Sketch-Time With My Daughter

I was digging through my old stuff when I came upon this sketch I had done few years back. It's done with oil pastels. I was actually overjoyed on seeing it...maybe was feeling nostalgic! This is no one I know, if you are thinking It's a portrait. I actually think I am not good at portraits. Anyways I got inspired with this finding and spent my evening yesterday doing some sketches very leisurely.

This is a very bare sketch done in about 5 minutes ( was losing patience as I saw the vase nearby and wanted to do that as well!!!)

When doing my vase I took a little more time as the lines had to do be done with a bit of care. All the while my 5 year old daughter was sitting next to me and doing her sketch. She finished it in within minutes and asked why am I taking so long! Finally when I finished with the vase, she enquired "why don't you draw me next?" She was beaming with such enthusiasm that I couldn't let her down. I thought I'll give it a try.

It hasn't come very clearly. But I think that wasn't bad!!! (Just giving myself a compliment:)). Her posture is one of whistling...she said I had to it with that (smiling all the while! Naughty huh?) And below is her sketch that I mentioned above. Cute, right? To give you a better idea, it's choco bar, chocolate cone ice cream, orange juice and chocolate milk respectively.

Hope you enjoyed your time here. Thanks for taking the time to read it.

Innocent Creations

Meet Donald Zolan:
Donald Zolan is an artist whose paintings are full of life with children enjoying their happy, innocent, secure and exciting childhood. Their eyes twinkle with the marvels of nature unfolding before them. It’s a Wonderland and every single thing around them captivates their attention. When I first came upon his paintings through a forward from one of my friends, Manesh…I felt truly blessed! It inspired me and rendered immense pleasure that words fail to express. The sweet innocent faces beaming with various emotions are a wonder to watch. I just couldn’t imagine how he drew so very beautiful children!!! Creativity at its best!!! The setting is idyllic and he never fails to capture the wonder of early childhood which has always been a source of inspiration for this great artist. I wanted to know more about him and searched through Google (the best!) I wanted to share this amazing paintings and info with my fellow bloggers.

Zolan’s Artistic Career:
Donald Zolan, fifth generation contemporary artist, followed his heart from the age of three and has been heeding to it till date. He enjoyed a happy childhood which is reflected in his works where he immortalized these pretty children with certain aspects from his early years. His parents encouraged and supported him from a very early age and they even set up a studio by giving away their furniture from the dining room and providing space for a studio when Zolan was eight.
Zolan won his first major art competition at the age of thirteen and was awarded a scholarship to the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago. By sixteen, he won a scholarship to Chicago's American Academy of Art.

Zolan’s Influence:
Zolan’s major influence has been Rembrandt, John Singer Sargent and Haddon Sunbloom. He even joined as an apprentice under Haddon Sunbloom who encouraged and supported him. Zolan’s wife, Jennifer, works with him to make his dreams a reality.

Donald Zolan is also known for his paintings of philosophers, rabbis and artisans.

Zolan’s dream:
“I wish that all children, here in America and around the world, could lead the kind of joyous, secure and happy childhood that I capture in my paintings. A childhood filled with love and kisses and hugs, a childhood free from fear and want, a childhood where children can express themselves and their individuality, a childhood where children can be children for those first few years in life. I think we owe that to the world's children and each step we take that gets us closer to these goals makes us better people.”

Zolan’s creations have inspired many people around the world. People have come up with heart-warming story which is the highest recognition an artist can achieve beyond all the Awards.

Note: Ref pics - Donald Zolan's Website

Who is Oseola McCarty?

Oseola McCarty (1908-1999) grew up in Mississippi. She grew up as a young girl who dreamed of becoming a nurse to serve humanity. But life had something else in store for her. She had to drop out of school in Grade 6. Instead of serving people in the hospitals she served in the backyards of houses washing the laundry. Oseola never earned more than $10 for a bundle. She never traveled out of her place in her whole life. She never got a driver’s license, she never got married. In her frugal life, all she did was to visit the local bank to save her pennies apart from the local store and the neighborhood church. In her waning years after she retired, on one of her visits to the bank, the bank officer approached her smiling:
“How are you today, Oseola?”
“I am fine” replied the old lady in her frail voice.
“Do you any idea how much money you own?” asked the happy and anxious banker.
“No” replied the innocent lady.
“Oseola, you own $280,000,00!!!” The banker tried to surprise her.
“Ok…how much is that” came a calm reply.
As the banker tried to compose himself he wondered on the spirit of the lady standing before him.
The banker took her to his cabin and helped her to take a comfortable seat.
“What do you want to do with that money?”
“How much is it?” queried Oseola.
“Okay, now suppose this is the money that you own…” and placed 10 coins on the table.
“O, I’ll give the first to God, the next three to my nephews and nieces because I love them very much and the rest….I have something very special in mind!”

Few days later the University of Southern Mississippi received a donation of $150,000 to provide scholarships for deserving students especially African-American.

Oseola McCarty was honored by one and all for her generosity and philanthropy. She was even awarded with a degree by the University of Southern Mississippi, first of its kind by the University.

Oseola’s life reminds one of how important one can be in one’s life though one has led a seemingly “insignificant life” by general standards.

“I can’t do everything but I can do something to help somebody. And what I can do I will do. I wish I could do more,” said Oseola once, very calmly.

I chanced upon her in Robin Sharma’s lecture, Lead Without Title, which was held in Dubai last month. She was also mentioned in one of his books. I was greatly influenced by her story and can not but agree with Robin that it is the small, daily acts of kindness that’s important in life. One doesn’t need to be a CEO or a Director or a GM to lead something like this in one’s life.

Oseola wanted to live by that principle. Her dream was to see the first recipient of her scholarship but she was uncertain about it because of her age and failing health. But she did live to see Stephanie Bullock receive it.

“Heaven couldn’t have got a better angel” said Stephanie Bullock on hearing about Oseola’s demise.

This story will truly uplift our spirit and that’s why I thought of sharing this with you all. Thanks to Robin for such a wonderful story!

Hues N Shades



Artwork by 5 year old Lil Anoushka, my daughter

Colors are not merely a combination of red, blue or green. They have a meaning of their own. They communicate. They speak volumes about the artist and their mind. They reveal their inner most thoughts and fantasies. It brings about a new life... the life of colors and the happiness associated with it. It even imparts it (the happiness, excitement, contentment or whatever) to the onlooker, an observer who admires the art of employing the varied shades of brilliant hues.

Colors have a life of their own. There are certain colors which disturb some and there are also others that soothe some. I could say it could bring about certain physical responses as well. There are colors that are attached to certain cultures say for instance India is a land of diverse and bright colors that people from the West will associate it to. For us it’s the colors of happiness, tradition even self proclamation. That could be and is the case with anyone, anywhere in the world.

Mixing of colors can bring about corresponding, harmonizing or even conflicting colors.
There are colors that are cool (blue, green, turquoise), warm (red, pink, yellow, orange), mixed (purple, lavender) and neutral (black, white, grey, brown, beige). I personally like all colors. I can’t point at one and say “Hey, that’s my favorite color!” Soon I’ll be following others. The nuances of colors are quite exhilarating to me!
They take me to a different world unlike any other where I can be myself and nothing else deters me from plunging into the realm of hues and shades.

Here's a short verse:

Colors, myriad colors

In the unforeseen, unknown world

Of bright n dark crevices

Rise of the fantastic world

Of fireflies n crickets

Of dragonflies n ladybugs

Gleaming in the night sky

Or the green coat of bed

Amuse, astonish n amaze

The little luminous eyes

Wanting to know and feel more

Of the ways of the world

Brimming with joy or bellowing with rage

Colors transform n seduce

Offsprings of the pantheist world

They emerged whirled!

picture courtesy from google except for the first picture

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Nature's The Best Artist!

Being an Artist the first thing that comes to mind is Art….of all sizes and shapes, of all mediums and colors, of all genre and nature.

Many a times have I looked at the horizon and wondered the canvas on which the nature painted itself. Be it the blue skies, shades and nuances of yellow, orange and red sunsets, the dark night sky with twinkles here and there…the blue mountains that spanned across my native land, the green foliage that spread out its arms beckoning us to its lap, the clear blue streams and coziness of mother Nature. Everything appears in its height of artistic talent and creativity.

Nature I believe is a great tutor. It shows in myriad ways the profound talent of mixing colors. Perhaps each object, to a close observer, presents itself as an inspiration to the human talent.

I feel emotionally bound with my piece of art when I am in the process of making it. It stirs me up with varied emotions be it writing or painting. I feel purged, emotionally. It freshens me up and I am deeply satisfied (whether that satisfies the viewer is a different matter all together)

What is your say in it? Do you feel the same? Do you differ? What’s your experience as an Artist?