to walk thru! The Rose garden was in full bloom ! There were signs in front of many trees indicating which President or First lady had planted them. Some of the trees were still young but many were huge trees with wide circumference and 100+ years old! 

                                             Boy Scout Memorial : Partial view of the Statues  

Lessons from History and Nature

Up-cycled Smithsonian Engagement Calendar  Pandemic sketchbook 2022 week 22 

Nautical Mailbox Post Pen & ink, watercolor By Meera Rao 

I did not realize how much pleasure I would get revisiting my up-cycled Smithsonian Engagement Calendar and being reminded about how our days and weeks were spent noticing little things around us. I was always looking for new places then to do our daily walks for a change in routine. The experience and novelty of that has continued through and we still have not rejoined the gym but walk on various trails. I noticed this nautical themed mail post and many others like this walking around our little town by the water. It made the postal theme with the photo of the week from the calendar: Schermack stamp vending machine c. 1955 now on exhibit at the National Postal Museum in DC.  The coincidences of what was in the photo of the week matching with at least one of incidences from my week was always a fun project to check ! 

Orchid Bloom Pen &ink and water color by Meera Rao 

Up-cycled Smithsonian Engagement Calendar Pandemic sketchbook 2021 Week 22

 

We have a couple of orchid plants that are gifts given to us a few years ago. They still bloom almost every year but I can’t seem to figure out their cycle. I remember going on search on the web trying to figure out the cycle when I saw that it finally bloomed during week 22 in 2021.  The note I made on the calendar says that orchids  ‘symbolize the bravery of Harry and Harriette Moore - pictured on the locket shown in facing page. ‘On Christmas night 1951, Ku Klux Klan members bombed the home of Florida NAACP leaders  Harry T and Harriette Moore, killing them both. The Moores were the first NAACP members to be murdered for their civil rights activism. The locket shown belonging to Harriette, features photographs of the couple when they were young.’  Their daughter,  grandson and great-grandson donated the locket to National Museum of African American History and Culture in DC.  It was sobering to see it in person later when we visited the museum. 

Desperately Seeking

Desperately seeking nesting place !  Sketch by Meera Rao 

On Feb 27th,  at a parkinglot, saw a bird check out the tailpipe of a car while its mate(?)was following faithfully.  Just a second or two and then they were gone !! There was no time to take a pic but  my Strathmore 400 series Toned gray paper sketchbook in hand - memory still fresh and the car still parked, I quickly sketched it using a bic ballpoint pen with multicolors in ink and a white pastelpencil. I had just enough time to record what I saw :) Later I discovered the internet has many stories of birds nesting in tailpipes if the car had not been moved a while during spring !!!

Awesome Nature

                                                                                    

Hi-Yu ( Abundance) Pen and Ink /watercolor By Meera Rao

I had a few holes here and there in both of my 2021 and 2022 Journals - a few weeks that I was unable to sketch for some reason or other.  I felt I should fill them up, complete the recording and then start posting - a bit unreasonable on my part but then sometimes that's how I move unfortunately. I relied on my photos to jog my memory. Now that I have filled in every single week in both the journals, hope the posting will be be easier on my psyche - even if its two and three year delayed. 

week 21 Smithsonian Engagement Calendar Pandemic Journal 2021 

The photo on the Smithsonian Engagement calendar which I had upcycled as my Covid diary / journal has Hi Yu Apples crate label, from Wenatchee, WA now in the collection of National Museum of the American Indian, The label is done in Ink on paper.  

"Before they were replaced by the cardboard boxes in the 1960s wooden boxes bearing colorful designs were used to ship fruit and vegetables. Often the designs featured Native American motifs. HI-Yu the Chinook language words meaning abundance was the name of a brand of apples shipped from Wenatchee, WA." True the word for the week, in our garden on that week the blueberries and blackberries were in abundance ! We did not get to enjoy them because the birds were having feast  and we weren't invited :) 

Week 21 Smithsonian Engagement Calendar Pandemic Journal 2022 

This week's photo in the Smithsonian Engagement calendar 2022 is "Niimiipuu(Nez Perce) quiver and bow case c.1890 Idaho. It is made from otter skin and fur, hide wool cloth, muslin, glass beads and silk ribbon and is in the National museum of the American Indian.  

On May 17 2022, I had gone to check the trees I had planed to sketch for a Tree sketching Class I had volunteered to teach later in the month at the Historical Endview at Newport News, Va. As I was walking around the property I saw a snake skin under one of the bushes. Upon further research, I learned that snakes shed a layer of their skin in on continuous piece, a process called 'ecdysis'  which occurs between four and twelve times a year. Why? While snakes body continues to grow, the skin does not! How cool is that !

Snake skin on forest floor  watercolors by Meera Rao.