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 ! 

 

Paradise on Earth

Bird of Paradise  watercolor by Meera Rao 

These stunning beauties belonging to genus Sterlitzia bloom every February in our sun room bringing joy and color in the middle of winter !  They look like birds in flight as their name suggests. As a matter of fact, they are also known as ‘crane flower.’ They symbolize in loyalty, success, royalty, and of course, paradise on earth in various cultures around the globe. 

 As luck would have it, in the Smithsonian Engagement Calendar that has been up-cycled into a sketch book / art journal chronicling my images of these pandemic times, the photo for the week is the equally colorful ‘Earth Spirit Tomb Guardian -zhenmushou.’   It is a late 7th to mid 8th century Earthenware from Tang Dynesty in China with three color lead glaze.

Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2022 week 6 January 30-February 5 2022

According to the write up : ‘During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), pairs of these fearsome composite creatures known as earth spirits were interned in tombs of elites. Charged with preventing the deceased’s soul from leaving the tomb to wander among the living, these ceramic beasts also warded off tomb robbers  and evil spirits. Chinese potters exploited the random patterns of the runny glazes in cream, brown and green to accentuate an aura of supernatural energy and crafted the plinth to resemble a mountain top, the abode of protective deities.’ 

Winter Lines  watercolor by Meera Rao 

Week 6 photo in the Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2021 was an untitled work by Avery Singer. ‘Pushing the limits of painting Avery builds compositions with 3-D modeling software and then uses computer-controlled, industrial-scale printers to airbrush them on to canvas.’  After checking the photograph, I went through my camera roll for the week zeroed in on a shot. When I looked up, outside my window was the same image: beautiful lines created by the winter branches of the trees. 

Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2021 week 6 :January 31-February 6 2021 

 

Icicles and Blooms

Icicles watercolor by Meera Rao

In the last week of January this year, we saw some heavy snow fall and with it very interesting icicle formations as the snow melted slowly from the roof top.  It is indeed serendipity when I paired it with the photo of the week in the Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2022.  Debra Baxter's Devils Horns Crystal Brass Knuckles(Lefty) 2015 made with Quartz crystals and sterling silver was exhibited at the Renwick Gallery, Washington DC. 

Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2022 week 5 

Relief in Full Bloom  Faber Castell PITT Artist pen by Meera Rao 

Spring came early for us last year on January 27, when we received our first shot of Covid-19 vaccine! It was indeed relief in full bloom! We then waited eagerly for the second shot scheduled in three weeks :) 

Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2021 week 5 

Japanese flowering apricot Prunus mume 'Peggy Clarke' in the Smithsonian Engagement calendar 2021 is a digital image  by Hannele Lahti from March 2019 at the National air and space Museum, Washington DC Smithsonian Gardens. 'This deep pink, double flowered cultivar of the Japanese apricot is easily mistaken for its botanical cousin the Japanese flowering cherry. Flowering apricots are the first sign of spring, blooming before cherry blossoms have even begun to open.' 

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'." 

Beauty, Death, Time and Recipes !!

Red Bench at the Cemetery  watercolor by Meera Rao 

Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2022 Week 2 

A winter storm blanketed Washington DC the first Monday of the year. At the Congressional Cemetery in Washington DC, the beauty of a snow covered red bench sitting amidst snow capped tombstones was very unsettling in a way. The photograph of the watch on the opposite page seemed to further that feeling reminding me of the ticking clock of life.

When I read that it is an uncommon watch and belonged to Helen Keller, I was intrigued. The touch watch by Rossellini & Fils c.1865 Geneva, Switzerland, designed to tell time in the dark, with pins around the edge that correspond to the hours on the dial, was a gift to teenaged Helen Keller.  ‘A revolving hand on the back of the watch stops at a point between the pins that corresponds to the hour and approximate minute. With the hand and pins as locators, it is possible to feel the approximate time.’   

While I was mulling over the concepts of beauty, death and ticking clock, I stumbled across this quote written by Albert Einstein on the passing of his friend Michele Besso : ‘Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me.  That means nothing. People like us, who believe in Physics, know that the distinction between the past, present and future, is a stubbornly persistent illusion.’ Sounds like ‘Maya’ - something right out of Upanishads that I been reading and and trying to understand !!! 

Color mixing : greens. Watercolor Meera Rao 

Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2021 week 2 

The photograph for the week in Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2021 week 2 is of ‘cordial recipes from James Smithson’s  receipt book’  :  ‘Honor the Smithsonian’s 175th birthday by toasting the founding donor, James Smithsonian (1765-1829), with one of his cordials- aniseed, peppermint or cinnamon. Smithsonian, a chemist recorded formulas for a wide array of his favorite compounds that found use in tooth powder, boot black, and cough drops.’ 

Looking through my photographs and sketchbooks I discovered that ‘color recipes’ for green by mixing different yellows and blues was what I was working on during that week. :) 

Cheers! Be Hoppy !

Guinness Barrel House  pen & ink and Pitt artist pens

Last Sunday, we met family from Out of town at the Guinness Brewery in Baltimore. It turned out to be  a perfect place to meet - as we chose to gather at the open area in the complex with picnic tables. Since we were there as it opened late morning, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The kids ran around and played happily and adults were all very happy to meet each other after long pandemic separation!  There was a lot of happy catching up and we were too busy for much drinking or eating :)  A few hours of seeing each other and renewing bonds gave us some comfort. 

Guinness Brewery  view from Parkinglot  pen & ink, watercolor and Pitt artist pens

The sketches done in the parkinglot were quick ones  done in the car while waiting for the place to open. I added color at home. The Barrel House sketch was done at home. It was the view from our picnic tables. I like the effect of adding a touch of color to mostly black and white sketches. I was experimenting on how much color to add in each of these sketches. 

Guinness Brewery view from Parkinglot   pen & ink and Pitt artist pens