Reflections

Reflections color pencils 4x4"

I have been planning and sketching. I discovered those sketches don't show well in photographs.  Fortunately I still have a couple more finished pieces from way back when -except they are under glass, framed and sealed :( These wooden spoons and tin mugs with reflections caught my eye in Colonial Williamsburg 'market place' many years ago and I tried them out in color pencils on tinted paper. It is a small piece framed and under glass-too well sealed- which once again I had difficulty photographing.  I welcome any suggestions, tips and tricks from fellow artists - what are your experiences and solutions for photographing issues?

I came across a very interesting story in the blog  "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin.  She calls the story a Koan on creativity and credits it to Arthur Koestler's book  "the Art of Creativity' :  " An art dealer (this story is authentic) bought a canvas signed "Picasso" and traveled all the way to Cannes to discover whether it was genuine. Picasso was working in his studio. He cast a single look at the canvas and said:"its a fake." A few months later the dealer bought another canvas signed Picasso. Again he travelled to Cannes and again Picasso, after a single glance, grunted "Its a fake"   "But cher maitre" expostulated the dealer, "it so happens that I saw you with my own eyes working on this very picture several years ago"  Picasso shrugged: "I often paint fakes"

Gretchen's comments in that blog really resonated with me. She asks- "Do you know this feeling, feeling of painting your own fake?"  I always worry about painting pieces that don't quite feel authentic or that I did not perhaps give my best.  Now I know the perfect answer for those doubts :).  Of course, that question will be included in the ones I often ask as I evaluate my finished painting.  I am also eager to  read Koestler's book "the Art of Creativity"

Courage to Transform

Koi watercolor on Yupo 11"x14

I have been wanting to paint Koi for years.  I find myself watching them for hours whenever I see them in a pond and admire their shape and colors! I also have way too many photographs of them :)  It was a lot of fun to paint the koi because the Yupo paper easily duplicates their bright colors. Surprisingly this time, I found myself working hard to tone down some of the texture in water in the composition so it won't compete so much with  colorful koi yet would show movement.  I think I need to work on couple of paintings at a time when painting on yupo -that will give each piece time for the paint to dry before I put the next layer!  There is a shine to the paper, and I find the photographs do not do justice to bright colors! 

As I was researching information about Koi in between painting them I found myself torn between really keeping to a particular fish's colorations and markings or mix them up(-which is my usual way of painting). For Koi collectors and breeders the markings and color are extremely important.  The Koi carry a lot of significance for the Japanese and Chinese representing passionate love, courage, strength, friendship and wealth. According to  a legend of those countries, if a koi fish succeeded in climbing the falls at the point of Dragon Gate in the Yellow River  then they are transformed to dragons, signifying overcoming life's difficulties. According to Buddhists, the koi represent a person courageously swimming through 'ocean of suffering.' 

Its a bit too late too adhere to realism in markings and color but I love the symbolism behind the fish :) 

Amazing World

Sunset by the Pier digital photography

With the Labor Day behind us, summer is officially over. Luckily for us, hurricane Earl hurled by last week without causing much damage or rain. As I watched the scenes of fierce wind and rain battered Outer Banks of N. Carolina, I didn't mind one bit that we had spent a couple of days preparing for the onslaught that fortunately didn't materialize. Now, the temperatures are down with a slight chill in the air and color on leaves.  As  we walked past the pier one evening by the beach, I caught the setting sun at the end of the pilings, happy to see the calm sea. My photographs probably fall in the category what David Griffin, photo director for National Geographic calls 'nothing more than isn't it an amazing world.' In a TED talk, he shows how photo journalists for National Geographic strive to create a visual narrative and often tell a powerful story in photographs that connect us to the rest of the world, move the rest of us to take action, and not just marvel the underlying soul and spirit. I think we need both kinds and I will continue to add to my collection of the 'isn't it an amazing world' section :) 

After being somewhat slack in terms of sketching, painting and posting during the summer and I am eager to pick up the pace a bit in the next few months. Right now, I am pleased to  have my painting Mandala Meditation in the show "Portrait of the Artist: Self Portraits and Portraits by Hampton Roads Artists"  through oct 17 at The Charles Taylor Arts Center in Hampton, VA.  

To Simply Paint

Blue Crab Special  watercolor 24"x18"

This painting is from about fifteen years ago when I learned to paint wet on wet and also to bring abstraction to a painting. Jan Ledbetter whose class I was attending then, in preparation for a workshop 'Watermedia Encounter' by Doug Walton, gave us her version of a set of steps of his style of painting. Doug Walton was a student of the renowned watercolor painter Ed Whitney and  he passed on some of Whitney's wisdom. The one I remember the most: Any teacher can teach how to begin a painting but you have to be the one to finish it.  Some other things that stayed with me from that time are : to let go and not be afraid of drawing and painting instinctively, having dark darks and white whites in a painting,  touch a point optimally once and no more than 3 times,  paint shapes,  have big readable nouns and most importantly you don't have to paint or fix everything! 

Domes of Blue

Entrance to Blue Mosque,  watercolor on Yupo 14x11"

All over the world, throughout history, various absolutely grand and architecturally unique and beautiful places of worship have been built. Is it to glorify God, or to indulge the person who conceived and bank rolled it,  or to admire the talents and skills of artists and artisans who built it, a testimony of what man is capable of creating?  First look at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul last year during our trip was through the massive doors. I liked the multiple blue domes  - the repeating shapes and colors with sunlight streaming in. Looking at all that marble all around, I was suddenly reminded of Rabindranath Tagore's quote: While God waits for His Temple to be built of love, men bring stones.  

The look of marble was ideal to paint on yupo -- layering paint and creating texture by dabbing plastic wrap and paper towel.  I had to repeat the process of adding and lifting paint several times on the outer walls by the doors to make them darker. I also tried several times in the past couple of days to photograph the painting and this is the closest I could come to duplicate the  actual paint colors.  

Bug Art

Bug Art Digital photography

When five billion trillion keep munching each day,

It is a wonder the world isn't nibbled away!

-Ethel Jacobson 

Color Abstraction

Grand Cycle  color pencils 13x16"

This was an exercise in color theory and abstraction that I started in one of the classes I attended when I first tried my hand in art about fifteen years ago.  We had to bring a picture of a landscape to class and then proceeded to strip it down to the most basic shape and form.  Then starting with warmest red to the coolest violet, we had to color the forms from foreground to background in order of the warm-cool scale regardless of what color the object was in the reference picture.  Of course, having chosen color pencils as my medium to do the exercise, I was too slow to complete it in class. Many years later I went back to it and finished it with a modified version of the instructions as by then I couldn't remember much about the rules we were supposed to follow. 

Recently, I came across a quote by artist  Marc Chagal that explains the color theory succintly:  All colors are friends of their neighbors and the lovers of their opposites.  I also just now discovered that googling 'color theory' yields a wonderful collection images and information! So off I go to explore :)

Celebrating the Impermanence

Celebrating the Impermanence  Digital Photography

The Monks from Drepung Loseling Monestery in south India have been visiting every year for the past eleven years and this year I needed the timely reminder about the big picture, the  impermanence of life and not to sweat the series of  incidents that seemed to have piled on in my life this past month with no regard to the inconvenience and stress they caused :) Watching the monks take days to construct a beautiful mandala with a meditative concentration and then sweep it up only hours after completing it by pouring the sand from the mandala into a nearby river is indeed a very healing experience.  They always inspire me to look at my creativity with new eyes. I am now eager to get back to sketching and painting with a fresh perspective on art and life.  On a lighter vein, but sharing the same big picture philosophy, check out  Stefan Sagmeister's talk about happiness and design.

Language of the Soul

The Dancer watercolor on Yupo 14x11"

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music " - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzche

I am really enjoying painting on Yupo - learning with each new piece.  In The Dancer I played again with just paint, water, brush. Yupo surface was perfect to bring out the silky transparency of the bellowing skirt and the veils.  I used a bunch of  photographs taken many years ago  at a dance demonstration and  added my own background of veils. I finished the lady more than a week ago and then waited for inspiration to resolve the background. Since this is yupo I may yet come back to it after a few days :)

Over the years, every time I saw those photographs, or I see someone totally absorbed in creating art, music or anything else, I am reminded of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's concept of 'Flow.'  According to Mihaly, Flow is completely focused motivation. It is single minded immersion and represents perhaps the ultimate in harnessing emotions in the service of performing and learning. Check out this video of a TED talk by Mihaly on 'Flow' - creativity and happiness.

Summer Special

Sunflower  watercolor on Yupo 11x14"

One more Yupo experimentation. I used only watercolors, brush and misting with water (thats the summer special!) this time for this painting. Blotting with balled up paper towel I had on hand to remove excess water or paint also added some interesting textures and lines.  The center of the flower was fun to create by dropping a color, misting and dropping another color and watch the textures happen .  I was able to lift the color to show the  sunlight streaking between the petals and the flower head. Next time I hope to come up with a   composition that will lend itself even more to the mingling of colors and challenge myself to find ways to make textures :) 

Glow in a Glass

Lemon Glow digital photography

Last week, this glass of water with a slice of lemon caught my eye as I sat resting my feet towards the end of fun wedding reception I was attending and out came my camera as I clicked away merrily catching the glow in the glass. The digital camera with its ability to preview helped me play with the composition and settings until I was satisfied.

Check out some beautiful photographs in the online exhibit of Princeton University's Art of Science 2010 Gallery. Since the first exhibit in 2005, Art of Science showcases stunning and simply amazing photographs that were captured in the process of scientific research and not as 'art for art's sake'. The web site says that the 45 winning images from 115 submissions from 20 departments by students, faculty, research staff and alumni were 'chosen for their aesthetic excellence as well as their scientific or technical interest.' This year's theme is "Energy." And of course, according to an article in physorg.com the odd amounts in 'cash prizes were derived according to the Golden Ratio a mathematical proportion that has been found in aethetically pleasing designs from seashells to Ancient Greek Temples" Be sure to check their archives of previous years' exhibits for some most extraordinary and stunningly beautiful images.

Resplendent on Yupo

Resplendent watercolor on Yupo 11x14"

Last week I tried out watercolors on synthetic Yupo paper. It was a fun experience full of surprises. The water flows and just 'sits' on the slick surface so I could tilt, push and let the watercolors mingle and produce or lift patterns. I did minimal sketching and had to learn by trial and error how to work the paint on the very smooth surface and how much water to use. It was easier once I discovered that watercolors flow better if I first paint with water and then drop the colors. I had to watch out and not overdo patterns with brush strokes. The paint could be easily removed which was both a plus and a disadvantage since I could easily takeout deliberately or inadvertently what I had already painted with a swipe of a damp brush! I found it hard to paint details. I also learned to be patient and wait. It was important not to disturb an area I liked till it fully dried. I really like how the colors seem to be brighter and bolder on the Yupo paper. Looking at the painting now, I realize I only used brush, water and paint and really did not make full use of the surface to mingle the colors or get free flowing patterns and also use plastic wrap, salt or alcohol for textures. I also see that I need to give up my urge for control and let the surface do its thing :)

In my research about working on Yupo paper I read that once I know I have 'finished' the painting it should be sealed several thin coats of a fixative spray. A quick search on Google produced a wealth of information on how to paint on Yupo including video clips on YouTube. I really enjoyed my first experience and excitedly looking forward to playing more with yupo!

p. s: please do not click on the 'link within- you may also like' - that does not have a title/or the one that  says tattoo --its spam --I can't take it off and I don't want to give in and take the widget off completely :(

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.

Happy Fourth!

Life, Liberty And Pursuit of Happiness

Digital Photography

Delicate Dragonfly

Delicate digital photography

Dragonfly photograph seemed to be the perfect one to post again after my last two paintings. I read that they symbolize 'renewal, positive force and power of life in general.' They are also thought to represent fleetingness and change, even though they are one of the oldest inhabitants of earth dating back over 250 million years! The Japanese and also the Zuni Indians consider them to be messengers from another world representing courage and strength. To the Navaho Indians dragonfly symbolized pure water. Check here if you would like to see some exquisite close-up photographs of the dragonfly. I am happy that so far this summer I see their shimmering delicate lacy wings and iridescent eyes as they fly around the garden.

Collateral Damage

Collateral Damage water media 9x12"

The Gulf oil disaster needs no explanation. Recently I read the delicate plovers are migrating back right into the mess which prompted me to paint this piece. I have only seen photographs of pelicans dripping in oil and I don't know how much oil the plovers will get on them since they are shore /wading birds. So this is done purely from my imagination. As an artist how much license should I take ? Does it take away from the message if I decide to be faithful to the spirit of the idea, to the emotional content and go with my imagination? Recently there was a story on NPR about Michelangelo drawing a brain in God's neck in the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the discussion centered upon why there and what did he want to convey? Artists have always wanted to make philosophical and political statements. My hope is that, the messages doesn't get swept away in the debate about realistic depiction.

Ignorance

Ignorance mixed media 12x15"

The explosion of violence, hate and extremism around the world is very very scary. This piece in a way painted itself. Its beginnings were innocent enough but before long as I was listening to radio news of bombings, terrorist plots and raging wars, I found myself painting dark figures, smoke and a war zone of a city. Apathy is as dangerous as hate. How do we give non-violence a chance? Will we all ever learn to live and let live?

Dragonfly Delights

Dragonfly Delights digital photography

This morning I spent my time stalking the dragonflies with a camera. I was clipping the dried flowers off the rose bush when the shimmering wings completely distracted me from the chore at hand. In no time at all, I abandoned trimming the bushes but was back in the yard with my camera trying to capture the ever active dragonflies as they danced from flower to leaf to flower. I marveled how elegantly and effortlessly they were flying and landing and taking off again and again -even though that made it hard for me to focus and shoot. I admired their exquisite form and the beauty of the shiny delicate wings. I couldn't help but wonder : how do they fly with those gauzy transparent wings? And I was especially happy that all those dragonflies means we won't be swatting at pesky mosquitos when we are outdoors this summer:)

Imaginative Reality

Rose Pencil 9x12"

Yesterday as I was working on the Rose, I heard a discussion on NPR about "Scientists Pinpoint Monet's London Balcony." According to the reporter, artist 'Claude Monet spent the winters of 1899, 1900 and 1901 freezing on the balcony of London's Savoy Hotel, painting a famous series of images of Waterloo Bridge and Charing Cross Bridge. Now, the scientists at Birmingham University have used solar geometry and historical weather data to figure out exactly which balcony Monet was standing on and what time of the day he was likely working.' I chuckled to myself as I followed the conclusions. I am sure if anyone tries to figure things out from my art work they would be in for a surprise because I do take a lot 'artistic license' when I sketch, draw and paint. I change or eliminate things often to match my technical abilities(or rather lack of) and to change the composition to suit my taste. And I started wondering how many artists really faithfully follow the original subject (other than for illustration purposes) and how many viewers think an artist is true to the subject's every detail :contour, shadow, value, color etc. ? Should we come to major conclusions about historical facts from an artist's creation or are these just fun exercises - not major theses. Along the same lines, earlier there was this piece on "High Art: Were Boticelli's Venus and Mars Stoned? " The object of discussion here was the identity and effects of a fruit that was in the hand of one of the little satyr in the painting. Click on the highlighted words in the blog and you can hear/read the scoop.

Rose is done using 2, 4 and 6B pencils and some Prismacolor cool greys here and there in the background leaves. It was an exercise in values I came up with. I had taken color digital picture of the rose from our garden. Then using the photo-software changed the color to black & white and played with the settings for light and shadows. I then printed it out for sketching using grids. The final piece is an composite of all that and my imagination as I simplified the background.

The Art of Choosing

Sky is the Limit digital photography

I go through my collection of photographs and ideas compulsively many times before I decide on my next painting subject or what to post on my blog. Of course, every now and then I do know what, which, and how almost instinctively. I am also acutely aware that when I am drawing and painting, the ability to choose well -- the right stroke of the pencil or the brush, the correct value and color, and when to say enough is critical. Sometimes the desire to choose well is so strong that it interferes with the act of creating even as I keep telling myself its only paper and paint! This past week while at the library picking up "The Art of Choosing" by Sheena Iyengar was an easy decision to make. I am hoping by the time I finish reading it I will have insights into becoming a better and disciplined 'chooser' in both mundane and momentous tasks - and not just in my art :)

Brain and Art

Planting Paddy watercolor 6"x8"

I am experimenting with painting fast and loose as well as challenging myself not to fill my painting with pattern and color, leaving some white of the paper untouched. Earlier I had painted the same scene from rural India in Another Season. Here, I further simplified it. I don't know if I like one better than the other.

What makes us like one painting better than another? And what happens in the brain when we see a painting that we really like? NYU's Neural Science and English Department's Dr. Edward Vessel, Nava Rubin and G Gabrielle Starr's poster presentation This is your Brain on Art shows which parts of the brain light up when there is an aesthetic response (strong liking) vs a simple preference to a painting and to what extent is an aesthetic reaction mediated by specific emotional response. Dr. Vessel found there was strong response in multiple areas of the brain when subjects saw a painting they really liked. The responses were triggered in left medial prefrontal cortex, left substantia nigra and left hippocampus. Even as the subjects picked different paintings as their most liked painting, the same set of areas in the brain responded to their varied selections. 'Beauty' in art seems to engage cognitive, memory and emotional circuits in the brain. Check here if you like an easy to understand explanation of the poster.

Spring Smiles with Flowers

Bouquet With Iris watercolor 13x9

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers -- Claude Monet

Creativity Quotient

Bouquet with Daffodils watercolor 13x9"

Can what goes on inside a person's brain while he or she engages in a creative task be measured in a laboratory? An article in New York Times 'Charting Creativity- Signposts of a Hazy Territory ' outlines recent research in the field: " Creativity is kind of like pornography-you know it when you see it." said Rex Jung, a research scientist at the Mind Research Network in Albuquerque. Dr. Jung, an assistant research professor in the department of neurosurgery at the University of New Mexico, said his team was doing first systemic research on the neurology of the creative process, including its relationship to personality and intelligence."

So, what makes one creative? Is it aptitude? divergent thinking? A quirky sense of humor? Risk taking? "The brain appears to be an efficient superhighway that gets you from point A to B when it comes to intelligence, Dr. Jung explained. "But in regions of the brain related to creativity, there appears to be lots of little side roads with interesting detours, and meandering little byways." Further into the article I found this gem: According to Kenneth Heilman, a neurologist at the University of Florida and the author of "Creativity and the Brain (2005), creativity not only involves coming up with something new, but also shutting down the brain's habitual response, or letting go of conventional solutions. Interestingly, Dr Kounios defines creativity as the ability to restrucutre one's understanding of a situation in a non-obvious way. I look forward to more research that will help me capture/liberate and maximize that elusive creative spirit and apply it to whatever I do :)

Bouquet with Daffodils in watercolor was my attempt to show the burst of colors that spring brings.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Digital photography

Weed or Wildflower?

Whispers By the Blades of Grass watercolor 22"x30"

In this painting of the 'Henbit', I took some liberties and didn't adhere to the pink / reddish purple of the petals that you find in nature. I took the little flowering plant and enlarged it in my drawing many many times its usual size :) As is my natural inclination, I then filled the paper with color and pattern!

Living close to the water, we try to limit our use of chemicals in the yard as much as possible. This means we have pink clovers, purple henbits, yellow dandelions and buttercups, white sundews etc. sprinkled around the 'lawn' making me often wonder about the difference between a weed and a wildflower. When our daughter was a young child, she would often insist that her Dad mow the grass around the blooming clovers or buttercups and he always happily obliged giving the yard a checkered look of colors! As Ralph Waldo Emerson said " What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered." Or from A.A. Milne : " Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them."

Whispers by the Blades of Grass watercolor 22"x30"

Labor of Love

My artwork is on display for the month of May at Poquoson Public Library. It is wonderful that the library provides a venue for artists to display their work. For me, it is very gratifying to see and share a collection of my paintings from the past year displayed in one place.

Showing my artwork also forces me to mat and frame the paintings and give them a 'finished' look! --otherwise they languish in some corner of my 'studio' gathering dust. I spent the bulk of my time last month cutting mat and assembling the frames etc. and now I am ready to pick up my brushes and pencils once again. I feel somewhat validated as an artist and sense a renewed wave of enthusiasm to get back to producing more art. While Henry Wards Beecher said "Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his paintings", I think every viewer sees those paintings in her/his own special way too.

Shadow Patterns

In the right light,

At the right time,

Everything is extraordinary

- Aaron Rose

The morning sun hits the sheer curtains of our bedroom in a different angle in spring. I love the pattern of light and shadows cast by a pyracantha bush right outside the window.

digital photography

Wonder of Creation

Tulips watercolor 16x20"

The change of seasons always gets me very excited. Right now it is amazing to shed jackets and gloves, see and feel the transformation outside: fresh green and other colors all around us, rabbits hopping around, chirping birds looking for morsels and a place to nest. As we were moving the potted plants outside from the sunny kitchen window corner and the sun room, I was tickled to separate the plants as some were sending creepers every which way.

In the past week, I also saw a TED video by Amy Tan on how she goes about creating, a movie "Creation" on Charles Darwin writing 'The Origin of Species" and another TED talk by V.S. Ramachandran on our brains and the universal connection. The world around is just full of wonder.

Tulips in watercolor was painted by me a few years ago. I am dipping once again into my collection as I have been busy matting and framing my paintings rather than making new ones. I am now itching to get back to my brushes and pencils.

Experimental Recycling

These two small watercolor pieces (5x7") are experiments done on tyvek. A few days ago when I received some mail in tyveck envelope, I decided to try painting on it as I had been admiring Myrna Wacknov and Sandy Maudlin's paintings on Tyvek and Yupo. It was a very spur of the moment decision and I cut the envelope so I would have a decent size empty space for me to paint. This morning I quickly selected two photographs and without sketching or planing just took the brush and paint to the paper. It was a fun experiment and I will look into playing with some decent proper pieces of tyvek or yupo. I liked how paints mixed with each other and in a way just sat on the paper which made it easier to wipe and repaint. It has very similar feel to Fredrix watercolor canvas. I got a big kick out of having recycled the envelope as tomorrow is Earth Day 2010.

Zen Moment

Two days ago I took a series of photographs of this bird. Trying to capture as close-up as possible with my simple camera(Sony cyber-shot) , I approached slowly, taking a step at a time and clicking away, fully aware that any second I could be deemed dangerous and the bird might take flight. I was able to get pretty close and sit right by the pole just a couple of feet away in the pier. We studied each other until it was time for me to leave. I was thrilled to share quiet zen moment together on a beautiful day. I wondered what kind of adventure resulted in only one leg for this bird -- because he surely was not standing on one leg rather had only one leg.

Speaking of sharing, a friend sent me a link to a two minute video of the day on every painting in MoMA on Flavorwire.com - a wonderful way to check out the paintings!

Color of Life

"A picture is not thought out and settled beforehand. While it is being done, it changes as one's thoughts change. And when it is finished, it still goes on changing, according to the state of mind of whoever is looking at it. A picture lives a life like a living creature, undergoing the changes imposed on us by our life from day to day. This is natural enough as the picture lives only through the man who is looking at it. " - Picasso

A stainless-steel plate with ripe bitter-gourd busting with seeds sunning on my deck last summer was the inspiration for this painting. Does it matter?

Color of Life watercolor 9x12"

Something to Crow About

I finally got around to painting this guy in color pencils! When we visited Hawaii a few years ago, I was delighted to see lots of hens and roosters roaming around scratching and clawing the earth looking for food. I also have a few photographs and sketches of their cousins from India. Somehow I never got around to drawing or painting them until now. By the way, a rooster can and will crow any time of the day or night -not just at break of dawn. And they cannot crow if they cannot fully extend their necks.

Fowl Vision color pencils 9x12"

Innocence

It has been gloomy and dark even during day time and raining relentlessly for the past couple days. I was unable to photograph the two paintings I just completed. Mangalore Beach is a watercolor, color pencil and graphite piece that I did in a class several years ago when I was first trying out my hand in art. Looking at it now, I was reminded of a remark by one wise old artist friend who once insisted that 'How innocent' is what I will find my early paintings :) What a beautiful way of looking - no judgement, no regrets, and no harsh self-criticism - just full acceptance.

That is what I discovered when I was demonstrating drawing last week at the 'Festival of Arts' arranged by the local Elementary School. Most of the children were thrilled to try 'upside down drawing' and were very pleased with their 'masterpieces.' Once again, I was made aware to 'be in the now' - to get excited about creating and enjoy the process fully.

Mangalore Beach Watercolor, color pencils and graphite. 11x9"

Colors of the Imagination

This past weekend afternoon as we were ducking from one store into another trying not to get wet from the rain, we were treated to this beautiful rainbow. The scene was captured quickly with my cell phone. Rainbows may be formed by the refraction of the visible spectrum through the drops of rain, but I like its Kannada (my mother tongue) name : Kaamana billu - Cupid's Bow, which conjures up mysterious romantic plot that just may be happening right around the bend any minute now :)

Kaamana Billu digital photography

Language of Art

In painting Serenity, I combined several elements of the garden from the Colonial Williamsburg Nursery to come up with this composition. I loved the red water pump, the hose, the wooden buckets, the wall, and the vines scattered around the garden and clicked away merrily with my camera. Drawing and painting this piece was a pleasant challenge. My goal was to convey the sun dappled busy corner of the garden.

I have been reading "Watercolor Wisdom - Lessons From a Lifetime of Painting and Teaching" by Jo Taylor, AWS . In the introduction she writes : In music there are the notes, keys, and chords with which to compose. In the visual arts there are the elements and principles of design. This language of art is applicable to any style of work, whether absolute realism, abstraction, or non-representation.

I hope one day 'fusing technique, style and design' will become second nature to me.

Serenity watercolor 18"x12"

Spring Fever

Spring is in the air. The daffodil plants are poking through in the yard. I see gardeners excitedly spending time clearing winter debris and getting the garden ready for spring planting. Ducks are frantically looking for a place to nest and lay eggs. During my walk in the local fitness trail last saturday I saw patches of beautiful tiny blue flowers whose name unfortunately I haven't learnt yet. And, I came across a fascinating article "Breezy Love or Sacking of the Bees" by Olivia Judson in New York Times.

The flower power was indeed strong. I pushed aside the two paintings I was working on and decided to do a quick small color pencil flower sketch. The simple flower took longer than I anticipated. I got carried away, covering the paper with design and color!

Red Beauty color pencils 6x6"

Masterful Storytelling

Kathakali is a beautiful form of dance-drama from the state of Kerala in India. In very expressive body language and precise hand movements called mudras, with extremely elaborate costumes and make up that enhances facial expressions, tales from the great Indian epics are told to melodious music and spirited percussion beats. For years these were usually all night performances, with the exciting climax coming at the wee hours of the morning.

I painted this face using some photographs and lots of memories as reference on a sheet of cold press watercolor paper on which I had done some calligraphy and rangoli painting. The colored words in this blog entry are links to various picture galleries and more information on Kathakali.

Face of a story watermedia 12x9"

Distortions and Reality

I deliberately set about sketching and painting this scene in a distorted way but I think I was still too rigid and careful. It is funny how distortions creep in when I don't want to in my regular sketching and how I had to struggle to make it happen this time! And it is deeply tragic when the disastrous earthquakes in Haiti and Chile are not anyone's imagination. I worked on this painting long before the earthquakes just as an exercise but now I feel quite rattled and shaken as I see the destruction and read about the struggles of the people there.

watercolor 24x18"

Reflections

Light, reflections and shadows always add drama and interest to any scene. This photograph was taken last December in New York city, from the Museum of Art and and Design looking at buildings around Columbus circle. The exhibits in the museum were also innovative and breath taking -- especially 'Slash- Paper under knife' which showcased artists from around the world using paper as a medium in very creative and unusual ways.

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New Possibilities

I am always trying out mixing different media and experimenting with shapes, values and color in my quest to improve my art. Painting this particular abstract piece was a compositional challenge especially since I did not have a blueprint to follow. So, in a way, it was liberating to just 'let-go' and play with watercolors, gouache, pastels, gesso and acrylics.

Another way to improve would be to draw everyday. It is pretty impressive that New York artist Jason Polan is on a mission to draw every person in the city. He has so far drawn over 8000 people from New York city. Check out this video by my daughter of Jason sketching.

untitled mixed media 22x23"

Sunrise Meditation

In the morning

Heaven descends

in all its glory

to become

the morning sun.

Sri Chinmoy

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Lunch Break

I finished this painting yesterday. In most cities, there is at least one place like this where office workers take a break, reflect and enjoy the outdoors. I painted this in my head a few times before plunging into sketching and painting it using different water media on cold press watercolor paper. I am still wrestling with detailed vs loose and less is more. I am hoping some day soon my technical skills will catch up with my mental image of the finished piece :)

Speaking of 'reflecting,' I just watched an amazing video on TED on the 'uniqueness' of being a 'human.' Primatologist Robert Sapolsky offers an informative and hilarious look at human and animal behavior, ending the inspiring talk given at Stanford University by urging the new graduates with what resonates as Gandhiji's quote "Be the change you wish to see in the world." It is also interesting that he looks like the 16th century artist Albrecht Durer and peppers his talk with illustrations from the art world.

Lunch Break watermedia 9x12"

Patience and Perseverance

I put aside paintings that I am unable to complete to my satisfaction out of my sight and usually work on them years later as a warm up exercise before I start a new painting. This is one such painting that I have tinkered with over the years --yes, thats right -years!! A few years ago, I had set up some shells on a table and painted them. I couldn't resolve the background and so, of course, I shelved it. Couple of years ago, I took it out and added the lace doily and did not know how to finish it. Much later, I added iridescent white acrylic paint on one of shells. Finally a few months ago I glazed it with blues and deepened the darks. I decided it looks better this way and turned the painting upside down and now I have to paint over my signature I foolishly put down many years ago even before it was anywhere near completion!!!!

Working on a painting that I have kind of given up helps me experiment and take risks that I wouldn't otherwise take. It also helps me to work on a second painting to keep my brush wielding hand busy when I am waiting for paints to dry so I won't create 'mud' and ruin the one I am trying to create. I am not sure this particular painting is worthy of framing and showing but I have thoroughly enjoyed taking it through its metamorphosis.

Recently, while reading about various artists, I was comforted to know that many of them -notably Leonardo and Michelangelo, worked on some pieces for years and even had many unfinished pieces. So, it is surely unreasonable for someone like me who has been painting as hobby, on and off for 10-15 years to feel I should complete every single painting to perfection quickly and without struggle. I am looking forward to a long slow journey ahead in my art.

Shells watercolor 18x24"

Snow Blanket

Sunrise over frozen waters and a blanket of snow greeted me this morning. I spent some time taking pictures through the windows - I did not want to disturb the snow and didn't want to leave the warmth of indoors. I was contemplating what snow scene I should paint, but soon I was feeling nostalgic as I reminisced about the snowmen, forts and games my kids played and the various adventures they had with their friends with, of course, regular hot cocoa breaks in my kitchen only a few years ago.

Soon I was chuckling remembering Calvin's explanation to Hobbes regarding snow as his medium of art in a comic strip that was on my refrigerator for a few years "This sculpture is about transience. As this figure melts, it invites the viewer to contemplate evanescence of life. This piece speaks to the horror of our own mortality." I am a fan of Calvin's creativity and here is a link for collection of the comic strips featuring his brilliant and bizarre snow art. " I tell you Hobbes, its tough being the sole guardian of high culture"

Fun With Colors

When I have been away from painting for a few days, I usually pull out a 'failed' painting and mess with it before I feel confident again to plunge into new work. The still life with the potted plant and a stuffed toy cat is one of those. It started out as a watercolor and and got reworked with color pencils. The painting had been out of sight for many years and since I couldn't remember much of the set up, decided to just play with colors. I see a lot of problems with piece but had fun anyway as I experimented. And I don't know why the background photographed as shades of blue and orange!

Here is a part of a poem by Antonio Machado that seems to fit my aspirations.

Last night as I was sleeping

I dreamt - marvelous error! -

that I had a beehive

here inside my heart.

And the golden bees

were making white combs

and sweet honey

from my old failures.

Still Life watercolor with color pencils 12x9"

Hurry up and Wait

I am finally getting a little bolder about opening my sketch book and recording a few things (as discretely as possible) while I wait at various places. We did a lot of 'hurry up and wait' at the different airports on our recent trip to India and this time I kept my sketch book handy. But, I discovered that I need to learn to 'speed sketch' so that I may quickly capture people on paper as they don't stay still long enough for my skill level! Of course, I pretend to be thinking and writing in a journal as I try hard not to appear to stare at anyone. So, I only used an ink pen to draw and that also meant I couldn't erase and had to live with any and all lines that I put down.

As I keep a sketch book more regularly and diligently, I am trying to decide if I want to record ideas and not worry about how my drawings look like or work on renderings that are presentable. I have been spending a lot of time browsing Urban sketchers looking at how artists around the world do it.

Or, I should just get over myself, not worry about the end result and enjoy the process.

Cycle of Life

"The body is mortal, but he who dwells in the body is said to be immortal and immeasurable"

The Bhagavad Gita 2-18

The above photograph shows the rice balls offered as 'pinda' to my father-in-law who died the day after christmas, and to all the ancestors who passed on before him as we celebrated his remarkable 95 years of life. All the ceremonies emphasized our connection to the elements and to all of nature and once again reminded us the underlying unity of all.

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