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 ! 

Eco Art Art Box : Celebrations

Sri Rama-Sita Kalyana by Meera Rao 

8x6x1.5cm

I made this box as a 50th Wedding anniversary gift recycling an empty mouth freshener mint box :)  I used watercolors, micron pen,  markers and Pitt pens to draw and decorate the Sri Rama Sita Kalyana (wedding) portrait.  I used different Japanese washi tape with gold accents for front and side covers as it was for a golden wedding anniversary! Back cover was a simpler Japanese washi tape. It was a challenging yet fun project that I did past December but forgot to post it. 

Eco Art Box Front Cover

Eco Art Box Side

Eco Art Box Back Cover

I found this beautiful quote on love said to be from Ramayana. But I could not find the original. I will grateful if anyone can enlighten me about it and please put it in the comments. 

 Blow O Wind, to where my loved one is.

Touch him and come touch me soon.

I'll feel his gentle touch through you 

and meet his beauty in the moon.

These things are much for the one who loves.

One can live by them alone:

that he and I breathe the same air

and the Earth we tread is one.

~Ramayana~

Sticker Folks

Sticker Folks. Stickers and ink by Meera Rao 

Those PLU stickers on our apples, bananas and avocados I recently learned are not environmentally friendly and gum up the works in composting and recycling facilities.  They are made of plastic or are vinyl coated, do not break down easily and are expensive to sort and remove.  So I started peeling them off produce in my kitchen,  stuffed them in an envelope and put it aside in my sketchbook and mulled over what I could do with them. This is my first round of experiments - turning them into some ‘Sticker Folks’.  Still thinking about my next group of stickers ......

Fury of Fire, Wind and Water

Fury of Fire, Wind and Water  20x16" Mixed media by Meera Rao 

This painting titled Fury of Fire Wind and Water  is a visceral response to the fires, tornadoes, and hurricanes in the recent past.  I am acutely aware of the awe inspiring, fear inducing chaos,  destruction and surprising beauty in the fury of the moment as the elements go about altering the landscapes and lives. Nature is demanding we pay attention to the delicate balance and vulnerability all around.  Are we? 

Fury of Fire, Wind and Water  20x16" Mixed media by Meera Rao Mixed Media Pebeo paints. 

VMN Nature Journal Eco Art

Endangered Bog Turtle colorpencil and graphite by Meera Rao 

One of the options for our nature journal during the week we studied Ecology in The Virginia Master Naturalist Course was to create Eco-Art.  I researched endangered species in our area and discovered that the Bog Turtle Clemmys muhlenbergii,  at 4"in size -N. America's smallest turtle, was placed on Federal Endangered Threatened Species list on Oct 1, 1987.  It lives in the spring fed wetlands, including herbaceous sedge meadows and fens bordered by wooded areas. Sunny open areas of wetlands provide the warmth needed to regulate its body temperature and to incubate its eggs.  The soft Muddy areas allow the turtles to escape from predators and extreme temperatures. The sketch of the turtle in the journal is same as its real life size -4" :) 

                            

Endangered Bog Turtle acrylic on NYC Metro Card By Meera Rao 

The Bog Turtles had been placed on the endangered species as they were being collected illegally for pet trading, and also because of loss of habitat due to draining of wetlands, urban development and encroachment of invasive plant species. To highlight its precarious situation, I also painted the turtle on an expired NYC Metro card - the green one with the human finger on the circular target. Let us all work to make sure the Bog Turtle thrives in its natural habitat.