Sea Gulls

Drive along a river or go down to the beach and you cannot miss them.... Standing at the water's edge, rummaging for food in the wet, marshy soil. The bright yellow of their beaks in sharp contrast to the white and black feathers. No coast can ever be complete without these gulls and their loud, screechy calls.

My inspiration to paint seagulls came from two close encounters with them. One was years back on the Pacific coast in California, where I spotted them atop a beach shed, perched in an orderly queue. I remember clicking a picture that must be tucked away in my albums somewhere (digital photography was still very new back then). The second encounter happened last year during a vacation to Goa where I spotted hordes of them on a drive along the backwaters. Anyhow, this painting was another satisfying attempt at my new brushless technique.

I haven't been painting much lately; am going through a creative impasse of sorts. Hope relaxing over the upcoming long weekend puts my mind back into the creative mode.

The Old Godown At Mattanchery

Haven't we all come across these old, abandoned godowns, sometimes bang in the middle of a bustling megapolis. Why only Mattanchery?.... this could be anywhere in India. I remember seeing some properties like these both in Delhi and Mumbai.

Anyhow, coming back to the painting.... Leafing through a newspaper article I chanced upon a picture of an old, dilapidated godown at Mattanchery, in the old town area of Kochi (erstwhile Cochin) in Kerela. The blues, browns and whites of the picture made for a striking combination and inspired me to create this painting (click on the picture for a larger view). These abandoned spice godowns make for very interesting subjects and I remember reading a blog on them a few days back.

Now for the catch - this painting here is an entirely brushless effort. Yes, you read it right - no brush was used in the making of this painting. It has been created with a discarded credit card and was a very quick, inspired piece, made over an evening.

Also, today I officially complete 5 years of playing around with paints on paper and canvas. In these five years, from making a slow and shaky start, I have moved to bigger sizes and bolder strokes. And yes, given up the brush for more interesting mediums to paint with! :) Do wish me luck as I carry on my romance with colour.... for many more years to come!!

A Peek Into My Journal Pages

A few weeks back I had promised to share with you the pages from my first art journal. Well, here goes.... hope you enjoy the visuals.

Mr. Frog and the toadstool were created by a personalised stencil cut. The design on the top right was made with the help of layers of masking tape, peeling layers as each colour was applied. It was then finished with some sponging. The flowers on the bottom right are paper collaging on an acrylic background.

Madame O was inspired by a family of spotted owls we spotted at the park recently, sitting exactly like this atop an eucalyptus tree. The creation on the top right is a combination of cloth, foil and designed paper. It so reminds me of a circus tent top though you can't quite make that out in this picture. The bottom right doodles were inspired by henna designs; made using pen and watercolour.

This panel has some of my favourite designs. Moving clockwise from top left, I Heart Art is made with paper collaging and acrylics, finished with some pen work. The top right piece is my attempt at being Jackson Pollock. Done entirely without any brushes using finger painting and splatter technique. The funny shaped houses (they didn't quite turn out how they were supposed to) are again a combo of multiple techniques but the most interesting part in this is the background. The brownish parts that give a smoky look are created using.... guess what?!?!...... Coffee!!! yes, really, it is coffee. Isn't that a fabulous finish? The last panel is an ode to okra; simple veggie stamping for the background and repeating the designs with markers for the foreground.

And that is how my tiny folding journal looks - folded and opened up. Phew! And I still haven't shown you all.... some panels didn't photograph well so maybe those will come in another post. Now you see how much a little journal can hold. So hurry up.... get started yourself and happy journaling!

Pattachitra Bottle

With the annual Rath Yatra (car festival) of Lord Jagannath having started in Orissa and other parts of the country this weekend, the time seemed appropriate to post about another aspect of the state - its arts and crafts. Orissa has always been deeply associated with age-old crafting traditions. Its villages of Pipli and Raghurajpur are famous for their colourful appliques and Pattachitra crafts the world over. Though I have visited the state many years back, but a visit to these craft villages has been on my to-do list for a while now.

Recently I attended a casual workshop where one of the projects was making a Pattachitra bottle. I couldn't be happier, of course! But it is only once I started painting that I realised how much patience is required to execute the intricate designs. And mine is nowhere close to what the Orissa artisans make.... I remember seeing these bottles a few years back at the Surajkund Crafts Fair when they were getting newly introduced in the market. Absolutely amazing designs and such delicate finery!

I chose to make Jagannath-Subhadra-Balram, the three gods that almost define Orissa; they are placed in the famous Jagannath Temple in Puri and worshipped in every Oriya home. Hope my bottle does justice to the images of these much-loved deities. Click on the image to see a better view of the bottle.

And next time you come across those Oriya craftsmen at a fair, don't forget to stop by, admire their creativity and pick up some gorgeous pieces for your home. Alternatively, you could commission a bottle from me by writing to me at creativerumblings@gmail.com. Have a happy July! :)

Art Journals: My New Love

Writing a post after 3 long weeks.... yes, you can say I have been ignoring the blog. Quite a bit. And I have my reasons...

The sultry heat of the past few days is making me listless and unwilling to  go through the whole process of taking pictures, downloading and sorting them, and creating blog posts. And then my readers don't seem to share any enthusiasm either; there was hardly any response to my call for ideas in the last post. So why write when no one reads! So there.... every girl has got to vent sometimes, what say?!?

Well, I write these posts most of all for myself, for my satisfaction, for keeping a virtual record of all the work I do. And that is why here I am writing again...

In the last month or so I have fallen hook, line and sinker for the joys of art journaling. Since you cannot put every little idea on to a canvas straightaway, these art journals come to the rescue. They help hold an album of tips, tricks, techniques and experiences.... and of course, great quotes!

I have started with a folding journal, pictures of which I'll share with you soon.... when I complete all its panels. The picture you see today is from that same journal, made earlier this month on the occasion of World Environment Day.

 Making an art journal is so much fun because you get to work on something new each day. And since the size isn't too large, you actually can finish a piece in a single sitting, something that is impossible to do with larger paintings. Do check out Google and YouTube for some amazing art journal lessons, and get hooked yourself! :)

Approaching Milestone Alert

Hey readers, have something exciting to share with you!!.....  In just about two months from now, I will be hitting another milestone. Yippee!!!

My journey with the paintbrush started way back in July 2009, and I just realized that I have now been painting for 5 years at a stretch.... and that surely is something to celebrate! Never thought I'd last 5 weeks when I started. :)

I was flipping through the blog archives when I remembered that though the blog and my passion for bottle painting started much earlier, it took me a while to work up the courage to put brush to paper. A quick scroll down the dates revealed my hunch was right - I created my first painting much after my other experiments. So while the blog is into its sixth year, my foray into painting will complete five years this July!

 

My first painting - The Lotus Ganesha

(Acrylic on paper)

Isn't that a real good reason to celebrate? So here is where you, dear readers, have a part to play. I want your help to decide how best to celebrate this milestone? - Plan a sale, hold a giveaway, or hold a blog party? What would excite you the most?

Go on, give me those ideas. Or at least tell me which idea of mine appeals to you the most. We have just about two months to set this up.... so hurry up and fire away the comments!

Eternal Spring

A mixed media piece this time that says "In my heart lies eternal spring".... the piece is such an amalgamation of techniques and motifs that I'm not sure the picture will do justice to its varied nuances.

Maybe a list of the techniques I used to create this will help those of you who want to try something similar. So here goes... this piece includes:

1. Paper collaging, acrylic washes and stamping with real leaves for the background effects.
2. Stenciling (with handmade stencils and homemade modelling paste) for the raised effects in the foreground.
3. Then come the special effects that capture the essence of Spring - like the paper-torn sun in the right corner.... representing the life giver, the force that induces life to spring afresh; the butterflies and ladybirds placed strategically around the piece that are so symptomatic of spring blooms; bright coloured flower accents and real pressed flowers placed all over.
4. 3-D outliners to add specific accents like the butterfly feelers.

As a final touch, I pasted the quote in the lower left side, and voila!.... the piece was ready.

The beauty of mixed media lies in its undercoats, things that go into the background and only show up partially in the final scheme of things. They add a sense of mystique and the layered look gives a certain depth to the final piece.

Anyone wanting a similar mixed media piece for brightening up your walls, write to me at creativerumblings@gmail.com and gift your abode some happiness.