Mix and Match

This is a mixed media piece. I used collage, acrylics, watercolors and crayons and made up things as I went along. size: 11x13"  Even though I mix watercolors, color pencils and graphite very regularly, and love the effect of crayons with watercolors, adding collage and mixing them all up was a good experiment for me. I had to stop and let things dry, and settle every so often so was able to tackle laundry and cleaning in between! 

I am grateful that I am able to upload images again --never did find out why it refused earlier. Another mystery to add spice to my life  :). 

Problem!

 Past two days I have spent more time trying to figure out why my images are not uploading than on my paintings.  Its been frustrating because its been next to impossible to reach blogger help.  Anyone  know what error message bX-rezyks means? An art blog without pictures is just sad.  Hope to be back soon. 

Honoring Life

Above is a photograph I took at the Spertus museum in Chicago. The museum showcases Jewish culture, heritage etc. As I walked through the corridors of the various museums this week, I realized the issue of  'Ethics' looms large in the museum world.  But then I read about the disappearing Buddhas at Taxila Pakistan, through a friend. Now, I wonder how do we all go about honoring the lives, the cultures and heritages the world over and not just in museums.       

Highlights from the Art Institute

Two  lions stand guard at the steps of the Art Institute of Chicago. I loved the way the morning sun was shining on one of the statues. 

 I spent my last day in Chicago exploring a small part of their vast collection.  Special exhibition on Henri Cartier-Bresson and the Art and Photography of Paris was celebrating the centenary of the birth of the famous photographer.   Drawn to Drawings is a peek into the sketch books and preparatory drawings of Italian artists of Renaissance and Baroque periods. I also was able to see an hourlong  performance  Voices- what artists have to say.  Salvodore Dali was portrayed by an actor - offering insight into his art through readings from Dali's  letters, journals, documents etc..  along with the a slide show of his art.  I think on the whole, it was worth putting up with the famous bitter cold and the gusty winds of Chicago. 

Beauty and Wonder

Another day in the City and my senses are in a state of surrender..  The beauty of the snow flurries, reflections in the puddles, the  science and intelligence in the CT, MRI images of the inside of the body at RSNA, dancing waters at the McCormick Place, Space-Time show on the elegance and wisdom of the Universe  at the Adler Planetarium, feast for the eyes, tongue and stomach at the Green Zebra with 'old' friends all attest to the fact that we are all spiritual beings in a material world and the whole of life is art.  I feel totally overwhelmed, utterly inadequate, deeply satisfied and completely spiritual.  I sound sappy but I hope I can hold on to this feeling of wonder for a while. 

Stark Beauty

The dark long shadows are so beautiful on the sparkling white snow.  I walked across the road to the Grant Park and spent a good part of the morning trying to capture the beautiful shapes. Above is one of my attempts. 

Chicago is also famous for public art -  Agora   by Magdalena Abakanowicz is a sight to see and I trekked on the snow to take a few more photographs.   By then, having been gloveless for a while for the sake of art, I had to escape from the cold! I spent the rest of the day at Spertus Museum. The museum building is unique and has won awards for its architecture. They had a special commisioned art Consider by Ranbir Kaleka. Its a very untraditional and hauntingly beautiful 'video painting' memorial on the holocaust.  On their changing gallery Twisted Into Recognition Cliches of Jews and Others explores the ways images, expressions and objects depict stereotypes. Its a multimedia exhibit by various artists - on the whole very powerful.  Now I have one more book to read - a memoir  The Girl From Foreign by Sadia Shepard.  It promises to be an interesting story about mingling of religions and cultures. 

Looking and Learning

I flew in to Chicago last night and am looking forward to visiting the Art Institute of Chicago and a couple of other museums while my husband is busy attending a conference.  Its bitter cold here and there is a beautiful blanket of snow covering everything. The photograph is the view from our hotel room this morning.

Truth Alone Triumphs

In between reading The Art Thief  and some sketching for a new painting,  I decided to try another little freehand calligraphy with the saying - satyameva jayate  - Truth alone triumphs. The samskrita saying is taken from Mundaka Upanishad and is on the Indian National Seal.  The piece was supposed to be an  exercise in  spontaneity - to help me loosen up a bit .  I have ways to go :)

Truth Alone Triumphs watercolor and pen & ink 8x12"

The Art Thief

I haven't drawn, sketched or painted today.  I spent some time  earlier this morning framing one of my finished pieces. I am spending the rest of the day reading the book "The Art Thief"  by Noah Charney  :).    The blurb on the back of the book  by Steve Berry, author of  the Venetian Betrayal  reads " A vivid marvelously readable look at the world of stolen art. The fascinating tale keeps you constantly wondering -does this stuff really happen? " I still have quite a few pages to go ...... but I am enjoying the suspense.  Lots of art-history and by the way, which would you rather own-  an Old Master or an abstract Modern Art? 

And once again, since I probably will not pick-up the paint brush today,  I am posting a painting from my collection -- Iris in watercolors. 8x11"  - I painted it freehand from life.  

Mid-day Shadows

These past couple of days, the horrific incidents unfolding in Mumbai have cast long dark shadows on the day of Thanksgiving here in the US -far away yet very close with our blaring radios and TV. In art, play of light and dark makes for some beautiful art.  But these terrorist shadows bring us only tears, despair, anger and frustration. I pray for peace. 

I am not sure its in good taste to post any painting but here it is anyway -one of my attempts at capturing the beauty the Universe so generously offers us always.  Mid-day Shadows  in watercolors and color pencils 7 1/2 x 91/2 "