Meditation on Light

A Day In the Life  colorpencils

The Fiction Project, A Day in the Life is slowly taking shape.  I am learning as I sketch and the most important lesson seems to be to keep it simple which obviously is not as easy as it sounds!  The quote in this sketch is an ancient chant "Gayatri mantra" from the Sanskrit Rig Veda to the Sun diety, the giver of light and life. Whenever I see a sunrise, I am moved by the beauty and reminded of this chant.  The English translation reads: We meditate on the beautiful light - may it guide and inspire our intellect in the right direction."  

Lost in Notes

Melody Meditation watercolor 12x9"

I did a detailed sketch of this musician on a full sheet of watercolor paper and it has been waiting to be painted for a couple of months now. Before that, I sketched him on full sheet of drawing paper trying to work out the composition. But I am still hesitating to start the painting. So a few days ago to shake off the reluctance, I did a fast and loose watercolor of just his head in under an hour to see if I can capture his 'lost in notes' expression.

I saw and heard this musician one late night on the streets in India last year as he played his instrument along with a host of others in a procession. They were all accompanying a parade of people taking a icon of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god to be immersed in the lake after a month long festivities. I was impressed by his total immersion in the music even as he was in the middle of huge noisy street jamboree. Indian music traces its origins to the vedas and is seen as the pathway to reach higher consciousness. He seemed to embody how music touches the heart and elevates the mind.