Cart before the horse?

A still life in water color that I did long time ago.

Tanjor glass painting

I have always loved Tanjor painting, where the central character, or the focal point, is always cute and chubby. Glass painting needless to say is a very satisfying art form. The process involved is simple yet requires a lot of patience and memory. I first washed the glass with soap and water, and dried it smudge free. I drew the Ganesha from reference on tracing paper. At this point I feel like mentioning that many of the Tanjor paintings are made from tracing a few well known drawings. Some of them are not done by artists who have given a thought to anatomy. It sometimes helps not to trace the original, but redraw it and bring in corrections. I then stuck the drawing with the drawn side facing me, with the help of simple tape. Then I started painting from the other side on the glass, so that the image I was painting was a laterally opposite paining, like a glass image. To paint in glass means to start with the details first, and then fill in the not so detailed works. I usually paint from up to down so that I don’t end up with paint or smudge marks, and keep a spare paper under my hand to avoid the same. After the outline and the ornamental details, I used a bit of liquid led in places I wanted to fill in stained glass paint to give it a jeweled effect. That was a bit tough, till my hand got used to it. It helps to start off with insignificant bits, and come to the face once you get the hand of it. The rest is just step by step painting. You fill in the stained glass paint, allow it to dry, paint the gold ornaments, then the garland and flowers and small details, then get to painting the flesh and its tones. The only tyring part was waiting. Since I juggle time between kid, home , blog and this, I wished the painting would dry up to my schedule rather than take its time. Oil paint takes sometimes a week to dry.

Durga

I saw a carved face of Durga in a relatives house and fell in love with the intricate workman ship. Shola pith work is so beautiful. I had it in my memory for a long time. Then when I was discussing paper embossing with a friend, we had this idea of making a similar piece with paper instead of the soft white wood. After much thought, and lot of procrastination, I finally got around to doing it. For the face I used paper clay, and shaped the face. The rest is ivory paper and paper embossing. Perhaps the picture does not show the intricacies of the embossing, but then how can one compare a carved beauty to an amateur attempt in paper embossing. But I had to try and find out how far I could go

Meditations

A Banjara woman

A portrait in Indian Ink on paper.

Knoting it out

The art form is called Macrame. Once it was said that sailors worked on this craft, to while away their time at sea, and then sold it when they landed. It is viewed as a more masculine form of hand weaving, like say knitting. To create this piece one works mainly with knots. I love to work with my hands and with different materials. This is done with common hemp, and decorated with wooden beeds. I had a whole lot of help from Handcrafted by Elaine. She has instructions and designs for any one who is interested.

Not enough Patachitra

This I painted at break neck speed, one Sunday, as one obsessed-for 6hours continuously, with just a break for some juice.

Madhubani in glass

I love painting on glass. It requires planning and thought. It is difficult to correct. I got the design for this from a book my sister gifted to me some time back. It was Aasha -wold famous Madhubani paintings. I treated it like a stained glass painting, first putting in the outline in a thicker outliner, and then filling in the stained glass paints. I wanted to add shade and texture, but the essence of the Madhubani art would be lost. So I took the easy way out.

Worli world

needled into action

A wall quilt

The flush of new growth

The first rose on the arbor, looks on at my growing garden, as absorbed as a city dweller viewing an accident across his street, through his high raised window.

Wall hanging

It was one of the easiest pieces I made for our home. The base is ply wood, with a layer of gesso. The Ganesha mask was one of those typically found in shops that sold paper mache dolls all painted in black. I repainted in with colors which are found a lot in south indian temples, and tied the mask to the plywood. I can replace the central ganesha any time I want a new one. The rest of it is Kolam, first hand drawn, then using a plastic cone, drew on it with ceramic powder paste, much like a henna application. The trimming was glued it last. I first painted it all black, and then brushed on the golden paint, to give it an old not so rich look.

Glass painting 1

This was my first glass painting. This painting has elements of the Tanjore painting, but also has been influenced by the Buddhist Thangka art of Tibet. The design is my very own, a representation of Knowledge, as portrayed in the Hindu religion. At first I wanted the goddess represented as sitting on the hamsa. The mythical creature that is supposed to be able to separate true knowledge from the essence of the world, like separating milk from water. I later left it to be part of the veena that she holds. The lotus that she sits on is also supposed to be white, representing purity. But the pink represents the feminine, as opposed to white with represents purity, that is subjective. I wish I could have more control over the medium, but that skill will have to wait practice.

Madi mami

Madi mami took a while to make, not because it was difficult, but because I was buzy doing glass painting, and this was done while I waited for the oil painting on glass to dry, before the next layer. The character and the design aremy own. My original drawing was a bit too tame, and also difficult to do with paper machi. This character is a cross between my mom and mother-in-law, on one of those festival days.

My Spring

It is spring! Though spring started earlier on in Atlanta, with trees in full bloom, it has just started for me now. The reason is that I am forced to spend the best part of the most beautiful season, with a stuffed nose and irritable eyes, thanks to the pollen in the air. Since I became pregnant, my body it seems, will not accept the fact that pollen are not dangerous, much like how fundamentalist religion views the rest of the world. They (I mean the histamines) quickly swing into action, like over protective rakhee brothers, filling my nose with mucus, and filling in more once I try to empty it. Not caring a bit that their enthusiasm may cause me to suffocate in my sleep. If I had a runny nose I would not much complain, at least even though I need a kerchief , at least I will breath, but I hate it when it feels as if there are 2 stubborn toads in each nostril, refusing to budge even at the threat of blowing up my face from the inside.

So I take my medicines, and nasal sprays, and try not to wander out too much. I watch for the pollen count, and perform my rain dances, in hope that they will ease my sufferings. So even though I love to garden, I am stuck indoor for the best months of the year, sneaking out with a mask, when I cannot bear the suspense that spring solves with its coming. Did the perennials that I grew from seed, really survive the winter, and show life. Did the stupid rabbit, destroy my new beauties before I can see them flower? Should I take my seeded tomato plants for a breath of fresh air?, or bring them back right indoor. Spring, the season that fills me with optimism and joy, finds ways to pull me down. So I decided that I would wait and celebrate spring at my own time. When the rains wash away all the pollen, and the plants have finally borne leaves it is spring for me. Till then it is season of color and life that I see through the window of my house or car. I will still sneak in for a feel of the fresh air, after every rain, but just like my adamant allergies, I will refuse to call it spring, until it has really sprung for me.

In love with Patachitra

The art of Patachitra just fascinates me. It is a folk art from Orissa, that dates back to the 5th century. The painting are made using the easily available materials in the villages. The canvas is prepared using a mixture of tamarind paste and lime stone on cloth that is let to dry. The pigments used are made from naturally available materials that is indigenous to the state. The pictures usually depict the Lord Jagannata mostly, but also are popular for their representations of the stories of lord Krishna and rama, and many other gods and godesses that Hindus worship.

The introduction alone does not justify the beauty of the paintings that can be seen. Their vibrant colors just draw you to the paintings. Though the central theme is a god or goddess, they are not represented in divine centric paintings , instead most of them are story boards of various stories of the gods and goddesses. Our eyes are not just stopped at one epic central theme, but are invited to wander all over the painting, taking in minute details, of how the artist represents the gods. The borders are equally rich, beautifully framing the theme. These paintings remind me that people don't want their gods in a pedestal, but want them to be almost human. Each character is given a personality, not just background to a theme, but with a story of their own. For now I will just satisfy my addiction, by trying and painting one.

Patachitra fire place screen

" Strange is this world of Pata paintings, a world in itself, where every article and ornament keeps its unchanging shape, its place and importance, where every animal has its own stylized features, every personality its unerring marks of identification defined by the ancient texts, religious myths and local tradition. It is a world of myths and gods, but still more it is a world of folk imagination, the reflection of thinking and of the mental scope of millions of Indian peasants, fishermen and craftsmen, their joys, their hardships, binding faith and exacting beauty. So the paintings speak the language of their creators, they give realistic expression, a clear symbol, humorous details. They are familiar to the eye, close to the heart, bringing joy and expressing life".

My first project

This metal embossed picture of the Ganesha was my first project. The picture was based of a terracotta sculpture I found as I scanned the web for ideas. The metal embossing part was easy, all I had to do was trace a predrawn image into the soft metal with a blunt wooden tool. The texture I gave it was what took a bit of effort. I had to poke a lot of holes to make the image stand out, and feel framed. The paint i applied was metallic copper which I painted and removed with a rag cloth, several times till i achieved what I liked. I mounted it on stained plywood, with a heavy glue. The trimming i added at the end is just varnished.

A world with my hands

I Started working 2 weeks after my last college days and was a workaholic. Neither marriage, or motherinlaw changed the craze or seemed to slow me down. Then one day a bundle arrived that changed every thing. I was a mom, and taking care of the little one become my job. I was home bound and baby bound. People who become mothers will tell you that baby caring will take up all your energy and attention. Yes my busy toddler had me physically exhausted, but I craved a mental challenge, that I missed from my working days. I worked in the creative field back at work, Now I touched the computer only if I had to search something i needed to know for baby care. I found myself talking to my former office colleagues about babies, and other mothers with babies about my work. Things had to stop before I lost control. So I began my journey into painting . Every day for two hours (the time my baby slept in the afternoon)I painted and painted lost in the world of colors and thoughts, all my own , full of rich stories and ideas, and suddenly the dam had burst, I have now become a paint-o-holic, unable to stop doing projects after projects. Now all my spare time(something I find is getting even more scarce as my toddler requires even less nap time)is spent on creating a world with my hands.