Blue Heart Mosaic

 

Earlier this year, we created a blue mosaic heart on a stone slab to commemorate 2020, the year of the nasty pandemic that has taken the world by storm. Covid-19 has affected countless people globally, impacting individuals, their means of livelihood, and their families adversely.

This blue heart mosaic stands in our front garden as a mark of thankfulness to all the frontline workers in the middle of these unprecedented times. Those that left behind their loved ones at home to venture out to the call of duty, risking their lives for ours.

We wish for a better, kinder world in the coming year. A world where people are not afraid to meet, to hug and hold hands, and most importantly, a world that does not place restrictions on our freedom. Hope our wish for a happier, healthier world comes true soon.

Owlie Party

 

I have been drawing a lot of owls lately. All of these made their debuts in the last couple of months on my Instagram.

It all started with this paper-collaged fashionable fellow.

Encountering screeching owls flying overhead on our evening walks, only fuelled my imagination more.

And finally, this sleepy owl was made for an Inktober prompt last month.

Hope you like my owlie party as much as I loved creating them! :)

Hair-Raising Tales: Part 2

 

Remember the Hair-Raising Tales I posted in September? Illustrations inspired by my daughter's crazy wild hair that drew a lot of laughs! Well, the hair-raising tales are back on popular demand. This time I was inspired by lockdown hair.

Yes, that time in our lives when the salons were closed, and our hair grew and grew.... totally wild and free. Here's presenting a couple of hair-dos that many of you may identify with. Only that I added my own funny spin to them.

Presenting the bun-cushion.... when there is so much hair on our heads that our beehive buns could double up as a cushion!

And this second drawing represents jungalow hair.... so much hair that it is as dense as a jungle out there! 

Hope you enjoy these illustrations as much as you enjoyed the last batch of hair-raising tales.

Deepavali Greetings

Creative Rumblings wishes you and your loved ones a happy, healthy, and safe Diwali!

We humbly request that given the already worsening air quality, do celebrate creatively without destroying the environment. 

Let the light within shine with all its might!

Nature Journal 2020: October

 

Since the Inktober challenge (see my last post) and other random things kept me occupied through last month, I had to put together the Nature Journal page for October in a rush at the end of the month.

October is the changeover season, when the summer staples are on their way out and winter seasonals are planted. In the midst of this, Shiuli or night-flowering jasmine stands out as the autumn staple.

I'm planning to do a double spread for the November-December pages of the Nature Journal. Let's see how that works out!

#naturejournal2020

Inktober Impressions

 

Hey, readers! So how many of you are Inktober fans here? Well, it was something I had been hearing about for a long time but finally this year I decided to participate in the fun!

To give you some background, Inktober is a month-long drawing challenge started by American artist Jake Parker way back in 2009. It involves making drawings using ink as per a prompt list posted at the beginning of October every year. Now there are many different versions of this challenge floating around Instagram, each with their own set of prompts and hashtags.

So here's presenting you all a peep into my Inktober grid. Though I joined in late (after over half the month had passed), I really enjoyed working on some of the prompts. The above grid shows my drawings based on sleep, table setting, and pomegranates (left to right) while the grid below displays my illustrations for gourds and mushrooms (top to bottom).

Meanwhile, those of you who are still not following Creative Rumblings on Instagram are missing out on some good stuff. I'm sharing more stories out there and posting more often, while the blog only gets to see a delayed compilation. So hope to catch you on Instagram!

Mosaic Cacti Planter

 

There's something about joining broken pieces to make a new whole. Giving fresh life to broken pieces by recycling and reinventing. 

And that is exactly what I did with the concrete planter that the gardener mistakenly broke last month. Instead of throwing it, I decided to refurbish it to plant my expanding collection of cacti. But only after giving the broken edge of the planter a new mosaic finish.

Since I had glass beads lying around, I combined them with hand-cut pieces of ceramic tile to make these mosaic flowers. Afterwards, I fixed them in place using adhesive and cement grout.

After the gardener helped replant the cacti, this is what the final piece looks like. Isn't that a lovely makeover? Now I can't wait for those cacti to bloom in summers.

Update: 

Had to share a picture of the mosaic cacti planter with its beautiful blooms.

Project successful :)

The Community Art Project - Part 2

 

Hey, readers! Hope you all enjoyed our community mosaic story that was featured last month. Yes, I am still somewhat in mosaic mode, as we cross the wall showcasing our artwork often and feel happy for our contribution. Moreover, I am also making small mosaic pieces around the house as and when I get time. So I thought of bringing you all a peep behind the scenes, with this write-up about the process of mosaic making.

Mosaics can be made in multiple ways, the most common and obvious one being the direct method, where tesserae pieces that make up the mosaic are stuck directly on to the substrate and grouted. However, since our community artwork was large and the weather was horribly hot and humid, working outdoors was not a good idea. Moreover, there was the scare of the pandemic. So it was decided to mosaic using an indirect method. 

We had a printout of our artwork as the guideline... 

...and we assembled the mirror and tile pieces over a mesh.

Cutting tile and mirrors neatly to size is an art in itself, and the boys did a better job of it.

Indirect methods of mosaic making give you the freedom to innovate as you go along. Like the ponytails I added on one of the kids to bring gender balance to our piece.

Once our mosaic was complete, we lifted the mesh and checked for unattached pieces. Other than posing with the artwork, of course!

On the day of installation, we cut the mosaic to size before adhering it to the wall. 

Finally, we went back the next morning to grout and buff our artwork. Grouting gives the final finished look to a mosaic, other than sealing and waterproofing it.

And this is us with our mosaic kids!

The finished artwork now looks like this, the mirror outlines glistening beautifully in the light. 

For any similar mosaic projects you have in mind, do get in touch or write to us at  creativerumblings@gmail.com. We will help create from scratch a hand-cut piece of mosaic artwork to brighten up your spaces.

Nature Journal 2020: August-September

Since I was in mosaic heaven last month, the August page of the Nature Journal got delayed. Then I decided it would be better to present the two months together as the layout worked nicer that way. So here's bringing you the August-September pages of Nature Journal 2020. 

Hope you enjoy the double spread of natural snippets. As I lose myself in my green wonderland to converse with my many non-human friends. :) 

#naturejournal2020

Hair-Raising Tales: Part 1

Let me declare right at the outset that this post is dedicated to the darling daughter. For this is her special month.

But more importantly, she and her crazy wild hair, have been the inspiration behind each of the hair-related illustrations that I came up with. 

This is one post a lot of women should identify with. Especially since we all are familiar with bad hair days, and how they affect our moods. 

Heck, one can hold bad-hair episodes directly responsible for all our off-colour, grumpy days! :D

Hope you enjoy these illustrations. Do let me know which ones are your favourite.

Update: See Hair-Raising Tales: Part 2 

The Community Art Project - Part 1

 

Life is full of surprises, they say! And when an exciting prospect presents itself in the middle of this pandemic-ridden year, it only gets sweeter. As the lockdown started and all plans came to a grinding standstill, there was a sense of despondency and uncertainty. But who knew that the year would provide us with such a wonderful learning opportunity to pick up a new skill.

Despite the pandemic scare, our local RWA decided to go ahead with a public art project that was to be executed by the community, for the community. The project involved sprucing up an entry wall facing the main gate to our block. But the challenge - it was to be done in mosaic! 

Kanika Singh from Mini Mason Mosaics came on board to be our mentor and guide. A visit to her gorgeous studio, followed by a Zoom consultation and a quick hands-on workshop, and the four teams were raring to try their hands at the new skill of mosaic making.

Snapshots from the hands-on workshop

The public artwork was designed to represent three generations of a family living in our block, along with their pet, and how each of them is enjoying their lives in the community. Each team picked up a particular character silhouette to work on. We brought home the playful kids.

Bringing our mosaic kids to life, little by little

As each team worked from the safety of their own homes due to the pandemic, our community artwork started coming together in bits and pieces. 

Each team with their mosaic at their home

And before long the dazzling pieces were ready to be installed.

Our mentor demonstrating the installation process

Pleasant mornings, with cloudy skies and a gentle breeze, made it seem like a picnic of sorts as all the teams gathered over a weekend to get their mosaic pieces up on the wall.

Prepping the pieces pre-installation

As our piece had a lot of intricate areas (the arms, legs and fingers), it needed many helping hands to get them to stay in place. Reminding me of Jiddu Krishnamurthy's famous words, "It takes a village to raise a child."

It took a village to get the kids up there

When the artwork was finally put up for the public, it was such a gratifying experience to be able to give back to the community, especially in these difficult times. To have been chosen as a medium to spread positivity is indeed fulfilling.

We feel that public art always arouses a sense of wonder, joy and hope in the community at large. Just a glimpse provides nourishment to tired souls, even if briefly. Much needed in these stressful times.

The completed mosaic mural

We feel immensely grateful for the new learning, and the opportunity to connect with some great people. 

Key members of the team

As together we bring a smile on the faces of those who view, enjoy and interact with our art. Hoping to spread joy for years to come! :)

Update: Read Part 2 of this story here.

Capturing Oreo Again

Remember my grand plans of doing a series on the canine inhabitants of our lane (see here). Well, progress has been super slow on that front as I have my fingers in too many pies! At any given point of time, I seem to have half a dozen projects running simultaneously (big eye roll at myself). But well, let me not digress...

In these past few months, all I managed to complete was this full portrait of Oreo (read more about him here). Since the guy loves bread and bones, I added them in. And those little triangles represent the tid-bits that he keeps getting from everyone in the lane.

Don't know if this series will go any further but if I add any new paintings, they'll surely be shared here. Do check back for updates. To commission any pet portraits, write to  creativerumblings@gmail.com.

More Journal Snippets

As an artist, I find myself using journals to express myself very often. A journal is like a diary, only more visual. You are already seeing pages from my Nature Journal every month. So thought of sharing a few pages from my Transition Journal that I finished earlier this month.

The above picture is the front cover, and the picture below features an amalgamation of some individual pages along with the back cover.

In these difficult days when our world is in the grip of the pandemic, maintaining a daily/weekly/fortnightly or even monthly journal is a good way to release some pent up stress, sadness and frustration. Try it, dear readers!

Nature Journal 2020: July

Sharing with you all the July page of the Nature Journal 2020. The lack of rains in our part of the world for the first half of the month led to extremely hot and humid days. Thankfully, the rains arrived towards the end of July. 

However, this pattern of intense heat followed by equally intense downpours points to a greater issue, namely the impact of climate change. I believe it is surely creeping in upon us, and the pandemic is just one fallout of the same. What are your thoughts on this, dear readers?

#naturejournal2020

Revisiting Exhibition Memories

Five years back, today was a day of such excitement - my 3 day exhibition was to start, and I was literally living my dream. Presenting my handiwork in a large public forum at a prestigious mall; simply loved the experience and the exposure.

You can read in detail about the exhibition here, while these pictures are a happy reminder of the event.

Now given our present circumstances and the new normal that the virus has imposed on us, such events seem rather distant. No one can really predict how and when things will get normalized in the future. In the meantime, you can connect with us at creativerumblings@gmail.com for any related decor requirements. We will be happy to serve you via courier.

Mixed Media Squares

For today's post, we need to go back in time a bit. Let us revisit these previous posts of mine from February 2016 - Faces and Figures, and The Making of a Flower Girl. For a recap, those artworks were made in mixed media using a variety of techniques like stamping, collaging, and finally some intuitive mark making. 

I landed up making quite a few of these 10"x10" mixed media squares, and tucked them away in some corner of my supplies cupboard. Some personal upheavals later that year made me forget about these completely, and I did not post about them here. Till we moved houses and cities last year and I recently rediscovered them while searching for something else. 

Lined up together they looked so pretty that I decided to dedicate a much-deserved post to them finally. So I will not go into the details of the process (for that you can see the previous posts from February 2016), but let you feast your eyes.

Can you identify this singer? My hubby's favourite!

I simply love this cat portrait.

Here is another view of the ladies. They definitely brightened up our lockdown days. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Nature Journal 2020: Half Yearly Update

First, the good news - my Nature Journal for 2020 has finally started taking shape. Though this year the journal size is smaller but I'm glad I have lots of stuff to put in it, including specimens from my own garden.

Now, for the confession - I was so absorbed in enjoying my blossoming new garden at the beginning of the year, that I completely forgot to take samples or record observations for January and February. With over twenty varieties of flowers, those two months could have made for a separate flower journal. 

Meanwhile, this year's nature journal starts in March, alongside the Covid-induced lockdown. 

While the first 2 pages cover the months of March to May, there are month-wise individual pages from June onwards. Needless to say, many of this year's jottings include references to this unprecedented time in our lives, and to the impact of the pandemic.

Now hope to bring you a fresh post each month on the nature journal through the rest of the year.

#naturejournal2020

Creative Rumblings Now on Instagram

As June is our birthday month, we decided to gift ourselves an Instagram account.

Yes... yippee!! we are finally on Insta and loving it already. Now help us make our birthday more fun by following our Insta feed right away.

You'll find our feed to be a mixed bag - some old some new, some familiar some forgotten, some fresh and some faded. But isn't that what life is about!

So go on.... show us some love on Instagram. Our handle is 'creativerumblings' of course, as shown in the above screen grab!

Look forward to connecting with you all on this new platform.