When the lamps told the tales

When we reached Puthiyangadi in Kozhikode, the GPS indicated as 'reached' near a lane while my sister-in-law and I looked around baffled as there was no sign that mentioned a Lamp Museum. We asked a person in the nearby shop and he looked lost. So we walked towards a quiet lane and saw “Deepa Kripa” where a lady was combing in some coconuts with her hands that were laid on the ground for drying and a man walking around with something dried coconuts in hand. That turned out to be Deepanjali Lamp Museum, the one and only lamp museum in India, and the man was the owner-Director, Mr. I.C.R. Prasad. We reached there without an appointment as we somehow missed the number but Mr.Prasad was kind enough to take us in though he kept repeating that he takes visitors only on appointments to our now-flushed-faces. 

His Story

When a lighthouse engineer travelled around states that bordered the oceans he was enamoured by the light these simple structures, silent sentinels shed inviting people to safe shores. Lighthouse has always been a symbol of hope, vigilance and stability warning us of rough waters and counseling us to be alert. It was his love for light that resulted in his collection of lamps from all around the world. It has been more than 20 years and still counting. Though opened only 6 months back in his own residence, he has travelled many places in search of unique lamps with history and stories to tell. His abode is one treasure trove of such stories that each lamp has got to narrate from the 17 century onwards, be it the very old, traditional lamps from Kerala, the colonial ones, or from various parts of Europe. The first of its kind in India, it definitely serves the purpose of shedding light on the history of lamps and their evolution.  

Mr.Prasad, we realized, has conceptualized and set up museums for the Government in 5 places in India – Kannur, Alappuzha, Mahabalipuram, Chennai and Dwaraka. He has also written 8 books for the Government of India on the subject of lighthouses.

Mr.I.C.R.Prasad

The Lamps

Every nook and corner of his home is filled with these curios of yesteryears and everything else from the outside seems alien, out of place and out of context here. From the photos, you can make out that it’s cramped with lamps, lamps and many more lamps. According to Mr.Prasad, this is a temporary home for the lamps as he would like to have a permanent lamp museum of his own and he also mentioned that though there are some lamp museums in Europe and elsewhere this is one of its kind in India. Being a private museum/collector has its constraints in space, arrangement and maintenance yet it is done so passionately that every other drawback can be overlooked.

One can see lamps carved from stones to metal ones of the recent past, holding ones to the hanging ones, from the buggy ones and ocean ones to the places of worship and everything in between. There are of course some lamps that caught my attention though, from these innumerable myriad ones. When asked how many lamps he has, Mr.Prasad smiled and replied that doesn’t believe in counting “his children”. He believes in quality and not quantity he added after a pause and a smile. 

Tales of the Lamps

In the olden times, the fire was precious and very few ancient households had a place where they stored and safeguarded light which made them powerful in a way. Mr.Prasad remembers a few times when people had gone to get light (they would borrow the flame) from such affluent households that had a lamp lit at all times for austerity and prosperity according to their belief. It was termed ‘kedavilakku’ (the Eternal lamp). It was a lamp with an oil pot, and a spoon to refill.

There was a time when the Namboodiris went out on their nocturnal visits and their lamps were hung as a sign to let others know that they were in. It is French in origin and later on people even used long water glasses, and embellished and modified them with filigree rims and hanging chains. There was also the mine lamp specially designed for the purpose of miners who worked underground. The Sun-Moon lamps were one of the earliest when the people worshipped the Sun and the Moon and then later on they were incorporated into their lamps along with the Holy Cross of the British-Dutch missionaries who came to propagate Christianity. One can also find impressive works of the Islamic lamps; the one that caught my interest had small scissors and hooks to pull up the wicks and an extinguisher of a knob-like form to put it out when not in need. We saw Persian and Mughal lamps to tribal lamps, there were also chandeliers from different eras to the petromax which actually is the name of the company that made them (so we learned). There were also guiding lamps used in ships and boats to incandescent lamps.

To Visit

The best way to know more would be to visit the place. Deepanjali Lamp Museum is in Puthiyangadi, Kozhikode, Kerala. Mr.Prasad is a pleasant host and would appreciate taking an appointment prior to the visit. Saturdays and Sundays are off. Timings on other days are 9 am to 4 pm. There is a nominal fee of Rs.25/- You could contact this number for an appointment – 09400491691.

Negative Painting - An Introduction (In 5 Steps!)

As artists, we draw and paint many complex things using complex techniques but when we get back to some simple and basic stuff, it really makes one feel good...more so it's POSITIVELY FUN! It's again a validation of the fact that joy can be found in simplest of things.

What is negative painting?

Negative painting is painting around the subject than painting the subject itself. You are actually adding by subtracting. You move from lighter to darker as you go creating an illusion of depth and distance. It a process of layering...lighter layer to darker layer to the darkest.

Features

It’s actually fun as you don’t need to be an expert at painting to do a negative painting. You just pick up some forms, shapes and paint around it. Once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy.

• When you start, you could just sketch some shapes, forms and start painting around it.
• Watercolour seems to be the best medium for it because of its transparency and the glow that it would apparently provide.
• No details needed just blocking out the shapes.
• Let each layer dry before you apply the next layer.

How to do a negative painting?

Things needed:

Handmade paper (You can use any watercolour paper/textured paper etc)

Colours used - Lemon yellow, Gamboge hue, Ultramarine blue and Cobalt blue hue. (I have used Camlin Artists' watercolour cakes)

Brushes

1. Firstly I dampened the paper and glided my brush loaded with lemon yellow and then gamboge hue across the paper for the background. Lifted off some paint with tissue paper as I wanted a pale look. (At this point I was thinking what shape to draw. If I had made up my mind on fish beforehand I wouldn't have painted with these colours though. I was actually thinking of flowers while painting this background!)

Unexpectedly I decided on fish and thought of going along with it as the yellow was pale and so drew some fish forms here.

2. I painted the next layer with ultramarine blue but very lightly around the fish.

3. The next layer I used cobalt blue hue after adding a couple more fish.

4. Again I added a few more fish and painted the fourth layer using ultramarine blue. 

5. The fifth layer I mixed cobalt blue hue and a tinge of black after adding a some more fish.

And that's done!

I have used just 5 layers here (the steps are 6 because I added the fish . You could use less or many more layers depending on the size of your work.

These two are my first and second attempts which was done simultaneously. They have just 3 and 2 layers respectively and are done on regular postcards.

 with Gamboge hue, Orange and Scarlet

with Sap green and Emerald green

These 2 designs were inspired from pictures I saw while browsing.

Linda Kemp is a Canadian artist who has some fabulous negative paintings to her credit. She is an instructor in Artists Network and you can find some good videos of hers in YouTube. You can check out her works there. There are two other artists' whose art I really love and both of them have done some negative paintings too and they have taken it to a different altitude! It's Iraville and Pearfluer - checkout these videos...

Hope you enjoyed this post. Do leave me your feedback.

If you wish to check out my earlier postcard series you can click HERE.


Linking it to the Gorgeous PPF community!

Postcard Series - Finale!

Last of my postcard series with Derwent Inktense Blocks and I have completed all 14. Though I have shown only 12 as the view-denied two haven't reached my satisfaction. And let me tell you this is not a sponsored post of Derwent. I bought these Inktense blocks sometime back and finally put them to use. That's it. It was definitely fun putting it all together and once I decided that I would want to paint landscapes (mini,of course) the rest was easy.

The landscapes below are two of my favourite places - the first is my hometown, Palakkad, and the second is near to my second home, Fort Kochi, one of the most beautiful and artsy places in India. I have not been able to capture the unabridged beauty of the places though! Like always the picture is accompanied by my micro-poems.

Want to see my earlier postcard art? It's here - Part1, Part2 and Part3.

Swirling and giggling

Fields, once thronging

Less and less to be seen

Amid the concrete jungle

Building up like weeds

Depending on neighbours

For pesticide food

Neglecting our own granaries. 

Setting Sun

Reminds us

Of settling 'spaces'

Everyday, every time

To a new beginning.

Linking it to Paint Part Friday! Kudos to the Amazing Ladies in PPF! 

Postcards and Poems

More from my landscape postcard series and my micro-poems...Every card is painted with Derwent Inktense blocks. To read more and see my earlier postcard art and poems click here and here.

 Twilight

Gold and silhouette

Magic happens

In the horizon

Zenith weds nadir!

 The world stripped off

Emptied our souls

Leaving blank statements

To be filled by void.

Yet are bosom

Of stories - told and untold.

 The blues

The greens

The browns...

Solitude and solace...

Nature is

The best cure.

"No man is an island,"

They say.

But we all are

In the middle of nowhere

Weaving our own

Tales, interspersed

With spice and lace

Creating alter-realities

Feeding on our curiosities.

Linking it to the Amazing platform of Paint Party Friday. Thanks to Eva and Kristin for hosting it.

Postcard Series - Landscapes and poems

When we travel we often look for postcards not only as keepsakes but also to send it to our family and friends. When I saw the blank Winsor and Newton postcards I wanted to have them but hadn't thought of what I would want to paint on them. In fact it was in hibernation for quite a while! Finally one fine day in August I took them out and decided to make some miniature landscapes on them. But as I was engaged in some exhibition works at the time I just made two and now after Inktober I started to continue with this series. I have used only Derwent Inktense Blocks as this is purely experimental for me in terms of colours as well as the theme of landscapes (except two the rest are landscapes).

So here's more from my postcard series with my micro-poems...The first picture is from a photo I saw when browsing through landscape photos, don't know whose picture it is. The second one is from a photo of Ed Shots whom I follow in Instagram and yes, I have tagged him there. He has some Awesome shots some of which have the feel of being quite lyrical! The last picture is from a photo my daughter clicked while we were walking around in Fort Kochi. It's en route to Pepper House when you get down the ferry.

If you would like to see my earlier postcards, click here.

 It is a 'game' of love

Every heart is a tomb

In the name of love!

 Into 

The blue night

The scintillating

Flowers whispered

Saccharine secrets!

Reminiscing the salad days

Now bathing in the Sun

Longing for the lost waters!

Linking it to Eva and Kristin's Paint Party Friday.

From the Postcard Series and a Sneak-peek.

I prefer working on small sized paintings/drawings as they are quite manageable and easy to handle. Post cards are fun that way. I had these Winsor and Newton Cotman Watercolour postcards for quite sometime. Finally I put them to use. It was during August that I started this 6x4 in postcard series. I have used Derwent Inktense Blocks. It's similar to hard pastels in form, performs like ink and if needed can act like watercolurs too. I simply loved it. And I am using just that and nothing else for this series. Since you (who follow me regularly) know that I love to dab with poetry too, I have tried my hand at it. It's more like musings on the go which happens almost always particularly when enjoying solitude.

The first thing I did was prepare a colour swatch, wanted to see how it looked and it would make a perfect reference. One thing I noticed is unlike watercolours the new layers doesn't dissolve former layers.

Derwent Inktense Blocks 24

This is a lane is Fort Kochi near the ground on the way to David Hall art gallery.

 Shades of green

Looming ominous 
Of joyful tunes 
To spring.

The sky is pink with love
The Sun, a fireball
Whatever the distance 
Let the Divine merge it all.

It's been quite sometime that I have been thinking of making a zine too - a mini one. And who better to follow suit than Jordan Clark! If you wish to make one then have a look at this video tutorial of hers - How to make a zine.

I had even promised one of my sweet blogger friends, Julie Creswell, that I would be making one soon. She had made some fabulous one a couple of months back.

Here's a sneak peek into what I made:

(but let me tell you mine is no where near hers! mine is just simple illustration but it does have an interesting angle to it. )

Do let me know what you are up to and your interesting projects and of course your feedback!

Join the Paint Party (Fun) Friday hosted by Eva and Kristin!

wrapping up Inktober with an Inktober Calendar

Inktober came to a close and so that's wrapped up. Thanks to Jake Parker who started it all! This was my first time and I enjoyed every bit of it, definitely a learning experience. Each avenue opens up new possibilities, right? I had never thought that I would ever do this long a series and that too on insects! Though it was a random and a sudden one as I very much wanted to keep myself busy in some form or the other. So all through October, until afternoon, I was pretty occupied with my inktober series.

In case you would like to go through my earlier posts - Week1, Week2, Week3, Week4.

Insights:

No topic/theme is small.

A long series is definitely worth a try as you can come up with a good number of works, at least studies.

Play with ideas.

Get inspired by lot of talent around (get to see loads of style).

No pressure as such as you are not really answerable to anyone except you.

Helps fine-tune your skill.

Set a time for it...could become a habit.

Continue this practice.

Draw in a tribe.

Fifth week works:

Robberfly, Leaf-footed insect

Metallic wasp,Flower mantis

Buff-tip moth

Finally this is my Inktober calendar - Insect series!!

Inktober week 4

The final week of Inktober is here and am quite satisfied with the art I have been able to create and pull together over the last 4 weeks. I am more satisfied with the fact that I have become a little more confident than I was with my hand in ink works. I have been in the practice of creating almost everyday (some days it's not posible too) since 2012 though not everything is worth showing. It's been a sort of practice but Inktober definitely gave me a purpose and clarity as to what I need to do for a whole month starting with a theme (as you know I am not following the official prompt though). 

For my earlier 3 Inktober posts, you can click HERE, HERE and HERE.

I have also been trying my hand, extremely gradual process though...started by August last week, at Derwent Intense blocks which I had bought from Dubai when we were in Dubai last summer. I have used Winsor and Newton postcards for that which again I had bought from Dubai some 3 years back. Will be posting it soon after this challenge.

Here's my last 7 days of insect art.

Phyllium Leaf insect, Housefly

Rooster tail cicada, Boll weevil

Water scorpion, Long-horned orb weaver spider

Robberfly

As usual linking it to Eva and Kristin's fabulous Paint Party Friday.

Inktober and New found Artists

Into the third week and still going...that’s something quite satisfying for me. The first thing I do these days once I settle down in the morning is to do my Inktober piece and then post it in my Instagram (in case you would like to check it out) account, mainly for accountability so that I wouldn't break it. I am still garnering energy and inspiration from the insects...to be frank I am not an insect person...some of them freaks me out but I try not to harm any living being though. Any and every life is precious...at least from its perspective!

In case you would like to  see my first and second week's works...click the links.

On that note I would like to share a couple of artists' I love watching in Youtube, of course I am aware of only a few. The first artist is Minnie Small and here's her playlist. But let me tell you I have been following for some months or probably a year now I think. Every morning after creating my own inktober piece, sometimes even before, it has become a habit to watch Minnie's inktober video. In one of her recent videos she introduced a few artists of which I found two others whose video works really interested me: WeroNoYume and Furrylittlepeach both who post Inktober pieces not regularly though as Minnie but all the same really good. WeroNoYume has more videos than the latter now. One other artist from Minnie's list who isn't doing Inktober but whose videos I liked is LittleCoffeeFox. Do check them out. I always love to see the varied mediums and varied techniques of the multi-diverse artists. It's so inspiring and interesting.

So with that here's my this week's inktober works.

Jewel bug, Monarch catterpillar

Giant Shield bug nymph, Amazonian Leaf-footed bug

Lacebug, Scorpionfly

Planthopper

Linking it to Eva and Kristin's Paint Party Friday.