Call or Write?

2013 India sketch Journal Page 10 by Meera Rao

Staying in India for months means I had to get a cell phone number. They are pretty strict about cell phones since the tragedy in Mumbai Taj Hotel. After gathering up and submitting all the required documents, I acquired a new sim card and a new number.  I was really excited to open the cell phone, replace the sim card and activate the phone for India. I sketched the phone, and the simcard (tracing around the actual older card that I took out) while I had it open.  Then I went googling for information about 'sim' cards.

2013 India sketch Journal June 25 by Meera Rao

Wikipedia gave me the following information: A subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module (SIM) is an integrated circuit that securely stores the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) and the related key used to identify and authenticate subscribers on mobile telephony devices (such as mobile phones and computers).

A SIM circuit is embedded into a removable plastic card. This plastic card is called a "SIM card" and can be transferred between different mobile devices. A SIM card follows certain smart card standards.[1] SIM cards were first made the same size as a credit card (85.60 mm × 53.98 mm × 0.76 mm). The development of physically smaller mobile devices prompted the development of a smaller SIM card, the mini-SIM card. Mini-SIM cards have the same thickness as full-size cards, but their length and width are reduced to 25 mm × 15 mm.

A SIM card contains its unique serial number (ICCID), international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), security authentication and ciphering information, temporary information related to the local network, a list of the services the user has access to and two passwords: a personal identification number (PIN) for ordinary use and a personal unblocking code (PUK) for PIN unlocking.

You may read more fascinating stuff about SIM cards, its history, design,  formats etc here.

2013 India sketch Journal June25 by Meera Rao

As I had mentioned earlier, I have a clear view of the family across the road in their daily chores from my third floor balcony. I have sketched the various members past summer and this year in various activities [sorting rice, combing hair, etc  - check the four links for now :) ] almost every evening this girl does her homework sitting on the front steps. On this particular day she was wearing the traditional long skirt in silk with gold and red brocade border, and flowers in her.  Right afterwards, I saw her leave with her Mother to attend some function.

Regarding "call or write", I guess for me now its partly 'sketch' -  how about you?

Little Quirks and Special Treats

2013 India sketch journal June 23 2013 By Meera Rao 

Automobiles are special to people almost everywhere in the world. When it is a huge investment in your life savings it is treated very differently.  I find plush seat protectors, fancy steering wheel covers, special things hanging from rear view mirrors, idols on dashboard to ward off evil and keep the vehicle safe, and of course the hanging air fresheners. This particular van in the roadside auto repair shop around the corner even had lace curtains and I had to sketch it!

2013 India sketch journal June 24 2013 By Meera Rao

During my college days drinking sugar cane juice with friends at the end of the day from a vending stand like the one I sketched here was an almost daily ritual.  But  having lived outside India for many years now I don't want to check if my system can still tolerate the roadside offering :(   I really miss buying it and crave to drink the sweet juice  but reluctant to take a  risk (not yet anyway!)  BTW,  an interesting fact is that these road side vendors are such permanent fixtures that people use them as landmarks when giving directions :) 

  I realize looking at page 9 below that even though I have sketched the van and the sugarcane vending stand  in isolation both are very much part of the landscape and life around here! Curtains in vehicles ( though I read they are now banned) and brisk business for the vendors is nothing out of the ordinary. 

2013 India sketch journal Page 9 by Meera Rao

Flights of Fancy

2013 India Sketch Journal June 21 By Meera Rao

Everyday the parrots in the neighbourhood dart around following one another, frolicking, squawking and chirping away.  I have a movie of it but unfortunately can't share it as it is not loading right into the blogger :( Last year the parrots used two coconut trees on a neighbour's yard as their base.  This year they have chosen a tree with a few dead branches in another yard as their perch as the coconut trees are dead and felled. I love watching their green bodies, red beaks and long tail feathers as they streak by and wonder what they are really doing! Is this a game, an elaborate social ritual, hunting for a meal or something else altogether?  I zoom in on the ones that land on a branch for a few minutes with my camera lens so I can see what they look like up close and still for a moment and of course, admire them a bit !

2013 India Sketch Journal June 22 By Meera Rao

I pass by this 'compound' most days on my daily walks or errands. The locked up classic 'old Mysore house' now with its overgrown garden/yard lush from the monsoon rains, fence wall and gate in ruins conjures up all kinds of drama in my head ;)  Painting the beautiful birds and then this yard made me acutely aware of the cycle of life. Many of these classic old houses are slowly being renovated and I am hoping some day this one will get a new lease on its life! 

Below is page 8 as it is in my sketchbook: 

2013 India Sketch Journal Page 8 By Meera Rao

And Thank you- each and every one for stopping by,  for leaving comments and coming along with me on my trip :)   

To See Things in the Seed

2013 India sketch Journal Page 7 by Meera Rao

2013 India sketch Journal June 19 by Meera Rao

To see things in the seed that is the genius -Lao Tzu

The fiery red African Tulip blossoms eventually are but solid woody seed pods that fall into the earth and disperse.  The pods look like brown wooden bouquets on the tree and resemble little boats when they separate and  fall off.  There are still occasional red flowers around and a couple of days ago my Sister-in-law found one on her walk and brought it home for me to paint :)  I think it is wonderful that I have so many people around me now making sure I sketch something everyday! My niece the other day said that when she is out on an errand often finds herself wishing I was there with her to catch a scene that she knows I would love to paint :) It is so cool how they are all acquiring what I call 'sketching eyes' ! 

2013 India Sketch Journal June 20 by Meera Rao

An important chore that has to be done in most households before the rice for the day is cooked is to sort the rice for stones, husks, dirt, bugs etc before washing and cooking because who wants to bite into a stone and may be even loose a tooth! The wicker tray or 'mora' needs a certain knack to use -- it is open on one side and rice is tossed over and again with panache - only rice stays close to the edged side and the husks are  blown off from the rimless side. It takes years of practice to use it  right. Here is a video of a woman using a similar tray except it is round to sort rice .  I see from my third floor balcony the lady  who lives across the road do this every day and that is why the sketch shows the view of her from above :) I on the other-hand, put the rice on a plate and do a once over. I have not attempted anything more fancier than that :)

Fruits of Labor

2013 India Sketch journal June 17 by Meera Rao

The Monsoon is in full glory this year and jackfruit vendors are roaming the town. The jackfruit opened to reveal the fleshy edible part inside looks like huge flower arrangement! Jackfruit is native to Southern India and its fruits reaching upto 80lbs is considered one of the largest tree-borne fruit. And this time I have been lucky to savor specialty dishes made lovingly from the fruit by one of my special aunts! A very tasty dish is a sweet idli or dumpling steamed in teak leaves that gives it a beautiful red color and a wonderful added aroma!

2013 India Sketch journal June 18 by Meera Rao

Around the neighborhood where I am staying now are many vendors and artisans that work with wicker and bamboo.  They stake out a spot on the sidewalk and weave baskets, make ladders and mats for sale. They are busy all day and come back to their spots day after day - I do hope they make enough money selling their wares for a decent livelihood. I sketched a man busy making ladder last year- if you are curious, do check out the link :)

As always here is a look at page 6 of my 2013 India Sketch journal:  

Toys and Pods

2013 India sketch Journal June 15 by Meera Rao

Between Bangalore and Mysore is the town of Channnapatna where a particular form of wooden toys are made from Aale mara/Ivory wood and lacquered in brightly colors.According to Wikipedia "This traditonal craft is proteced as a geographical indication, under the World Trade Organization and admistered by the Government of Karnataka" Every town, city, and village around here sell these toys with colorful road side displays. Please do check out the links and a get a glimpse of these brightly colored toys! 

2013 India Sketch Journal June 16 2013

The tree lined streets of Mysore are also littered with various kinds of seed pods. Sadly, I found the people around are also ignorant of even colloquial names or which pod belongs to which tree!I have been scouring the internet in search of name of the long pod for a while now. If you know what these are, please let me know! 

Once again the page in almost full view :( I realized I cropped the top of the page while photographing !)

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2013 India sketch journal Page 5

Have a Sip But avoid a bite!

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2013 India sketch journal June13  by Meera Rao

I love going to the little coffee shops that only sell freshly ground coffee powder made to order! These shops are really small, with bright red 'coffee grinder', sacks, tins and bags of coffee beans. I learnt very quickly that I need to know if I preferred 80:20, 70:30, or pure coffee and coarse or fine ground.  The numbers refer to the ratio of coffee to chicory in the mix. The chicory fine-tunes the bitterness in the coffee.  Check out the Indian filter coffee details here and also on my sketchbook page from "A day in the life" 

2013 India Sketch Journal June 14 by Meera Rao

It is Monsoon season in India now and mosquito repellents are a must to have around. This year I see a lot of plug ins with liquid repellents in little containers being used by all. For the past several  years the gold standard was the 'odomus' tube  -which last year I sketched one right after smearing some on me before bedtime :)  

2013 India sketch Journal June 13-14  Page 3 

These two were sketched horizontally but photographed vertically and no amount of rotating is good enough for the blogger to load the photograph with the right alignment! I don't know if its the old pc, chrome, or something else that is stubborn about turning it horizontally! Any suggestions to fix it? I guess I will just post it and hope to remember to correct it when I get back to my own computer in september!

The Road Trip

2013 India Sketch Journal June 11 by Meera Rao

While traveling from Bangalore to Mysore these massive rock formations can be seen looming over acres of lush greens of coconut grooves and forests. The huge mountains never go out of sight for miles! It is a favorite location  for rock climbers and hikers. It was also where a super hit Hindi movie "Sholay' was shot. Do check out  the gorgeous  scenery of the place collected on Google images here.  Only the huge garish bill boards take away from the sheer beauty and serenity of the place.

  

2013 India Sketch Journal June 12 by Meera Rao

I try to go for a walk every day to get away from the monotony of house work, to do the daily marketing and to photograph local scenes, fauna, and flora :)  On this particular evening, I had a close encounter with a fierce looking bullock that came a little too close for my comfort! I actually did not take my camera out to take a snapshot but hurried off to the side and away, all the while keeping an eye on those long curvey sharp horns! Fortunately, they had been capped off with an ornamental golden covering - probably a well deserved precaution! Check out some really beautiful ornamental fittings for the sharp cattle horns  here,  here and here

And, here is page 3 of my 2013 India sketch Journal with both the sketches on one page.  

 I

2013 India Sketch Journal Page 3

Magic Formula for Sketching Jet Lag?

2013 India sketch Journal June 9 by Meera Rao

There is nothing like a refreshing hot water shower to fight jet lag! The nine and half hour time difference between EST and Indian Time makes it hard on the body to adjust.  According to a WSJ article, "seeking out day light at certain time and avoiding bright light at other times, are some of the main strategies researchers recommend for resetting the body clock faster. Daylight is one of the key clues the master clock in the brain receives from the retina that it needs to resynchronize. In general, travelers going east are advised to seek out afternoon light and travelers heading west should seek out morning light."  Unfortunately nothing seems to work for me and I muddle through my entire trip fighting sleep during the day and struggling to fall asleep at night! 

I just noticed that the sketch above says July 9 - proof of jet lag affecting performance? I am off by a month! 

2013 India sketch Journal June 10 by Meera Rao

After a must trip to the 'Mangalore Store" that stocks up on my hometown's specialties, the sweets and savory munchies were fun draw ( and eat!).

Below is the page with both the sketches. So far it has been a delightful challenge to come up with sketches that are different from last year's sketchbook journal :) 

2013 India sketch Journal Page 2 June 9-10  by Meera Rao

Sketching Every Day

2013 India Sketch Journal: At Dulles Airport June 7 by Meera Rao

I started another journal this year as I do my turn at my M-i-L's place in India till end of August. As always the journal starts with sketches at the airport and this time I challenged myself to choose vignettes showing something different :)  While waiting at Dulles, DC I sketched the wide corridor with huge black board gate info etc and various colorful national flags hanging from the high ceilings.  It was late night and our flight was delayed and there were few passengers wandering around and even fewer shops or restaurants that were still open. 

2013 India Sketches: At London Airport June 8 by Meera Rao

At Heathrow in London, I sat in the lounge waiting for the gate to be announced. I had a perfect to place to watch and sketch people as they came by to check the Departure board with the 'time planner.'  It was a challenge to get the moving people down on the paper! But the positive was that almost everyone slowed down or paused near the gates and boards long enough for me to notice and commit a part of a gesture, a limb, a slant of the head, a pose or piece of clothing on to the page :)  So mostly, the people are composites of a few passengers!

2013 India Sketches : Page 1 by Meera Rao

 Above is the first page from my journal with both sketches showing. I am using 8.5x6" Strathmore Mixed Media Vellum Surface 300 series 90lb  sketchbook with 40 sheets of paper.  I have my trusty Koi watercolor pocket Field sketch box,  3 waterbrush pens, a 3B pencil, and a ball point pen for sketching. I also have a few color pens, sketch pens but not in my carry on. I intend to use them once I am unpacked! So far I am excited about my second journal and am looking forward to sketching about 80-90 sketches this time, one a day, two to a page mostly and every now and then one or four :)  Now to make sure I am able to sketch every day at least for 30 minutes!

Word in Art

Can you spot my sketches on the Exhibit Invitation? 

Exhibition details at The Charles Taylor Art Center in Hampton, VA.

My two sketchbooks displayed . 

And I gave a demo during the show opening on the sketchbooks! 

Always Remember

Parade photography by Meera Rao 

I think on this day, one way to honor the sacrifices of thousands of brave soldiers is to make sure we never call them to give up their lives without just cause.  

"Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism"

George Washington

There is a Crack in Everything

Light Gets In  photography by Meera Rao      

"There is a crack in everything

That's how the light gets in"

Leonard Cohen, Selected Poems, 1956-68

The Creative Spirit

colonial girl   watercolor sketch 6x6" by Meera Rao 

"Creativity entails taking appropriate risks, and courage allows you to use your intuition and will."

From the book "The Creative Spirit"  by Goleman, Kaufman and Ray 

In the past few days I had the opportunity to see  Warhol Out West  showcasing Andy Warhol's 60 of the iconic pop art paintings & photographs and 'Working South: Mary Whyte' - huge breathtaking watercolors capturing the essence of people in vanishing or dramatically changing industries in the south.  Both give brilliant insight into the culture and life in the US but in very different ways!  Andy Warhol's paintings showed audacity while Mary Whyte's paintings are laced with sensitivity.  Needless to say I was very impressed with both.  

Both the shows have made me think about creativity, genius, talent, passion, discipline, and of course in my case- fear and anxiety! In reading about their lives and looking at their art it became obvious to me that both had faith in their creativity, listened to their own voices, had acute awareness of their environment, and asked some powerful questions.       

Mary Whyte wrote in her book "An Artist's way of Seeing" :  You must know where 'you' begin, what it is that your heart is responding to. In knowing yourself, then you will know what it is you really want to paint, or sing, or plant, or write. With this self awareness comes the confidence to trust your creative intuition. And when you finally know what it is you want to express, say it loud and with perfect clarity, with every ounce of your being, so the whole world will hear. Not everyone will appreciate or understand your message, but it won't matter.  You will have made use of your talent, and you will have said what it is you wanted to say.

At any age, your ultimate creation is what you make of yourself........And what you make of yourself will be manifested in everything you express. Just remember, everyone is wired to do one thing really well. The difficult part is discovering what ii is. Harder still is believing you can do it. Fear and lack of confidence keep many artists from even trying." 

I think life and art in the end is all about having the courage, the audacity, faith and passion! 

The Art of Listening

sketch in pen by Meera Rao

I discovered that sketching and listening to a lecture are not compatible for me when I did this piece a while ago.  He was talking about physics & philosophy and soon I realized that I was so deeply engrossed in observing his features, light, shadows etc that I was not  'listening' to his points at all!  Usually I listen to Public radio talk programs and draw, sketch or paint without any problem.  On this particular instance though, I failed miserably at multitasking :) I then closed by sketch book, put my pen away and concentrated on his talk. This really made me wonder how much of those radio programs do I really 'hear'!!!  I can't remember much of what he said but my takeaway from that day is that true listening requires concentration and processing :).  No wonder it is called the 'art of listening.' 

Surreal Sights in the City

No comment, Washington DC  Photography by Meera Rao 

you got mail, NYC  Photography by Meera Rao 

Top Down Legs Up Washington DC  Photography by Meera Rao 

Catching colorful Quotes Washington DC Photography by Meera Rao

Sketching Life

 Construction sketch  watercolor by Meera Rao 

There was much traveling in the past few days.  And unfortunately I also sprained my leg while walking around and had to spend some time looking out of my hotel window.  One morning I sketched the hard hat wearing construction workers across the road from my 9th floor room window.  

When in NYC I got a chance to visit my sketch book "A Day In The Life"  at the Brooklyn Art Library :)  I spent the morning there looking through many of the sketchbooks in the library -- what an inspiration! The library has beautiful, very creative and completely unique sketch books  from all over the world! 

Brooklyn Art Library  Photography by Meera Rao

Visiting My Sketch Book  "A Day In the Life"  at Brooklyn Art Library 

iPhotography by Meera Rao

The Laughter of Pomegranates

Pomegranate  watercolor on Yupo by Meera Rao  9x8.5"

We have a small pomegranate plant in our back yard.  The flowers and fruits are bright red and beautiful. Unfortunately, the fruit from our tree though is not sweet and last year I juiced some and froze them in ice cubes. I use a cube or two when I want to add some sourness to dishes. The juice is a beautiful red but when cooked doesn't retain the luscious color turning rather drab. We don't put any pesticides on the plant and  the fruits ripen naturally so have lots of texture on them! 

Pomegranate is considered to have lots of medicinal values. Everyone knows it to be an anti-oxidant. I am most familiar with a preparation of the dried skin cooked, and ground into a paste with a little bit of coconut and buttermilk used as remedy for diarrhea and other stomach ailments.  Of course Grenadine syrup used in cocktails is from pomegranate :)  Check here for more on the wonderful fruit. 

The references in art and literature are plenty too, full of symbolism as well -- one quick Google search for images in art came up with wonderful selection too! 

Its not pomegranate season yet -- the plant is only now slowly and barely coming back to life after a long cold winter.  I used a few photographs from last season and my memory of handling them while juicing.  Also I buy the fruits often - love peeling the it slowly, loosening the seeds with its juicy red pulps and eating them fresh or using them in salads etc. I Love the red stains on my hand from the squirting juice too :)

I was happy to see that Yupo was the right surface to bring out the textured red on the fruit. I really enjoyed painting the sun dappled fruit free and loose, full of texture :) 

Here is a poem by Rumi to savor:

The Laughter of the Pomegranates:

If you buy a pomegranate,

buy one whose ripeness 

has caused it to be cleft open

with a seed-revealing smile.

Its laughter is a blessing,

for through its wide open mouth

it shows its heart,

like a pearl in the jewel box of spirit.

The red anemone laughs, too

but through its mouth you glimpse a blackness.

A laughing pomegranate 

brings the whole garden to life.

keeping the company of the holy

makes you one of them

Whether you are stone or marble

you will become a jewel

when you reach a human being of heart.

Plant the love of the holy ones within your spirit;

don't give your hear to anything

but the love of those whose hearts are glad.

don't go to the neighborhood of despair:

there is hope.

Don't go in the direction of darkness:

suns exist.

The heart guides you to the neighborhood of the

saints;

the body takes you to the prison of water and earth.

Give your heart the food of holy friends;

Seek maturity from those who have matured.

~Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi 

Sin or Crime?

Garland weaver in Reverie mixed media by Meera Rao 

The fear of messing up so often means I think a painting is complete before it really is!  Couple of months ago I was surveying my paintings to pick one to submit to the local art league members open show.  One of the paintings  that I had thought was finished, signed, framed and blogged  about suddenly felt incomplete.  I pulled it out of the frame, and added some darks here and there. Satisfied, happily I put it back in the frame and took it to the show.  And here it is on my blog once again. 

Since then I have been mulling  over  how to know when a painting is finished?  Is it "A painting is always finished before the artist thinks it is" (Harley Brown) ? Or is Eugene Delacroix right  when he whispers in my ears :" One always has to spoil a picture a little bit in order to finish it."  Alas there is much truth in what D.H . Harding had to say : " The important thing is not what the author, or any artist, had in mind to begin with but at what point he decided to stop."  Then there is Claude Monet who proclaimed : "I say that whoever claims to have finished a canvas is terribly arrogant."  What did Picasso have to say about all this? : "Woe to you the day it is said that you are finished! To finish a work? To finish a picture? What nonsense! To finish it means to be through with it, to kill it, to rid it of its soul – to give it its final blow; the most unfortunate one for the painter as well as for the picture." 

May be it is as Ted Goodwin says: "A painting is finished when to have done less would be considered a sin and more a crime!  "  The trouble is I am not a good judge when it comes to sin or crime ;)

Learning from Great Drawings

Copy of Luca Camiaso's  'Christ leading the Calvary' 

Copy of Luca Cambiaso's ' Group of figures'

The sketches are my attempts at copying of drawings by Italian artist Luca Cambiaso (1527-1585) from the book 'Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters" by Robert Beverly Hale. The book analyzes 100 drawings and defines figure drawing fundamentals. The book looks into the works of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Rodin, Goya, Rembrandt and others and shows in seven chapters  how these artists utilized basic concepts of line, light & planes, mass, Position Thrust or direction, and Artistic anatomy.

I have always had trouble with thinking in terms of simple masses and shapes when sketching.  I am hoping copying like this will help me see light values and seeing the simplest geometric forms in everything.  I noticed in the book there are block like, cylindrical and spherical styles of sketching. The book explains: " You soon realize that there are very few basic shapes in the universe and that there is a geometric relationship between the most diverse objects. the sea is but the skin of a sphere and is related to the spherical head of a pin."   I have had the book for many years but only recently decided I will start copying the various drawings in different styles to get practice -especially on those days when I have limited time and no idea for a daily sketch. 

Have you copied for practice master drawings or paintings? do you find the exercise useful learning tool? Love to hear your experiences! 

Watering Hole

Watering Hole  Photography by Meera Rao 

"One's destination is never a place, but a way of seeing things"

~Henry Miller~ 

Graceful Changes

Fall Fire watercolor on Yupo  5x7" by Meera Rao

Season is changing again - we turned our clocks forward and of course love the signs of spring  everywhere.  I was doing the spring ritual of cleaning my studio, moving my paintings around and realized I never did post this painting of the firey bushes from my backyard.  They greeted me when I got back from my trip to India and I was taken away by their beauty.  The bushes are now once again showing signs of greeting the spring after the cold winter. 

I came across a slide show from NASA Jet Propulsion Lab about Change of Seasons- view from space. Check out the slides for an enlightening view of changing seasons as seen from satellite pictures.

Color My Sunset Sky

Sunset Sky Photography by Meera Rao

Clouds come floating into my life,

no longer to carry rain or usher storm,

but to add color to my sunset sky.

~

Rabindranath Tagore