Set In The Midst Of Knowledge

British Museum Great Court watercolor and ink Meera Rao 

‘And let thy feet millennium hence be set in the midst of knowledge’

This quote by Lord Tennyson is engraved in the floor of the beautiful and imposing Great Court of the British Museum. It is taken from his poem ‘The Two Voices’ . I read that he used to visit the Museum’s Reading Room often when it was still housed there (in the 19th century).  Above is the tessellating glass and steel grid roof giving it that airy open space look.  Check the Museum blog here to read and see photos of the engineering marvel the glass roof and the Great Court is. 

My sketch is from our visit there in 2019. The place was teaming with people but I opted to sketch just a few to show the scale. I hope to be able to travel again to see more of the museum sometime soon post Covid ! 

Fierce Colors

Fierce Colors watercolor Meera Rao 

Before covid put a stop to all travel, we had visited London and this watercolor is from my travel sketchbook. I realized  I had forgotten to share those sketches. This Lion etched in glass graced the doors of British Museum in London. I loved how colors outside the door shone through and it showed me a way to paint the glass lion:)  So it’s a full circle as illustrated by a quote from Leo Steinberg : “Whatever else art is good for, it’s chief effectiveness lies in propagating more art” 

 

A Promise

Creeping up the wall.watercolor by Meera Rao

Against the textured wall

Creeping up Moving sideways

Spreading

smooth green leaves

Swaying

Soft buttery petals

Absorbing

Reflecting 

Hot yellow of the Sun

Cool blue sky 

Memories of yesterday’s rain 

A Promise 

of tomorrow’s buds

Hopes for next years seeds

And secrets of 

Inspiration 

The Universe.

~ Meera Rao ~

Sacred Serenity

Sacred Serenity watercolor by Meera Rao 

Sacred sites and Temples dot the landscape in India. For Hindus Nature itself is a living goddess and Devine energy surrounds everything.  ‘Sacred Serenity’ shows a tiny glimpse of this beautiful concept. Traveling in India I see these sights every few minutes.  These small shrines hold as much awe and spirituality as any of the huge ornate temples. I hope these quiet places don’t get lost in the midst of fast moving modern encroachments.     

Behold the Universe in the glory of God:

And all that lives and moves on earth.

Leaving the transient, 

Find joy in the Eternal.

~ Isa Upanishad~

A Fleeting Moment

A Fleeting Moment Ink and watercolor by Meera Rao

A fleeting moment 

impermanent

transient 

suspended

in time

 a memory floating

in a watery image 

~Meera Rao~

We were early and not knowing how long the wait will be I took out my sketch book to keep me occupied. I was assessing the stained wall, the broom, two red and green lanterns and other miscellaneous items  on the low long storage shelf. And then, a person stopped right in the beam of sunlight at the far end to check his phone long enough for me to capture the moment on my phone.  I knew then what to sketch. I always find it challenging to balance the book and draw while standing but I managed to I sketched the scene in front of me. Months later I added the person using the reference photo and finished the sketch with watercolor! 

A Rock, A Temple, A Tree and A Wish

The Wishing Tree watercolor and pen by Meera Rao

After a morning spent at the Sri Rangam temple, we took an autoriksha to see the Rock Fort Temple in nearby Tiruchirapalli. This temple is visible for miles and is a landmark in the area.  As the name suggests the temple and the fort are on an 273' high ancient monolithic rock formation (according to my research about 3.8 billion years old!) A fort, three beautiful cave temples at different levels are cut away in the rock.  Temple at the foot is for Ganesha, the Ucchi Pillayar Temple is at the top,  and the Thayumanavar Temple between them. The Thayumanavar temple, the largest of the three, is  for Goddess Amman as well as Shiva. There are around 350-400 steep steps to climb to visit all the temples and reach the top most Ganesha Temple.  A marvel in construction, the temple complex was originally built more than 1000 years ago by the Pallavas. It was later reconstructed by the Madurai Nayaks and Vijayanagara rulers. The major complex in the temple are believed to be built during the 8th century by the Pandyan Empire.  

I was amazed to find this huge tree on top of the huge barren rock! A few feet below the entrance to the top most Ganesha Puliyar Temple, this tree is a wonder in itself.  The tree has many colorful cradles in wood or cloth hanging from it. There were many towers of bricks too. The story goes that an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva could not have her mother come to help her during pregnancy and delivery due to heavy rains and flood. Lord Shiva took pity on her, came down disguised as her mother and  she of course, had a safe and painless delivery.  So the devotees now come, tie the cradles and pray for an easy, safe pregnancy and delivery. I was impressed by the many pregnant and new mothers who were climbing all the way up either to pray or thank and show gratitude to the Lord. 

Needless to say the view from the top is breathtaking.  

Entering the Gate of Blessed Space

 Passing Thru the Temple Gates, SriRangam by Meera Rao

watercolor 

The many gates in the Temple Complex at Sri Rangam are massive, ornate, tall and wide. Lot goes on under the beautiful arches. Venders crowd the space by the walls, a few temple offices are tucked between the walls and gate. People, two wheelers and animals pass thru freely. Every single building and object in the temple complex harps on the beauty, majesty, creativity, talent that is beyond awe inspiring. It is indeed a tribute to the Universe and transports one to the spiritual realm.

Sketching and painting the scene is a challenge. It is daunting to show in a few lines and colors on 10x7" paper the beautiful sculptures on the wall, the engineering wizardry in the majestic arches and the very high walls, doors, as well as  all who pass thru those gates. And the morning light was streaming in from both ends of the gate. I was glad I was there early in the day when it was relatively empty and quiet with time and space to admire the surroundings. . 

There Was Quiet In His World

In His Own World  watercolor by Meera Rao

This sketch from my travel art journal is also from Sri Rangam. The scene is from the Vaiyali Feastival.  Right in the midst of the loud lively procession that I wrote about in two posts ago, I noticed this devotee (priest?) standing in a clearing in front of the palanquin that carried the image of the Goddess. His hands  clasped, still, calm and lost in his own world, may be he was waiting for the next surge of movement. The elaborate green and gold head gear seems to indicate he is an official of importance at the temple. He though seemed to be oblivious to the people, the exuberant noisy chants of the devotees and the lighted torches around him. 

 

Virginia Watercolor Society 41st Annual Show

Tropical Heart  watercolor by Meera Rao

Today is the 12th Anniversary of my blog !  554 posts and over 4.2K  comments :) This has been a wonderful place to show my art and I am grateful for all the support I have received over the years. 

I am also happy to share that my painting Tropical Heart is selected by Juror Fred Graff AWS-DR, NWS, TWSA-MS, an internationally-recognized watercolorist in his own right to be part of the 2020 Virginia Watercolor Society 41st Annual show. Thank you, Mr. Graff for choosing my painting as one of about 80 pieces for the show. The Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond is hosting the show this year till Dec 31 2020 .  Please visit their web site to secure timed tickets to the museum and show - courtesy of these covid days!!!  I am looking forward to visit and see the show soon  :) 

An Unforgettable Procession

Procession  watercolor and ink by Meera Rao

There is always much excitement when there is any religious procession. But this particular Vaiyali utsavam at the Sri Rangam Temple on Feb 6th 2020 was the first time for us. My cousin had urged us to be at the temple premises by 6pm for the Thai Thaer /Goddess Car Festival. 

Beautifully decked Goddess rides on Kuthurai Vahanam - a golden horse. Both are carried around on long poles shouldered by many devotees. The Goddess was out that evening, before the big festival for her beloved the next day -to oversee that all preparations were in order. She had come to check that it would indeed be safe for Him to take part in the festival.  And She was not merely carried by the devotees --it was a challenging choreographed procession with all the fanfare. The whole premise was so romantic and beautiful.  Here is a link to a video of a similar procession at the temple (I had trouble uploading my video). I was thrilled that we had arrived early enough to stake out a good spot and were able to witness it at close range.  This was indeed an unforgettable procession.