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.

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.

The Tree Trunk Art Project

Another year, another public art project! So glad to be living in an area where we have some like-minded people who care to brighten up their immediate environs with street art. This time a dead tree trunk became our canvas. 

But let me share the back story first. So a couple of full-grown trees were transplanted a year back. While one survived the change, the other one could not make it. It withered and started shedding its bark. That is when this project was conceived by another resident artist. 

And voila! Over the Women's Day weekend in March, three of us got together to enliven the dead tree. With no plans in place, we started painting randomly. 

But as the colours took over the tree trunk, it acquired a colourful new identity.

From the greens of the grass and leaves to the red, pink, white, and blue flowers that blossomed on the trunk, each gave it a new dimension.

Then came the butterflies, ladybirds, and a variety of birds.

Finally came the unconventional elements - a dog, a mask, even a frothy beer mug hidden amidst the folds of the tree trunk!

It was a new, fun experience to give life to a dead object of this size. 

The best part was to be able to paint to our heart's content on such a large canvas. 

It was, no doubt, somewhat tiring, as you can see from our weary faces in our project wrap-up picture. But despite everything, it was an immensely satisfying experience! 😅

Nature Journal 2020: November-December

 

January often gets to see some spillover projects from the previous year, and this year is no different. The Nature Journal 2020 project that I started last year, is finally complete. Here's a glimpse of the double spread for November-December.

November-December pages

Also, here's a quick look at the front and back covers of the Nature Journal 2020.

The front and back covers

That brings another year of nature journaling to a close. The next one will now happen in 2025! That seems so far away.... Meanwhile, hope you all enjoyed this edition. 

Click on the 'nature journal' label in the right scroll bar to see all the journal pages together (both this edition and the previous one). You can see a flip-through of Nature Journal 2020 on my Instagram.

#naturejournal2020

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.

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!

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.

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.