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. 

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.  

Sketching People

Muscians pencil by Meera Rao

I was not going to participate in the #OneWeek100People challenge this year.  But as the social media started filling up with artists sharing their sketches, I decided I will sketch as many as possible and now I have 46 sketches that I would not otherwise have  in my sketchbook :) 

I sketched these musicians watching/listening to an online concert from the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art.  I now know after sketching all these people that I need to work on drawing hands :)   

Sketches 27-29 By Meera Rao

Sketches 38-44 By Meera Rao

These sketches were mostly from the news on TV and newspaper.  They are all from different places and times and I enjoyed putting them together like this. The guy with the umbrella and the girl leaning is from my phone camera roll. 

Sketches 35-37  By Meera Rao

These are from my phone from when I was at a doctor's office a few months ago. I Had originally sketched them on my iphone but because of #shelteringinplace and #socialdistancing decided to sketch them again in my sketchbook :)

drummers #30-34  By Meera Rao 

These drummers were sketched from a video I took in November  during NYC Marathon. We were cheering my daughter as well as all the runners and these drummers were too!  

Sketches #21-26 By Meera Rao

These sketches were from the Newspaper and TV :) 

Sketches #11-15 by Meera Rao

Sketches #16-20 By Meera Rao 

These are from watching Basketball games before there were all cancelled! I had to refer to still photos to get them right. It became clear early on I need to study and practice hands :) 

Sketches 1-10 By Meera Rao 

I really had hopes of being able to do the 100 in 10 days at this rate when I did 10 sketches one the first day! But then life got in the way as I had suspected it would confirming my initial decision not to participate in the challenge! But I am really glad I did as many as I could. I am getting faster in getting the shapes down.  Next challenge is to get comfortable sketching hands and also capturing values.  

Winter Gift

Sugar Snap Pea Flower  Pen and color pencil by Meera Rao

Flowers like winter camellias that stay blooming through December and January, Johnny jump-ups, pansies,  and a few confused stray azaleas (global climate warming?) brought color to our yard this winter.  In the vegetable patch,  this was one of the first times my husband tried growing winter sugar snap peas and a few flowers bloomed on the plant ! The sight of  blue tinged delicate flowers and the curly tendrils meant pulling out my sketch book :) 

Explorations

My Art at the Poquoson Public Library October 2018 

My Art at the Poquoson Public Library October 2018 

I am excited to once again show my art at the Poquoson Public Library for the month of October. It is always a great feeling to be afforded this opportunity to display my paintings. This year my paintings have been mostly 'Explorations' of various scenes, ideas and media. I brought out some of my favorite paintings from years past as well as many new pieces for this show.  If you are in this neck of the woods please do stop by the Library :)  Just realized that unknowingly I seem to have taken a two month hiatus from blogging  but I am happy to be back ! 

Ni Hao Part 11 Some Everyday Scenes

Rental Bike with a solar panel ink and watercolor by Meera Rao

I noticed little things affected welfare of mind, body and daily living. There were dozens of bikes or some places just a solitary one with QR codes on the handles parked on the sidewalks. They are easy to rent  with just an app on the smart phone. People ride them to their destination and leave them by the sidewalks when they are done. The bikes are then ready for the next person (with an App on the phone) ! 

Country is Home ink and watercolor by Meera Rao

There are panels with cute illustrations and sayings on walls along the sidewalks all around the cities. I wondered if they were advertisements. We were told that they are government sponspored and convey pride for the nation and civic duties of the citizens. Once again I used my translation app to read this panel.   

Buddhist Lamas at Temple Gate  #directwatercolor #nosketching by Meera Rao

Buddhist temples are oasis of beauty, calm and quiet in the middle of the buzzing cities.  We saw groups of monks, visitors and devotees paying respects, praying or just enjoying the premises.  

Daily Tai Chi Practice #directwatercolor #nosketching by Meera Rao

Daily Tai Chi Practice #directwatercolor #nosketching by Meera Rao

The parks and gardens are lush and lovely. In all the parks in every city, many people - mostly retirees, get-together in groups or singly to practice Tai Chi or other martial arts, exercise to music,  give mini concerts, enjoy ballroom dancing,  take care of babies and children, play board games, walk and talk or meditate!  

Haiku In Red

Haiku in Red  watercolor by Meera Rao 

colors burst swirl spill 

flow in harmony 

splash a visual poetry

~Meera Rao~

To Color Or Not To Color

Trying background colors for sketches by MeeraRao 

'Sketching is a continuous source of learning 

rather than a string of performances'

~Paul Laseau~

I wanted to jazz-up the sketches I did a few days ago and decided to just color-in the background with a single color to give it a more finished look.  Below are 'before' sketches.  I still am not sure what to think of this experiment ! 

'Before'  sketches 

'Drawing is putting a line around an idea.'

~Henri Matisse~

More #0neweek100people

Day 5 #oneweek100people by Meera Rao

Day 5 #oneweek100people by Meera Rao

So, I did it :) Sketched 100 people in one week - rather 7days!  On day 5 I had time to pull out my watercolors and paint the people freehand without pencil sketching them. I had done 50 by day 5 but had to put it aside and wait a couple of days before I could finish the rest. The ones below were done mostly in airports during a trip this past weekend.  I am especially tickled with them as they were all done in pen in my little (5x3") sketchbook - except the last batch of ten. No safety net of going for the eraser and I could not toss the ones that did not cut the mustard.  I learned to sketch fast, remember features or poses as my subjects were not always sitting or still :) Now I want to experiment with more color, brushes  and not just fine line pens. 

Day 6 #oneweek100people by Meera Rao

Day 6 #oneweek100people by Meera Rao

Day6 #oneweek100people by Meera Rao

Day6 #oneweek100people by Meera Rao

Day 7 #oneweek100people by Meera Rao

Day 6 #oneweek100people by Meera Rao

Day 7 #oneweek100people by Meera Rao

Day 7 #oneweek100people by Meera Rao 

Paintings and Sketches Show and Tell

Week3 sketches India 2017

Above is the third of my sketch pages from my trip to India earlier in Feb.  These were the sketches I was doing for my grandchildren :) I have couple of more pages of sketches and a Japanese style sketchbook that I am yet to scan - I just forgot once returned and plunged into my daily life here ! 

Poquoson Library artist of the Month Aug 2017

Poquoson Library artist of the Month Aug 2017

Poquoson Library artist of the Month Aug 2017

This year's collection were a surprise to me too as I put together the show for our local library.  I discovered the past year  I experimented with mixed media, collage and photography :) 

Resting Photography by Meera Rao

Resting, my photograph taken in India ,  just  returned home  after being a part of the show "Artist as Photographer" at Charles Taylor Art  Center in Hampton, Va. 

Finally, today is the opening of a group show at Velocity in Washington D.C. where "Dreamer" (shown on the flyer) and "Guest" will share the wall space :) 

Tracks and Lines

Tracks and Lines Near Union Station DC  pen & watercolor 8x5"  by Meera Rao

I don't know what this building is. I see it as the train pulls out of Union station DC on my trips to NYC. Everything about the building - the color, the structure, the look and all the wires crisscrossing was just the invitation for me to sketch and paint it.  

There are so many scenes I see in passing on my trips that I just to itch to sketch - but most of them pass by too fast for me to photograph, let alone sketch.  What do artists do in situations like that? Resort to imagination?  Make a special trip by foot or car back to those places leisurely and sketch? Add one more to my stories about one that got away?  I was finally able to take a few blurry photos of this building as the train sped past it and used those, my mental notes and impressions to sketch and paint.  Last week when I passed it again by train I was pleased - I had captured the scene to my satisfaction :) 

I came across an article in Artists Network  on Sketching On The Go by Bill Silvers with this tip that I really like :

"Try sketching while traveling in a car. My favorite time to sketch is while traveling in a car. As my wife drives, we pass a house. The outer shape is quickly noted. We drive on?there's a group of trees. I place those trees behind the house. Look at that?a differently shaped building. I place it so that the first one overlaps the second. There, a telephone pole; a car, etc. As object is added to object, I try to get them in an interesting overlap. Working directly in watercolor may be impossible during a car ride, but when I get home, I take out my sketchbook and lay in the colors and tones as I remember them. If it doesn?t work, I can change it or do the sketch over. After all, the beauty of the sketch is it's only a sketch!"

Do you have any tricks and tips for sketching on the go? Please do share them in comments below - I am eager for more ideas !