A Zentangled attempt

Patience has never been my virtue (ask Ram!) but when I read about this art form, I was tangled into doing it. Zentangle is described as a form of meditation and a light-hearted way of relaxing, and basically repetitive patterns creating beautiful images! I had this huge thermocol board lying in the garage and I ambitiously started the project with a sharpie pen. After 10 minutes, I was bored and wanted to inroduce an element of interest to keep me on the project. So you will see Ganeshas (the Elephant God representing removal of obstacles) interspersed in between. It is almost a game of "Can you see Him?" for one needs to know how to look for him in every pattern just like we search for the absolute Truth in everything.

The piece is bigger than the photo insert. I may never do this again but I must say the end result is rewarding!

Tulasi Madam

Diwali Samashti Puja comes every year and there is such a joy in setting up the stage. Last 2 years, though the decor has been simple by just draping saris, it was labor intensive. And so this year, I had ruled out saris from the plan. Armed with Natana's idea of a Tulasi Madam and lamps around it, I went about the execution of the idea. I had 2 helpers in Rasika who helped cut the lamps and leaves and Viggy who stuck the leaves. I was skeptic about the wet chalk on paper but boy, it was amazing to see it coming so beautifully against the red and black poster boards! It is almost addictive that I could not stop once I got started! Kavitha and Sujatha helped me put them up with tack pins.

Krishna's consort Tulasi is the most sacred and aromatic plant for Hindus and I hope the backdrop did justice to her!

The tree of Lilas

This series of paintings was a spiritual journey for me which I may not be able to explain in a blog or in conversation.








The painting with Radha on a swing was the second after the Kaliya-Mardana and it sparked an idea to use the tree as a continuing theme to connect the different Lilas of Bhagwan. So I followed it up with Krishna playing the flute with a cow lovingly curled around his feet. The tree was coming to the ground.




The other side of the tree is where Mother Yashoda tried to tie Him. It was a joy for me also to try tying Him. But as the story goes, it works when He permits and for those brief moments, it worked.




This painting of the peacock on top of the tree was a highlight as I played with the subject. Spot Krishna if you can on this painting :) I just could not resist it and that night I hardly slept with the thought of Him being there and only I knew it.

The entire series is on the wall- photo below. The paintings are on black foam with acrylics taped to the wall with painter's tape. So simple yet effective.

The tree will continue with more paintings added as days go by if He gives me the inspiration.

Backdrop for graduation dance

Give me a bunch of spray paints and an idea for graffiti and I can go berserk.

And this was proved during Vignesh's 8th grade graduation dance. The theme was "House of Gaga" and the committee wanted the lettering in
graffiti style. I taped the paper (which I had procured from my work-place!) to the garage floor and started spraying away. The spray leaves a lovely effect on the edges. I enjoyed the freedom of going with the flow without any template!! what if I had messed - cannot procure another similar paper another time!! But it worked :)

Krishna's lilas

After Krishna defeated the serpent Kaliya which had poisoned the waters of the Yamuna river, He danced on it's heads. What a dance that must have been!

I used a black foam board and acrylic paints to draw the Kaliya Mardana dance. I had outlined the drawing with pencil and as I proceeded, I decided not to paint Krishna's face and body. It is left to the imagination of the devotee. Close your eyes and you can see Krishna :)

This I hope is a beginning of a series. I already have a idea to paint on the similar black foam board, Krishna and Radha on a Swing, then Yashoda chasing Krishna....

Jai Maa Kali

Aditi and gang were dancing at ICC for a competition on the song "Jai Maa Kali". They needed an extra prop of Mother Kali's picture and tried enlarging a picture from the net at Costco but the resolution did not render correctly. So when Shilpa asked me to paint a poster of Mother Kali, I was so excited. She sent me couple of pictures to refer to and they were elaborate pictures of the angry mother. But in my own search, I liked a close up of the Mother's picture, just her face. So I used both sides of the poster board and on one side I painted just her face (above) and on the other side the entire Mother (below). Much as I tried I could not get anger in her eyes and I got a softer look. Secretly I am happy. All in 4 hours of work and some acrylics - esp orange, red and blue!

After I started this picture, I felt I should have tried just 4 hands pose rather than 10 but she had destined it already :) I left out the detail of Lord Shiva at her feet as I have to understand the legend behind the pose.


Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, one of Kali's greatest devotee who saw her as ever compassionate mother said:


"You know I am a fool. I know nothing.Then who is it that says all these things? I say to the Divine Mother: 'O Mother, I am the machine and Thou art the Operator.I am the house and Thou art the indweller. I am the chariot and Thou art the Charioteer.I do as Thou makest me do. I speak as Thou makest me speak; I move as Thou makest me move. It is not I ! It is all Thou ! It is all Thou !'Hers is the glory; we are only Her instruments."

Art in my cube

Haha! I would not call this exactly doodling at my workplace but not serious drawings as well. 2 weeks back, I had wound up 2 projects, completed the documentation and then I had some time to kill before the next round of work! After browsing some websites, and catching up with facebook, writing a blog, I saw the cube wall opposite me! Hmmm.. inspiration comes from strange places.

I googled "Elephants" and got started. 3 pencils and 1 sharpie art ;)

Interestingly the current topic in our Chinmaya study group is "Mind" and it is such a intense topic that is constantly on my mind. Mind is nothing but a flow of thoughts; it exists when the thoughts exist; where do they come from; how we pick it depending on our vasanas; how the intellect should introspect them; and why it is so important! In Buddhism, a grey elephant represents a mad wild elephant just like our restless mind, completely out of control. And then there is the white elephant which means the calm mind completely under control! Are my elephants grey or white?

Cosmic Dancer in charcoal

I attempted this charcoal drawing of Lord Shiva as the Cosmic Dancer (in fact Lord Shiva is rarely depicted in a anthromorphic form but otherwise worshipped as a linga). This dance form has various significance regarding the cosmos and encompasses His characteristics like the Crescent moon on his locks, the snakes, the circle of fire, the dumru in his upper right hand, the agni in his upper left hand, the raised foot, the dwarf etc - everything that has a philosophical meaning of liberation and enlightenment . But I did not venture into all that but what I hoped to capture was his peaceful face - a sense of balance.

It was moksha for my charcoal pencils :) I had this set that my dad gifted long back. Charcoal gives the depth to the shading that is achieved only after long details and effort with 6D and 4D pencils.

Breezy sketches

I think color pencils are highly under-estimated. In our home, we have them lying around, to be used by young nephews and nieces to keep them occupied while adults are busy with whatever they are doing. If you notice color pencils come in a wide range of colors and are relatively inexpensive. They can be used wet or dry and can give fine line edges as well as blends of colors. I have some more ideas which will fructify soon.. wait for them!

What is it about boats that capture the artists eyes - there seems to be a kind of philosophy around boats.. the freedom, the abandon, the water.. The houses in pencils are a deviation from my usual subjects, but i liked the result - may qualify to be sent to someone as a greeting card :)

Tales of Chatur

Tales of Chatur was a set of 8 stories I had written for children targetting ages 6 to 10. I approached a few publishers and got rejections. As a first time author, I neither had the background, nor an agent and I can take rejections pretty badly. As these stories gather dust, I am debating to send to Champak while Ram has been trying to convince me to self-publish.

Here is a snippet of my introduction and some sketches I had done to accompany my stories in this blog.

Imagine yourself in a jungle with thick growth, green foliage and life everywhere on the ground, water and the canopy. The Bhanavi Jungle! There is a story behind every leaf, in every breeze, even in a paw print. These stories take you there and help you see the facts about animals and their way of life through Chatur, the wise owl. Let’s start the safari!

Tez and Oonchi
How the Cheetah and Giraffe became friends
Chiman, Samajh, and Chanchal: the Water heroes
How the animals of Bhanavi fought the drought
Moorkha and his shadow
How the vain jackal found his strength
Rujul and the rabbits
A turtle that could not swim

Guni and the wolf pack

The wolves’ fight for survival

Samajh and the missing elephants
How the illegal electrical fencing proved fatal to elephants
Saral and the talking ball
How the chimpanzee escaped the wrath of the crocodile
Phurti and her friend from Siberia
How the cuckoo made friends with a Siberian Crane

A New Journey

I posted this poem on another site for a contest. Nope.. did not win, but thought it appropriate to go beside one of my sketches, a path bordered/shaded by trees, here in my blogspot. Hope you all like it! I may edit it later with my last Will & Testament ;)

I depart for a new journey,
I brought nothing with me,
I take nothing with me,
Time to leave the Marquee.

Do not regret, do not cry,
I shall be in a blink of an eye.
In your heart, there will be a reply.
So I shall not say good-bye.

No confessions to make, no stories,
No demands, or requests, or sorries.
I leave back some nice memories,
Yes, Smile! No reason for worries.

A new adventure awaits me.
As "I" am set free,
When they say "After I Die"
Please know that the dead is not "I"!

Eagles on a tee shirt

It was a challenge for me. One of our cousins (cousins galore! - if you really look through the family tree, Gau will qualify to be a nephew or even a grand nephew, but then that would not be flattering to me!) was wearing branded tees with a Eagles on it. Oh yes, it looked good but definitely I had to paint one and show that it could be done better and cheaper ;) I havent given this to him as yet. But I took a picture of it to see it in a different perspective. I have used fabric markers which comes in different colors. The eagle face is on the front right hand corner while the colorful silhoutte is on the back.

Kolam

This recent kolam I did with a painter's acrylic pen fills me with memories of Kolams from our days in India. Esp. during Navrathri and Diwali, when the whole courtyard will be filled with geometrical designs. Maav Kolam, podi kolam, decorations with Kaavi and Rangoli with color powder - it was creativity at its peak!


Kolam, for the uninitiated, is a decorative artwork (painted prayer), made by ladies of the South Indian households, in the front yard or in front of dieties. These designs are traditionally done with rice powder, a tribute to other living beings like birds and ants who would eat them. Though the irony of the fact is that front yards are becoming rare in the face of high rise apartments taking over, this age old tradition is still followed within smaller limitations. There is a sort of blog for kolam enthusiasts - ikolam.org to share their designs.

I got the idea of the acrylic paint pen from a good friend (kavitha -uh-hum) and immediately purchased it. The first kolam on a wood plank has Baby Krishna's feet as I cannot wait until Janmashtami (Krishna's bday) . The second is a salutation to the Sun God (dont know the meaning of the different geometrical shapes).

Though I can say with some pride that the entire design evolved freehand, I am sure a keen eye can see the variation in symmetry ;)