Jain Temple - Palakkad

Jainism still prevails among a few families in my small town and the greatest gift would be the 15th century Jain temple situated around 3 kms from Palakkad town. The area around this temple is called Janimedu and is located near the Kalpathy river. The primary deity is Chandraprabha and the temple displays images of Thirthankaras and Yakshinis. Something that we can help but notice is that the temple is devoid of ant decorations...it's quite a simple and quiet temple. It does permeate an austere air. 

 Lavender looks more of blue here... :(

The temple I have tried to portray is the Old Jain temple before renovation. The temple has a different look now which was renovated last year but the old one is more dear to my heart...never have I seen the old structure though. The rites and everything associated with the temple is taken care of by a family from Karnataka who have been settled in Palakkad for ages. The priest however is a young boy who came over to a new land to perform the prayers and rites...who was in the process of learning the local tongue and who had immediately taken affection on the local kids that he even bought them dresses after his first visit from his hometown :)

The color prompt for this week:

Lavender, Gray & pop of Plum

A closer look:

 A view of the texture base

Can you see the glass beads??? I love 'em!!!

The 'bestest' thing that I came to know while going through the info about the temple is that our great poet Kumaranasaan wrote his epic Veenapoovu (Fallen Flower) in one of the Jain houses near by.

Linking it to SOC & PPF

Here's a sneak peak at my daughter's submission...pls do drop by to have a look at what this about-to-be -11year-old is up to :D 

Click HERE to visit her art... or click on the picture...

Please do not use/reproduce the content (words as well as images) without the written consent of the author.

Varanasi - Dashashwamedh Ghat

Varanasi (Benaras or Kashi) is a land glorified by myths and legends and the old world charm where you find mystics, sanyasis, tourists and the normal folk alike. It's one of the oldest and a huge pilgrim-inviting cities in India. It is a labyrinth of fragrant incense-filled lanes and bylanes, high-banks and shrines, golden shimmering Ganges and sun-bathed ghats with the scattered cows and devout mass. It is the land of  exotic benaras silk and brocades and highly famed pans. A land of renowned arena of music, arts and academics. A land I have never been to but wish to attend the incredibly scintillating and soul-stirring Ganga arti at the Dashashwamedh Ghat. The very sight of the Tuesday arti in the television itself had sent goose-bumps...demystifying the divine!

For me Varanasi is one destination I need to visit at least once in my lifetime. Varanasi also called Kashi and there was always this notion among the Hindus about the elderly going to Kashi and never coming back. People used to say now "it's my time to go to Kashi" which meant that we were never going to see them again. In Tamil Brahmin marriages, there's even a ritual based on this notion.

Why am I giving such a build-up!!! 

My SOC piece is based on the Varanasi Ghats. Varanasi has around 100 ghats and the one I have tried to portray is the Dashashwamedh Ghat.

The color prompt for this week is:

Coral, Teal & Bright White

Dashashwamedh Ghat is located close to Vishwanath Temple, and is probably the most spectacular ghat. Two Hindu mythologies are associated with it: According to one, Lord Brahma created it to welcome Lord Shiva. According to another, Lord Brahma sacrificed ten horses in a yajna here. A group of priests daily perform in the evening at this ghat "Agni Pooja" (Worship to Fire) wherein a dedication is made to Lord Shiva, River Ganges, Surya (Sun), Agni (Fire), and the whole universe.

 Acrylics, Bead texture base and pen, A3 size, 

Winsor & Newton Acrylic pad, 300gsm, 100% acid free

Anyone interested in owning it can drop me a mail at mail.huesnshades@gmail.com

Linking it to PPF and SOC :)
Thanks Eva & Kristin!
Thanks Kristin of Twinkle, Twinkle!

By the way I have decided on 'Temple Saga' for my SOC Art :D

PS: THANK YOU EACH AND EVERYONE FOR STOPPING BY AND TAKING TIME  TO LEAVE THEIR WONDERFUL COMMENTS. IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE READING THEM. ALSO THANKING THE NEW FOLLOWERS FOR JOINING ME IN MY ARTISTIC JOURNEY...

Please do not use/reproduce the content (words as well as images) without the written consent of the author.

Swami Vivekananda Rock Memorial - A Mixed Media Art

Summer of Color has begun and the prompts are something I look forward to...I have taken up the challenge and I hope to be a part of it every week of this season :) Thank you Kristin for hosting it!

Thank you Eva and Kristin Dudish for hosting PPF :)

The color prompt of the week is :

Aqua, Yellow and smudge, splash or pop of Hot Pink

I started with something else in mind and unexpectedly I reached somewhere else and Yes, I had always wanted to be there and experience in person the tranquility and positive vibe of the place. Here's to Swami Vivekananda...one of my favourite wandering monks who captivated the world with his famous 'message' at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in the year 1893...He was the famous disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

At the southernmost tip of India’s mainland lies the town of Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu. It is the point of convergence of the three vast seas that flank India on the west, south and east: the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.

Roughly half a kilometer into the sea from the tapering end of the mainland is a pair of rocks rising above the surface. The Vivekananda Rock Memorial is built on the bigger of these rocks and the statue of Thiruvalluvar, a celebrated poet and philosopher who has contributed immensely to Tamil Literature and whose birth place is Kanyakumari, can be found on the other. This particular 133' granite statue is conceived & built by Dr.V.Ganapati Sthapati, Padma Bhushan awardee. It is located in the confluence of three seas and there were many misgivings about it's location but this monolith survived even the tsunami that played havoc of Tamil Nadu.

Acrylics, texture base and ink

The base I have textured with black lava and applied aqua and the yellow. The hot pink can be seen on the rooftop of the memorial and as tiny splash.

*The colors look darker here than the original image which looks like the color promt...unable to adjust*

Linking it to PPF and SOC :) Hop over to see some mind-blowing art and artists!
Linking also to Mix It Monthly, a new challenge for me, by Conny!

You may like to visit this link for more info on this travel destination...click here.

ps: not very happy with my lines coz it hasn't come the way I wanted!!!

Please do not use/reproduce the content (words as well as images) without the written consent of the author.

It's All Square - thejamjar Gallery,Dubai

I had an awesome time while in Dubai during my Group Exhibition called 'It's All Square'. Here are a few more glimpse of the incredible artworks presented there. It's pure eye-candy :)

 Hosted by thejamjar Gallery & Curated by The Domino

 My Illustrations

Works by different artists:

A few of my favourite artists:

 German Fernandez

 Khalid Mezaina

 Liz Ramoz

 Ramchandra Babu, Senior Illustrator with Gulf News

Family and Friends...

 With my Better-Half :)

 My Muse, My Daughter :)

 With one of my Best friends & Eternal Supporter,Soji George

 With Soji and her Charming Girls

 With my M-I-L

 The Girls :)

Finally Me! (the snap isn't very clear!!!)

Hope you liked it too :)

Linking it to PPF...

Please do not use/reproduce the content (words as well as images) without the written consent of the author.

Sankalp 'Crafts and Weaves'

A new month has begun giving me a lot of hope and much to aspire on...quoting the ever-fervent Maya Angelou and remembering her...

Sankalp 'Crafts and Weaves' happened on the 23 and 24 May in Kochi opening up a new region and aspirations for me. It felt great to meet new people, new clients and new customers. Rotary Bal Bhavan in Panampilly Nagar buzzed with energy of the 50 women entrepreneurs and I was amazed at the talent spread out there. I couldn't meet everyone personally though. I must thank Priya Menon, the brain behind Sankalp for her enthusiastic effort and contribution.

The most memorable incident however was when a boy, ShivShankar, fell for one of my Ganesha (which was an acrylic painting in layers with decoupaged Ganesha sthuthi) paintings when they had dropped by to see what was going on in the RBB. His mother's attitude was admirable and we were impressed the way she handled him. They said that they will come back the next day as she didn't have enough cash then as they had come out just for a walk. His mother however advised for a smaller piece - a blue abstract Ganesha. He agreed. The next day they did come at a time when another customer was about to buy the Red and Blue duo. I was in a fix as they had already finalized on it and I actually wasn't sure the boy would return. When the deal was done...Shiv and his mother asked for the decoupaged Ganesha and that was something incredible because I had not displayed it that day. Even on the first day I had displayed the painting just before his arrival and then soon took it in. It surprised us as we all felt that the painting was meant to be his!!!

He was super glad to have had it finally :)

Youngest Hues n Shades fan and buyer, 

ShivShankar :)

Here's a sneak peak:

Hues n Shades Stall 

 HnS Stickers

 Lighting the lamp by Deputy Mayor, Mrs.Bhadra

I shared my table with my blogger friend, Vandana Rajesh of Knot & Stitch and her Sis,Vinita Krishnan. We was meeting for the very first time at Sankalp. They are an amazing duo who design awesome cushion covers.

Vinita Krishnan & Vandana Rajesh - Knot and Stitch

Vandana and I - A Memorable Experience!

My daughter, Anoushka (Krishna) taking charge of Hues n Shades Stall

 Celebrity Presence - Actress Radhika

My illustration that appeared in METRO - The Hindu

A huge Thanks to all the friends and family who supported me immensely in this endeavour and made it a Great day for me... esp to my hubby & daughter who were the pillars of support  Thanks to Vandana &Vinita for being such lovely and wonderful 'table-mates'  A special thanks to Priyachechi for giving us an amazing platform! Thanks to one and all.

Finally, something to add to my delight my blog has been listed among the Top Blogs of India and you can the see the listing here:

A Proud Moment Indeed!

Linking it to PPF...Head to the site to meet some amazing artists :)