When I Gaze at Orchids

  Orchids watercolor on Yupo 8"x8" by Meera Rao 

Even though the world is filled with 

confusion 

When I gaze at one orchid

I can forget 

all my problems. 

~ 

Song Sunam

The Orchid flowers blooming on the plant on my coffee table give a sense of floating in the air as they  hang tall on a long stem! They come up to my eye-level (I am not that tall !) and I feel like they are  watching my every move! Painting them on yupo was delicious fun but it took me forever to correct the colors in the photo and make them match my painting! The colors and details are much more subtle, vibrant and delicate in the painting - some day I hope there won't be such a steep learning curve with using the camera and computer.  But today's achievement is that I learned how to work with layers in Photoshop.  I hope I will remember how the next time I want to use it! Tomorrow I should spend as much time in the studio painting!

Honoring Presidents' Day

Flags Reflected on White House Window  Photography by Meera Rao

Lessons From Keeping An Art Journal

India Art Journal Oct 26-Oct 28 2012

This is the last page of my India Art Journal -- four months and 124 sketches later. I am incredibly happy with the way the journal evolved through my stay in India. Now it surprises me as to how  unsure and hesitant I was to commit to such a project before my trip! 

I had finally gotten the courage a few days before I my trip to India in June 2012  to come to keep a journal of my stay there. It then took a few visits to the art store, going through the catalogs etc before I settled on Strathmore Mixed Media Visual Journal (5.5"x 8") 34 sheets/68 pages, 90 lbs wt. paper. I calculated that it would give me just enough space to do 124 vignettes at sketch a day, four sketches to a page and three extra pages in case I mess up :) I still have one blank sheet  at the beginning and end of the journal! I shared one sheet with a young nephew. 

My sketch kit consisted of Koi watercolor sketch box, two  waterbrushes(one Aquaflow and one Koi), pilot G-7 pen , one graphite 4B pencil and a knead-able eraser. All this fit neatly into a plastic zippered bag ( that  pillow covers that I had purchased a while ago came in. ) I added a small box of 12 oil pastels in India. 

India Art Journal Oct 26 2012

By the time this last page came along, I was quite relaxed and confident about sketching. Nothing like sketching each and every day for four months straight to feel comfortable with drawing.  I knew by then not to expect every sketch to be a masterpiece, not to judge but just sketch every single day. I was attempting all different subjects knowing that each only had to fill in a space of 2.5"x 4". My plan was very simple.  I think keeping it small, and not worrying about size or orientation also helped me just draw. I worried and wondered only about the subject each day-That was the only decision I had to make and I didn't follow any theme.

India Art Journal Oct 27-Oct 28 2012

Even with my busy schedule of keeping a house, cooking, entertaining, marketing, caring for my m-i-l, etc... keeping aside time to sketch each day was something I did for just myself and I always looked forward to it. This 'sketching time' was very crucial to keeping an art journal every day.  Sharing my sketches made it special, made my activity legitimate and made me accountable to my intention. In the end it meant a lot to my dear Mother-in-Law too that I had made time to sketch every day!  Looking for subjects meant I was seeing the world around with new eyes and developed a deep appreciation for the beauty in everything.  I noticed things in new light.  In retrospect, keeping an art journal was the best decision I had made as a part of my journey.

India Art Journal Oct 28 2012 (India) by Meera Rao

Since returning, I have tried to sketch or draw or paint something almost everyday. I don't have a compelling reason other than I should and that has not worked very well!  I wondered and worried if I would be able to draw and paint in bigger sizes or even have enough patience to work on a large piece.  I am happy to announce that I did complete a full sheet painting that I am very  pleased with ( I will post a photo soon!)  

India Art Journal Oct 28 2012 (USA) by Meera Rao

Next, I am hoping to combine my blog posts on the sketches with the vignettes from the art journal and put a book together.  Meanwhile I can't wait to dream up another project to work on! The finished journal is a big boost to my confidence and a wonderful memento of my four months in India. 

Beautiful Sounds and Sights!

India Art Journal Oct 22 2012 by Meera Rao

Almost every morning I woke up to various birds singing their hearts out. I really enjoyed just laying on the bed  listening to the songs -- I  didn't need the alarm at all! It took me a while to locate the Indian cuckoo or koyal  in the tree by the bedroom window and catch a glimpse of him with my camera's zoom lens! I didn't know till then how striking the red eye was! Waking up to the birds is one thing I miss here in the US during the winter months.  Here is a link to the cuckoo singing I found on You Tube - enjoy the music! and one more 

India Art Journal Oct 24 2012 by Meera Rao

The bottlebrush tree gets its name from the bright red 'bottle brush' like flowers that hang pendulum like from the tree.  When the tree is full of blooms its a wonderful sight ! The tree in front of my brother's house was filled with the blooms in only a couple of days with very little green showing :)

India Art Journal Oct 23 2012 by Meera Rao

We celebrated 'navaratri' the festival of goddesses for nine days during the last few days of my stay in India.  On one of the days, 'aayudha puja' day all equipment, vehicles, musical instruments, tools, writing/painting implements, gas station pumps, even computers,  are all decorated, honored and thanked for their service to us during the rest of the year. I loved how this ambulance was all decorated with banana leaves and yet ready to take off at a minute's notice. 

India Art Journal Oct 25 2012 by Meera Rao

There is a swing in the balcony that is a favorite place to sit, read, chat or just watch the world go by :)  Swinging slows down the time, and makes one appreciate the beauty of the bottle brush, the birds and squirrels on its branches etc and  meditate about life. 

India Art Journal Oct 22-25 2012 by Meera Rao

Daily Excitement

India Art Journal Oct 18-21 2012 by Meera Rao

The last ten days of my four month stay was really hectic and it was rather difficult to make time for the daily sketches.  I became adept at quickly sketching something for the day and postpone the coloring with watercolors to when  I had more time.  I think my Mother-in-law was as pleased as I was that I had maintained a sketch a day habit throughout my stay!

India Art Journal oct 18 2012 by Meera Rao

The yellow flower laden Acacia trees always brightened my day -especially when overcast skies stretched for days! The petals leave a carpet of yellow underneath the trees and brings a sense of sunshine  on such days :) 

India Art Journal oct 19 2012 by Meera Rao

Overcast or not, there is always work to be done. These two road construction ladies were filling pot holes.  It was easier to capture their movements as they were working manually and very slowly with hot tar/damar.  

India Art Journal oct 20 2012 by Meera Rao

The small house lizard stakes out its victims in the corner of a wall coming out at dusk.  It has pink and blue translucent skin. The big toes with suckers hold on to the wall as it waits to unfurl its tongue  at the unsuspecting little insects.  The lizards are left alone as long as they don't hang out in or near the kitchen!  

India Art Journal oct 18 2012 by Meera Rao

I spent the last week with my parents and my brother.  Their dog Rowdie is a 'rescued' street dog - it has claimed my brother's family as his own.  He loves to watch the street activity from the second floor balcony and alerts everyone to the comings and goings of the street vendors and of course other dogs :)

Below are the last of the sketches that need individual spotlight. I wrote about them in my earlier post Playing, Working, Dreaming, Playing. 

India Art Journal Aug 20 2012 by Meera Rao

India Art Journal Aug 19 2012 by Meera Rao

India Art Journal Aug 21 2012 by Meera Rao

India Art Journal Aug 22 2012 by Meera Rao

Mixed Messages

India Art Journal Oct 14-17 by Meera Rao 

I just realized the 'unintended/not conscious of it until now' connection between the top two sketches -pigeon or a mail box to send your messages ?  May be neither in the internet age!

India Art Journal Oct 14 2012 by Meera Rao

I often saw the pigeons getting in and out of these windows and loved watching their movements! They were free wild birds and definitely not used as messengers :)

India Art Journal Oct 15 2013 by Meera Rao

The Indian red mailboxes scattered around the city are quaint and charming. I saw some mind boggling numbers and dates connected with Indian postal system: as of March 2011 there were some 1,55,866 post offices in India and the East India Company opened the very first post office  'Company Mail'  in 'Bombay' in 1688!  

India Art Journal Oct 16 2012 by Meera Rao 

I did a double take when I saw this scene beyond the gates of an office building and quickly snatched a photograph before the guard shooed me away.  I was amused to see the shadow cast by the scooter resembling the all too familiar silhouette of resting cow that one can find everywhere -especially quite often right in the middle of the road! I guess it is a great way to show the two 'breeds' that most occupy the busy roads :)

India Art Journal Oct 17 2012 by Meera Rao

I was impressed by this enterprising boy. He would fill up the green plastic pots with  water from the public water faucet, tie them up to his bicycle to supply the roadside vendors whose cooking and cleaning required water.  I saw him busy most evenings as the vendors' business picked up. 

The following once again are four sketches shown individually.  I wrote about them earlier in the post  Stacks and Rows 

India Art Journal Aug 15 2012 by Meera Rao 

India Art Journal Aug 16 2012 by Meera Rao 

India Art Journal Aug 17 2012 by Meera Rao 

India Art Journal Aug 18 2012 by Meera Rao 

Serendipity

India Art Journal Oct 10 2012 by Meera Rao 

The only way to have a friend is be one.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

There are couple of schools in our neighborhood and I saw everyday groups of girls and boys walking or biking to and from school chatting up a storm, laughing and giggling  and exchanging notes. I enjoyed watching them and noticing the dynamics among friends and strangers.  The four girls in uniform went to one school and the other lone girl passing them was from a different school as the different school colors proclaim. 

India Art Journal Oct 11 2012 by Meera Rao 

I just had to sketch the three forms of coconut - oil in a bottle,  the shell that has fresh white meat for cooking and coconut water from tender young coconut to quench the thirst. These were used almost everyday especially since I claim my heritage from the coastal Karnataka in India! That particular day all three were side by side on the shiny black granite kitchen counter with the pink tiles on the wall. 

India Art Journal Oct 12 2012 by Meera Rao

I passed by this house everyday and saw the colorful laundry hanging on the second floor balcony without fail :) I wonder if they ever lost any pieces to gusts of wind as I never saw the clothes secured in any way. 

India Art Journal Oct 13 2013 by Meera Rao

My friend Suniti took me on surprise excursions every so often to special places around Mysuru and I loved spending time with her and away from the daily chores.  These cattle were all either old or invalid in some way and were being taken care of in a huge 'Goshale' - old folks home for the cattle run as a charity. The place had a serenity and beauty that was very  calming. 

Below is all four vignettes together on the page:

  

India Art Journal Oct 10-13 2012 by Meera Rao

The following four sketches are from the  sept 5 2011 post "the Whole Life lies in the verb-seeing"  enjoying individual limelight :)

India Art Journal Aug 11 2012 by Meera Rao

India Art Journal Aug 12 2012 by Meera Rao

India Art Journal Aug 13 2012 by Meera Rao

India Art Journal Aug 14 2012 by Meera Rao

Happy New Year!

Robin watercolor on Yupo by Meera Rao

 

Wishing all a wonderful 2013 !

Season's Greetings!

Season's Greetings!  photography by Meera Rao



Seeing and Drawing

India Art Journal  Oct 6-9 2012 by Meera Rao 

"The good drawings I do are hardly mine. Only the bad ones are mine for they are the ones where I can't let go, am caught in the Me-cramp"

~Frederick Franck in 'The Zen of Seeing - seeing/drawing as meditation' ~

I came across the book "The Zen of Seeing" a few days ago in an used book shop in DC.  I sat and read it for a while at the store totally fascinated by how he saw drawing as meditation and ended up buying it so I could read it slowly and digest the philosophy.  The book  published in 1973 is handwritten "....because in a way it is a love letter, and love letters should not be typt- set by compositors  or computers. It may be a little slower to read, but there is no hurry, for what I want to share with you took a long time to experience."   I needed to hear that "A drawing is not a thing but an act."  - especially when a  sketch or two or more in my journal seem to taunt me with its misread proportions and perspective! 

India Art Journal Oct 6 2012 by Meera Rao 

There are vendors walking the streets calling and selling any number of things in the course of a day -every day.  This particular vendor definitely was special in the way he balanced a wedge of watermelon on top a whole round one ! There is a sense of zen in the scene. 

 India Art Journal Oct 7 2012 by Meera Rao 

This huge water tank is right around the corner and I passed this everyday running my errands. When I finished the sketch I realized that lopsidedness in a way shows how I saw it -looking up, my head tilted as I sketched :) Somewhere in the book Frederick Franck says : In seeing/drawing that which matters can be perceived through the senses, not denied but maximally affirmed." 

 India Art Journal Oct 8 2012 by Meera Rao 

Coral wood or Manjhati tree (Adenanthera pavonina)is spectacular whether it is laden with the yellow delicate blooms or the curved spiraly split open hanging pods with its bright beautiful shiny red bead like seeds.  Being in the presence of these magnificent trees brings to mind a line from Tagore poem : "Be still my heart, these great trees are prayers."

India Art Journal Oct 9 2012 by Meera Rao  

The last sketch in this page from my journal celebrates life! I was fortunate to participate in the joyous occasion of 'cradling ceremony' of my cousin's 10 day old grand daughter.  The cradle was decorated with gorgeous bright beautiful silk and gold brocade sarees and colorful flowers. The ladies sang melodious songs, made sure to ward off all evil eyes and everyone gathered showered blessings on the baby who slept peacefully through the noisy bustling ceremony!  

The following are sketches from the page that were done aug 7-10. As in the beginning I was posting only the full page and not individual sketches,  I am here giving them the attention they deserve :) I wrote about them  on sept 1 2012 in the post : Vibrant and Compelling. 

India Art Journal Aug 7 2012 by Meera Rao 

India Art Journal Aug 8 2012 by Meera Rao 

 India Art Journal Aug 9 2012 by Meera Rao