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

The Red Umbrella

Back to the figures....with the rains having made a comeback and the weather turning oh-so-dreamy, I was reminded of this painting that was inspired by the magical monsoons.

I think I made this two years back but somehow never got around to sharing it here. The image took a long time to upload, probably because the background in this painting is a profusion of colours. Not sure if you can see it clearly but the major part of the backdrop is made up of little dots, in a bid to recreate the effects of Pointillism.

Wish all my readers a fabulous weekend!

Going Figurative

This time I thought of sharing with you my forays into the world of figurative abstracts. No artist worth their salt would ever shy away from attempting to capture the beauty of the human figure. Only how we do it differs....

Making figurative art makes me realise that I'm just not cut out for realistic portrayals. I find realism in figures a tad boring for now.... but who knows, with advancing years you may find me on the other side of the fence. That is how things go in an artist's head.... no explaining the 'whys' and the 'hows'!

The next one is more like a tribute to American greats like Jean Basquiat and Mikey Welsh.

Love the freedom that comes with art that you make by your own rules! I think I'm finally figuring out my style - bright, bold and in your face.... the kind you can love or hate, adore or detest, but definitely not ignore. :) What say, dear readers?

Festive Hangover

Still recovering from the festive hangover, hence the paucity of posts. Promise to buckle up in November, and bring you more creative fodder.

Here are a few images of our handmade and hand-painted efforts during Diwali. Wish people could keep things simple and traditional instead of the mindless blitzkrieg it is made out to be nowadays.

Diya painted by yours truly.

Little urns painted by my kiddies (aged 6 and 8).

Candle and diya drawings made by the kids to add to the Diwali decor.

Finally, a festive tablescape using my hand-painted tealight holders.

Hope all my readers had a cheerful festive season with their loved ones. Enjoy the afterglow and I shall see you next month! :)

Mustard Fields

Fields of yellow swaying in the breeze - a common sight in these parts in the middle of biting winter chill.

When everything is enveloped in foggy grey, the yellow and green of the mustard fields bring a sense of warmth and colour. So I decided to depict the scene using two diverse media.

This first one is a watercolor...

It has a dreamy quality to it, does justice to the trees in the middle of the field, and captures the light of the sun pretty well.

This second one is the same scene in acrylic and crayon...

This one captures the distinct colours in the sky better, gets the mustard field in the right shade of yellow, and has more texture to it. But those trees aren't as good here.

So which one do you like more?

Mongooses & Robins

Remember how I told you a few posts ago that the farmer's field behind our home is a great source of inspiration. Well, this painting stems entirely from the play of the mongooses and robins within the greens and browns of the fields.

I don't know what the connection is but I noticed that whenever the robins were active and hovering around in a pack, a couple of mongoose could also be spotted moving around. The afternoon was the chosen hour for this hide and seek between them.

Here is a close-up to give you a better feel of the piece.

Alas, now that the farmer has cut off most of his produce, the mongooses have vanished.... probably built new burrows in safer places.

I am currently working on a series of pieces all based on the farmer's field. Will show you bits and pieces off and on. Hope you enjoyed this one.

Weekend Crafting: I-Day Wrist Bands

India celebrated its 64th Independence day last Sunday, and the children joined the fervour with their I-Day wrist bands.

The credit for the idea goes entirely to my soon-to-be-five years old girl. Since they were so easy to make, I thought I should share the how-to with you.

1. Take a plain A4 size sheet, and fold it lengthwise, thrice over, to give your band some thickness.

2. Stick the loose ends down using a glue stick.

3. Colour/decorate one side the way you want (in this case we chose the colours of the national flag, of course).

4. When you are through with colouring/decoration, put some double-sided tape on one of the shorter ends of the plain side. This will help you fasten the band on your wrist.

Voila! Show off your new wrist band. :)

Parrots

More figurative artwork, this time using a new medium. My first brush with ink, and I loved its fluidity, though I have yet to go a long way in bettering my strokes.


This was a piece I really enjoyed creating, especially inspired as it is by the noisy parrots who drop in sometimes.

Loved the subject too, so I can assure you this won't be my last attempt with these raucuous fellows! :)

In Vacation Mode

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...." : John Denver (Leaving On A Jetplane)

January has been rather low-productive in terms of artwork. Not for lack of ideas, but mostly for a mix of reasons that I won't bore you with. Guess its time for a fresh perspective.

Maybe I need to recharge my batteries to start afresh.... so I'm off on a short trip to Jodhpur. Meanwhile you can catch some of my framed artwork here.

Hope to be back with something new to show soon.