Folksy Figures

These last few months I have been trying out a new style of work inspired by European folk art, with a focus on the figurative. This style is reminiscent of the many picture-laden books that formed my childhood library collection, and adapts well to storytelling.

Artist at work 

 

Painting and collage elements come together to create this mixed media style. It allows me to let my imagination take me places, as I introduce or remove elements as per my whims and fancy.

Amidst the cherry blossoms 

I am enjoying the freedom that comes with this style of painting, and looking forward to creating more pieces.

The Collab Story

A couple of months back my cousin from Bangalore introduced me to a friend who had recently taken up woodworking. I contacted him and we decided to collaborate on a project. 

Last month I received two handmade boxes made by him using recycled pine wood. I sprinkled some of my creative splashes on them, and they transformed right before my eyes. From bland and boring beige, they turned into dazzling divas full of colours and whimsy, with a story hidden in the designs chosen for each box.

Here's taking you through the creative makeover of those two boxes. For more details on the makeover process, see my Instagram account @creativerumblings that carries more fun pictures and reels of the collaboration in my highlights.

For the first box that travelled back to Bangalore to its maker, I chose to paint pomegranates and lotus flowers as those motifs symbolize abundance and prosperity. 

This particular box had an unusual shape, and two small lids for its two compartments. So I chose to go with a quirky 'His and Her' depiction, painting faces on the lids.

The second box was mine to keep. Those of you who know me also know about how Nature inspires a lot of my work. So I wanted this box to be a tribute to trees, and to the ecosystem around them. After all, that is where the wood for the box came from in the first place! 

That is why all the side panels of the second box along with its hinged cover feature flora and fauna derived from my observation of trees, and the life around them.

All in all, the collab (short for 'collaboration' if you haven't figured out yet) was a fascinating experience that pushed me to try something beyond my regular painting practice. It also taught me to think of designs from a product perspective, basing my choices on the utility of the boxes. I loved how my colourful designs totally changed the look and feel of both the boxes. Looking forward to more such creative adventures!

Closing In

 

I am finally awakening from my winter hibernation. My spirit animal must be the grizzly bear cause that is exactly how I feel in winters, grumpy and inhospitable. Jokes apart, the very pleasant weather this month inspired me to work on my first painting of this year.

Lately, there have been too many reports of man-animal conflicts.... of animals entering human habitats. Err, wait.... or is it the other way around? Leopards especially seem to be repeatedly in the news for run-ins with humans and our settlements. And so, this piece is called 'Closing In'.

Closing in : habitats shrinking, territories overlapping, movements clashing.... just a matter of time before there's a full blown war out there!

 

I hope to use my art to give a voice to these unheard ones. So that we humans can be more mindful of the other species that cohabit this planet with us.

Check my Instagram page for more visuals and related videos.

The 'Karela' Tales

 

'Karela' is the Hindi name for the bitter gourd.

2016

In the summer of 2016, I think my mother planted a few karela seeds as her friend encouraged her to try growing these at home. Or maybe because as she always threw the vegetable peels into her pots to make manure, a few seeds invariably made their way into the mix, sprouting with the rains. Anyhow, a couple of karelas came but were quickly infested. Mom was disappointed with her maiden attempt at veggie growing and threw away the spoilt produce. But the vine remained...

Then in autumn she suddenly went away. In my grief, I preserved a leaf from the karela vine planted by her. It was one of my ways of paying tribute to her green fingers while creating a tangible memory for posterity.

Karela Leaf - 2016

2023

On a whim, I planted some karela seeds in summer and numerous vines came up. Only this time, though the initial produce was not very encouraging, I persisted. Once the rains subsided, the plants picked up and gave us continuous produce right through autumn. Incidentally, the karela vine has very pretty shaped leaves. So I decided to incorporate some into my artwork this year too.

Karela leaf prints - 2023

Managing to grow the karela successfully was a strangely inexplicable experience, as if I was completing a task left halfway by my mother. Seven years later, life had finally come full circle! Now when I place the two pieces of art together, it gives me a sense of continuity.

From one generation to another, life flows on...

Catty Conundrums

 

In the last couple of years, a black cat has been visiting my garden almost daily. Sometimes hiding behind the lilies, sometimes crouching under the frangipani. At other times, just passing through with a swagger and familiarity that sends the birds tittering away in fright.

Many times when I am out for a walk I notice that if a black cat crosses the path, folks ahead of me often stop for awhile or change their course. I am aware that in many cultures black cats are considered a bad omen and associated with negativity. But who can explain this to a cat lover? For the folks out there who feed black cats or own one as a pet, they are a source of joy and succour. And shall remain so, regardless of what the rest of the world thinks.

While I am not exactly a cat lover but I hold no grudges against a creature just because of its colour. Rather, I admire the sleek coat of the black cat that visits my garden often. Its fur shines in the sunlight as it swiftly darts between my plants. Its eyes speak volumes as I run to chase it away, for it digs up my plant beds.

That is why I thought of capturing this visitor in my artwork. For omens and prejudices are not worth a meow in my world. And they shall never cast a shadow on my creative outings.

The Red Umbrella Revisited

 

A recent photo of the Sunaks from their Delhi visit went viral. Yes, that rather romantic capture of the young couple sharing a red umbrella, as they walked around the Akshardham temple in the midst of a steady drizzle.

Their photo took me back some ten years or so when the hubby and I were similarly caught in a downpour and shared a red umbrella. Only that we were walking in a park, and our experience was not caught on camera but was captured for posterity in a painting.

The unifying red umbrella

The similarity between the two episodes was so stark, even though we belonged to completely diverse backgrounds - a young couple handling a less-than-ideal situation, in a public space, with many eyes on us.

It made me realize that at the end of the day, no matter who you are or where you come from, it is the fleeting fragility of such precious moments that brings us all together. This sameness of the human experience is what binds us in an indefinable yet unbreakable bond.

Think about it...

Read the original red umbrella post here

#redumbrella #sunaks #mathurs #preciousmoments #candidcaptures #creativerumblings

New Series: Conversations

 

Bringing you this month my new ongoing series titled 'Conversations'. Set amidst urbanized nature, this series explores our interactions with our natural surroundings, and with other creatures of the planet. It presents my perspective on how the urban and the natural can harmoniously coexist.

Conversations - 1

This ongoing series is deeply inspired by real-life experiences. The first painting is an ode to our evening tea sessions on the terrace, where amidst the solidity of the surrounding trees and the fragility of the potted blooms, we interacted not only amidst ourselves but also with many feathered friends.

Conversations - 2

The second painting takes the interaction with the avian world a step further, focussing on a one-on-one conversation.

Both these paintings are acrylics on paper, and sized 11" x 7". Do write in at creativerumblings@gmail.com in case you wish to purchase or commission a painting.

Mosaic Garden Stake

 

Two months and zero posts - not a happy milestone, by any means! But some upheavals on the family front, coupled with the bone-chilling cold, kept the creative projects on hold for a while. Now here's starting the year's posting with a detailed walkthrough of our latest mosaic project - a garden stake created entirely using recycled materials. 

This sustainable artwork uses broken tiles/ceramics and mirrors mounted on a PVC pipe. To see the entire process, click here. 

The stake can be placed in the ground directly or planted in a container, thus giving us the flexibility to move it around, and making it an indispensable garden decor item. Love the pop of colour it adds to our garden! If you have any queries on this project, write to us at creativerumblings@gmail.com and we'll connect.

The Lepidoptera Artist Book

 

This month I'd like to bring you my 'Moths and Butterflies' handmade journal, prepared from scratch by recycling common materials around the house. Click here to see a process video of how you can also make a junk journal or artist book of your own.

Pages from the Moths and Butterflies journal

In my artist book, I am trying to capture all the pretty Lepidoptera (species of insects) seen around the area I am located in. 

Close up of the hand-painted images

Being in the midst of green open spaces, we are lucky to have a wide variety of beautiful insects not commonly seen in urban settings. There is a wide range of butterflies, right from the tiny grass ones to large beautiful swallowtails and tigers. The moths here are also larger and include hawkmoths, strikingly colourful and positively exotic.

Given the way climate change is creeping upon us, I'd like to capture the beauty of these Lepidoptera for posterity so that future generations aren't deprived of the pleasure of knowing about them.

Still Life Compositions

 

Sharing with you all a few of my still life compositions and tablescapes - some old and some new, some real and some imagined.

These two were painted earlier this year in summer.

Snake Plant in Green Teacup

Milk and Wine Lilies

While these two were painted almost ten years back and were sold recently.

White Petunias - 2

Red Hibiscus in Orange Can

Can you find any changes through the years? It is good to revisit old work as that gives one a sense of how much progress has been made over time. The one thing that I find has remained constant in my work through the years - my bright and bold style. 

Write to me at creativerumblings@gmail.com to purchase my work.

Aceing the Distressed Look

 

This blog post is an attempt to take you through the process of giving wood the much-in-vogue distressed look. All it takes are a few coats of paint and some sanding, and voila!

So let us start at the very beginning.... I wanted to paint an old wooden display table with the distressed look. Painting this old table would extend its life as well as revamp its value as a decor piece. This is how the table looked before I started.

First, I lightly sanded the raw wooden surface and added a coat of primer to it. Giving a base coat of primer is always a good idea as it helps smoothen the painting surface, and fills in all the small gaps in the wood. Let the primer dry out well, preferably overnight.

Next I got out my acrylic paints and got to the interesting part. Achieving the distressed look basically involves removing parts of the top coat of paint to reveal the inner layer. So you should always choose contrasting colours to bring out the distressed effect. I chose white as the base coat and a dark pink as the top coat.

As you apply the different colours one over the other, make sure that each coat dries out completely before you paint over it.

Lastly, rub lightly over the dried top coat with a smooth-grain sandpaper to bring out the base coat colour. Remember that the distressed look is not meant to be uniform; at some places the effect will show up more than others. 

And TaDa! The distressed wooden table is ready for display.

If you would like to see a short video of the process described above, visit the Creative Rumblings YouTube channel. You can subscribe to my channel to view other process videos and take back loads of DIY ideas that are sustainable and environment-friendly.

The Lemon Tree Studies

 

This month I'm bringing you my lemon tree studies. But first, the back story: so we have a lemon tree right in the middle of the backyard, planted by the previous residents. It has a uniquely shaped crooked stem and gives fruits aplenty in season. Though I wish the fruits would turn yellow sooner.... they remain a vibrant green for weeks, and take forever to ripen. 

But I'm grateful for the lemon tree and its bounties anyway. So I tried painting it using acrylics at different times of the day. The aim was to capture the changing light, and the various moods of our crooked lemon tree.

The Crooked Lemon Tree

The first study focusses on the unique crooked shape of the tree, and how the leaves light up in direct sunshine. Maybe we need more chairs in the shade to enjoy the balmy weather! Who all want to join me? 😃

The View from the Bedroom

This next study keeps the lemon tree as the central focus but also attempts to capture its pretty neighbours - a flowering vine, a herb, and a fruit tree. This study is my favourite of the three lemon tree studies I painted, as I enjoyed its complexity. 

In the Evening Light

The last study is an attempt to catch the fading evening light falling on the lemon tree, where some parts of it are in the direct light while some others are in a pinkish reflected haze.

Hope you enjoyed this foray into my backyard, and the various moods and shades of the lemon tree. Do let me know in the comments if any of you would like prints of these lemon tree studies.

Having Fun With Gouache and Ink

 

The last couple of weeks I have been making a series of pen drawings accentuated using gouache and ink. 

Some of these drawings use paper collage in the background.

Both gouache and ink are pretty fluid media, and very responsive to how you handle them. 

Being water soluble makes them easily adaptable, but unlike watercolours, once dry they are permanent. I found both media well-suited for botanical drawings. What do you think of the outcomes?

Summer Outfits Galore In Our Redbubble Store

 

Midsummer has just gone by, and are you still looking for a fresh wardrobe for summer? Then stop right here and check out our designs on summer garments at our Redbubble online store.

Click on the link below to visit the shop.

Redbubble shop link: https://www.redbubble.com/people/MadChat/shop

Dresses and T-shirts in over a dozen designs are available at the click of a finger.

Cool clothing in comfortable styles and pastel, summery shades to ensure a cool summer for you!

So what's stopping you?.... Spread the word amongst your friends and enjoy a unique shopping experience.