Corner Table Redo

I am trying to sneak in one more blog post before the year goes out and a new one starts, full of promise, with new projects and ideas. So here's sharing a project I did a couple of months back -- when the weather was warmer and the sun much stronger -- but forgot to post about. This project was a part of my pre-Diwali clean-ups around the house.

We have had this corner table around the house for years. It has been a rather useful piece of furniture, as it promptly fits in just about anywhere, and mostly gets obscured by whatever is placed on it. But still that awful sunmica tabletop had been an eyesore for me, bothering me every time I placed the table in my room. Then this year I had an idea.... why not change it?

And so you see the good old corner table donning a new avatar. Well, at least the tabletop does.... who sees the legs anyway? :P I started by sanding the borders and covering them in some yummy pink acrylic. Next I covered up the yucky brown sunmica with my favourite newsprint, dabbed some washes in white to tone down the blacks, and stuck a bouquet of flowers on it, making a round central pattern. And voila, the makeover was complete! Of course, a better effort would have meant painting up the sides and legs as well but I just got lazy. 

Anyhow, now the table looks good enough to be placed by itself, without needing things to hide its shabbiness. In fact, the pink borders add quite a dash of cheerfulness to it. Ending this year on that happy note.... Have a fantastic 2018, everyone! 

Birds Don't Need Trains

Didn't I tell you I was besotted by birds? Well, here is some more avian love... My little birdie poem has been prompted by the very interesting materials that went into making the background of these mixed media pieces. Can you guess what all is in there? Read on to discover....





Birds don't need trains
Only wings
Somewhat like planes....
But birds are living things!



They choose and decide
Where to fly
And don't need schedules
Or maps to go by...










Well, the lovely background includes train schedules printed in the daily newspaper, bits of a world map from somewhere, tea-stained scrunched tissue papers, and some regular handmade paper torn from an invite.

#aviantales

Happy Thanksgiving

India has been making news globally but not always for good things. Earlier this month, the episode of the horrendous Delhi pollution that left us choked and coughing, covered in a blanket of yellow-grey smog, really made me worried about the planet we are leaving behind for the generations to come.

This is not the Earth we inherited.... then why are we ruining and vandalizing it? Do we have no responsibility towards our children; how will they survive when the very air they breathe is poisonous! 

On this Thanksgiving Day, I am grateful for we still have much to be thankful for - the rising sun, the spells of rain, the growing greens, the chirping birds, and everything else that is bestowed upon us by Mother Nature.

Only, we have to learn to respect, preserve and nurture these gifts. Especially in a day and age when our kids are getting pollution holidays....

Hope you liked this gratitude postcard. You can see some of my earlier ones here.

Mini Books for Kids

So 14 Nov is celebrated as Children's Day in India to coincide with our first Prime Minister's birthday (I've written about it here as well). Hence I thought it appropriate to share something prepared by my daughter recently.

She made these mini books totally by hand, after learning from a YouTube video by herself. Even as she made them, she figured out that these would make great autograph books - easy to carry around and just enough space for a signature.

Do let me know at creativerumblings@gmail.com if any of you would like to order these for your kids, or as return gifts or party favours. Sizes, cover designs and paper quality are all customizable as per requirement.

Deepawali Greetings

Creative Rumblings wishes you all a very happy, joyous and prosperous Deepawali.

Avian Tales - Part 1

For some inexplicable reason I'm besotted by birds and can't help drawing them endlessly. Here are some of my birdies, with their stories to boot. Hope you enjoy these....

Since I am

A thorough gentleman,

I will always carry

Flowers for my beloved.

A baby magpie

Came home one night

And slept in a shoe box

Till next morning

When it learnt to fly

And reunited with its folks.

#aviantales

Beaded Beauties

I put together a few neck pieces recently after a gap of almost an year. Created 3 of these beaded beauties simultaneously; quite an achievement given the lack of time on my hands.

But totally loved working on these neck pieces after such a long hiatus. Two of these are already taken, adorning the necks and collections of 2 beautiful ladies.

But here's a chance to give yourself a unique handmade gift ahead of the festive season. In case this remaining one - pink, red and white - catches your fancy, write in to me at  creativerumblings@gmail.com to connect and order. Made from polymer clay and a mix of glass and clay beads. Comes in a cute handmade box in keeping with our penchant for recycling. Price: Rupees 300 only. Courier charges as applicable. Can be couriered anywhere in India.

Our handmade neck pieces can always make the perfect match because they are completely customizable. You can choose the colour combinations, the length and the design to match them with your favourite outfits. So what's keeping you?.... Shoot off that mail right away and I'll be happy to help.

 

Weekend Evenings

I live for the weekend.... well, who doesn't? I love the relaxed, laid-back vibes that a weekend brings, without any tensions of waking up early or following a homework schedule. The clock takes a back seat as each of us indulges in their own favourite pastimes. Painting, crafting and music fills up our home on weekends.

While weekends give us valued family time, they are also ideal to celebrate the journey that we are together on. So many a weekend is spent with a glass of red wine, nibbling on smoked cheese and olives, with some great music playing in the background.

This collage, like its companion Mornings, is made up of handmade paper, teabag paper and newspaper scraps. In fact, as I was putting together this collage, I actually managed to include an old favourite number in the visuals (Hint: It is an English song from the late 60s). Can any of you guess which one it is? :)

 

Magical Mushrooms

With widespread rains finally lashing the city yesterday, here is the perfect drawing to celebrate the season. Toadstools or mushrooms crop up every monsoon after a spell of showers, adding some drama to our daily walk in the park.

Pity these pretty things don't last more than a day, unless they are the large variety that grow next to trees, like the ones in the picture below.

Over the years I have collected some of these dried-up mushrooms from my walks. They now liven up my terrace garden as props for the plants.

 

Birdie Drawings

When you are open to the beauty in your surroundings, you can see magic in the smallest of things.

My bird drawings come from that place of magic and beauty.

Can you identify any of the birds? And which one is your fav?
 

Lotus Pond Series

Finally I get to bring you my first painting series - 'Life in a Lotus Pond'.... Started in the summer of 2016, this is the first time I attempted a series. What is the big deal in painting a series, you may ask.... Making paintings in a series is just meant to be an opportunity for the artist to show how one can play around with an idea, and bring it to form in different ways, while keeping the essential elements intact.

I had been wanting to paint a lotus pond for a long time but not in your usual realistic style - there were already too many of those out there. So I tried a process of layering and detailing, trying to see if I could make it all work together. I didn't want the painting to look noisy and crowded, but I was a little unsure when I started as I had not done something like this before.

As my lotus flowers progressed, I placed an owl on one of the lotus leaves.... and that is where the idea for the series took off!! I wanted to have images of lotus flowers interspersed with the various creatures that one could find in a pond.

It was meant to be a fun series, and I am so happy that that is exactly how it turned out. And then, within an year, something magical happened! I showed my paintings to a dear client-turned-friend and she immediately picked up the first 2 pieces. Next I knew, she commissioned 2 more! I was on a roll... :D

So while I am juggling some more ideas and will be working on more paintings for this series, right now 4 paintings have already found a new home...

...Even as 3 finished paintings are ready and waiting for a wall.

Do let me know how you feel about this first series of mine. There is also another series waiting in the wings but more about that in a later post. In the meanwhile, if you are keen to commission anything on these lines or pick up the available pieces, write in to me at creativerumblings@gmail.com and we can discuss options.

Blue Elephants and Pink Whales

Few days back while browsing through Facebook, I came across these lines (you can read them on the left of the collage below). Fabulous expression of how we should let the inner child take over when we are working with colours.

Just reading those words made me want to work with more freedom, without a care about rules. And I simply love the outcomes! ❤💕

These bright, eye-catching drawings will look perfect in a kid's room or a play den. If you are looking for such artwork, write in to me at creativerumblings@gmail.com to discuss options.

So what is stopping you from finding red bears in purple forests? ☺

Monsoon Mornings

Hello July! But what is this....is half the year gone past already. I remember starting summer, and then everything is a blur. Happens to the best of us, I guess, especially when a teen and a pre-teen invade your space all the time! All thanks to the school vacations (exasperated eye roll please).

Anyhow, this month onwards I can reclaim some moments of peace.... And as the skies pour their blessings, my mornings will be enjoyable again.

So here's a mixed media collage that celebrates mornings spent in my garden sipping my favourite morning beverage. Though basically I'm a coffee person but my mornings have to begin with tea! Complicated, no? This was my first attempt at using teabag paper for art. It's a rage globally and works just like fine watercolour paper. Can you recognize where it is placed in the painting? I've also used handmade papers and newsprint to add to the effect.

This collage also reminds me of a sketch I did long back. Isn't it kind of amazing how the same elements crept back into this one too. Perhaps explains how artists tend to repeat their motifs throughout their artistic journey (I'm thinking of Hussain and his iconic horses). Here's looking forward to a creatively satisfying month. Though half my plans never seem to work yet hope is eternal, isn't it? Especially when gorgeous monsoon weather seduces your creative ideas!

Update: Check out the companion collage Evenings.

Bouncing Back with Red and Black

My efforts at jewellery making had to be moved to the back-burner after the challenging turn of life events last year. But perhaps it is time to pick up the threads again.... This beautiful neckpiece, sporting an elegant combination of red-black-grey was promptly lapped up by a friend last month (so quickly, in fact, that I forgot to click a picture and requested this from her).

While I have a thousand ideas swirling in my head, right now it is the paucity of time that is turning out to be my biggest bane. Hope I manage to streamline things soon; am hoping the schools reopening next month should give me more time for my passions.

With the festive season not far away, do spread the word about these customizable neckpieces. And write in to creativerumblings@gmail.com to place orders of your own.

May Lilies

The month of May is always marked by a bunch of these yellow lilies brightening up the garden. But the sweltering heat this year has ensured that there are still no signs of any blossoms. Though lilies do well in hot and dry conditions, but Delhi summers can get to be a bit too much even for these gorgeous blooms.... As the skies sport an occasional cloud cover, hope the May lilies oblige us this year as well in the coming weeks.

From an arty perspective, I am having great fun with my backgrounds these days, using a variety of media to create effects. What do you think of this new stylised background?
 

Ode To Laburnums

Today as I walked in the park, the sweet fragrance of flowering Laburnums (also called Amaltas) filled the air. So many trees, all covered in yellow, swaying in the breeze. That reminded me of a little poem I wrote last year.... and thought I'd share with you today.

Yellow butterflies

Fluttering in the breeze

Land on my lap

For a moment I freeze;

Till  I realise

That the yellow shower

Are but petals

Of the Laburnum flower.

The wind picks up

More petals flutter down;

On the grass, in my hair,

Covering the ground.

For the children who laugh and play

Beside the blooming tree:

Remain like the Laburnum -

Bright, fragrant and carefree!

© Madhurima Mathur

Circa 2016

The accompanying painting was also made last year, around the same time that I wrote the poem. Hope you enjoyed both. Laburnums always remain one of my choicest associations of summer.

Let Go

I wanted to post this to coincide with Easter last month but a paint job at home upset my working and posting schedules completely.

One of the most important of life's learnings is to let go and move on. Remember that time and tide​ wait for none. If you choose to remain stuck at a point, life is simply going to pass you by.

So loosen up and let go of that which serves no purpose or brings no good. For only then will new vistas unfold....

For high-resolution prints of this lovely poster, write in to me at creativerumblings@gmail.com to place your orders.

Seedpods

As a short spring rapidly turned into summer, the seasonal flowering plants in my garden began to dry up. Pottering around the garden cleaning up one morning, I landed up gathering seeds from the plants and marvelling at the various kinds of seedpods in my palms. That led to documenting some of them for posterity.

Pretty happy with the way the seedpod drawings have turned out.... though I did take some liberties with the colouring shades. Can you identify any of them, as in which plants they come from?

 

Face Mirror Makeover

A teeny-weeny makeover project I did a couple of months back. The daughter bragged about my arty skills to a teacher who promptly handed her this face mirror from her purse to refurbish.

Some sanding, a few coats of base paint, and then this simple minimalistic design did the trick. Unfortunately the yellow anthers against the mustard backdrop don't show up too well in the pictures.

Glad the teacher liked the finished look though. 😊

 

Botanical Drawings

Lately I am leaning a lot towards botanical drawings. Given the paucity of time for my creative endeavours, these are quick, relatively easy to make and satisfy my creative cravings.

However some get long-drawn in their completion - like these flowering aloe vera.

Scraggly, thorny, unkempt aloe bushes on my neighbour's terrace suddenly sprouted these dainty long stems and bright red flowers, heralding the end of winter and the coming of spring. Sights like these reaffirm that faint flicker of hope and faith in the human heart. Which is why I named it Rise....

 

Going Ahead...

Even as the shortest month draws to its end, I have been struggling to make time for my creative outings. Too many goings-on in my personal sphere including things like house repairs and kids' exams have translated into many incomplete pages in my sketch book, leave alone attempting any larger paintings or projects.

So this month I'll share the one rare completed drawing that I did recently, especially since its message is encouraging in many a situation.

Yes, at times a dash of humour helps us tackle difficult life situations in a better frame of mind. Don't you agree? Well, I surely can't wait to get to better opportunities... And oh yes, I love the cat!  :D

 

Gratitude Postcards

Just about 3 weeks into the new year and I am trying to get things back on track in my world. I'm no spring chicken - having spent enough years going round the sun, I can safely say that 2016 has decidedly been the worst year of my life thus far, with so much going wrong on so many fronts. But then the only way to move forward from all that drags one down is to count one's blessings. So I just have to be grateful for all the things that did go right in the midst of all that chaos last year.



Hence this first post of the new year is dedicated to sharing with you the gratitude cards that I made while trying to recover from loss and pain. They were simply my way of adopting a grateful attitude, of showing thankfulness and gratitude for the life that I live.



As things stand now, a lot of things have changed around me. How that pans out and impacts my creative self and my output is something that will show as we traverse through 2017. Here's hoping that the changes in my personal sphere only serve to act as a springboard to greater heights in the creative realm. Signing off on that optimistic note....

Here is something you may want to follow this year:

Wishing all my readers a wonderfully creative 2017 again....