21 Days in my Art World #2

Tara Leaver's 21 days in my artworld has reached Day 17 and I am finding it quite interesting. I had never really shared so much online regarding my work and related matters so this became an opportunity to open up and share about oneself as an artist, the process and every little thing related to creating art.

So continuing my journey...

Day 5 - Favourite Tool

Favourite tools keep changing with the creations right! Since I am currently engaged in a series of small paintings I am using these 5 brushes- one tattered, three ageing and one new. 😊 Mist sprayer is a must right now!
There are quite a few all-time favourites though!!

Day 6 - Current Challenge

My current obsession-challenge is portraiture and getting the features and expressions right! I would love to get the subtle nuances that makes those expressions worth it. There’s always a story behind each face and each expression of that particular moment. Would love to get hold of that subtle magic! Each person is a story-teller of sorts! 
These are my 10-15 mins attempt with different mediums. 

Day 7 - Colour Palette

Color palette in my current series is quite restricted as usual is the case with me. But it happens naturally depending on the subject matter/ story that I choose to depict. I don’t have a permanent palette, it keeps changing. I love bright colours though. You may wonder what I am creating with this colour palette, unfortunately I can’t reveal it now. But this has been one of the interesting series I have worked on. It has given me some more ideas💡!!! 😊 
I am attempting a video this time. Hope it works well! The video has music, thanks to my daughter who edited it! 😊
Colours in the video: Raw Umber, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Payne’s Grey, Prussian Blue and Titanium White. I am using bits of other colours as well.

Day 8 - Inspiration 

I am almost always inspired by everyone and everything around me in some manner but there’re moments, instances, experiences, even expressions that catch my attention and that dwells with me. Most of the time one inspiration leads to the other. I am also inspired when I see and read about various artists, their life, their work process, their struggles and hardships, their success...even some slightest things for that matter! The news of everyday violence against humanity in general and women & children in particular stirs me up to the core and it haunts me. Though I am not vocal about it, it churns inside me. My daughter is a great source of inspiration! She’s a bundle of potential with unlimited possibilities and full of life!!! She’s my greatest Muse! Sometimes it’s ones own self...what I personally go through. Movies and music influences me and so does books.

 Rene Magritte’s "The Lovers", 

a Paula Rego study

“Sunshine” - sketch of my daughter

Ms.Marple, Agatha Christie and “Dark forces” - charcoal works

Haren Das’s print as sketch, 

Louvre-Abu Dhabi from a photo reference of Sanjeev Goyal

Day 9 - Where the Art happens 

Art, for me, can happen anywhere inside my home. From the sitting room or bedroom to the dining hall and near the window-sill or balcony floor where we dry clothes!!! Even in my lap!!! In short I don’t have a dedicated studio space as such... but the “moving studio” is kind of fun as it’s quite challenging at times!!!😊 And when it’s the balcony even natural forces play an important role in how the background turns out to be!!!

Rest to be continued...

Linking it to Paint Party Friday

21 Days in my Art World - #1

21 days in my art world, a challenge that Tara Leaver called for - when I saw it in Connie Solera's post I was amused. I loved the idea of sharing it as I had never done anything like it before! Though I saw the post 2 or 3 days after the challenge had started I thought of giving it a try. So here I am posting it in my blog as well...after 9 posts in my Instagram feed.

Day 1: Favourite painting 

This is one of my favourite paintings from the series “Repercussions” which I had curated-co-ordinated in October 2016. Currently picking this one as it is this series that brought some serious attention to my work. .

It’s quite difficult to pick a favourite since there’s some reason or the other that decides that favourite factor- it could be the story that led to the concept, the way it turned out, the learning process, the mediums used, the technique and that accidental ‘Aha’ moment!!!...so on!! 

“I see me in you 
Apparition that broke through 
I make alter truth.”

Acrylics 91.44X60.96 cms

Day 2 - Lesson Learned! 

Being a self-educated artist, everything I try is a learning process, trial and error and full on experimentation! But I do enjoy every single step! Observation, contemplation and application are the key words! Enjoy every bit of it!!
These faces were the attempts of ideas that were lingering in my mind while I was preparing for a series in 2016. 

Learn, learn and learn 

- faces, skin tones, features, dappled light!

Day 3 - Work in Progress

Just like many of the artists’ there will always be more than one work on the table, at the least 2!! It’s fun when you juggle between one to the other! Then there’s this piece where the leftover paints go which in itself becomes another work of art! Enjoy it all!
Currently engaged in a new series of 6 paintings.

Detail of a painting - new series

Day 4 - Art Book

Books!! That’s something I hoard just like art materials! Tsundoku, I believe is the word for books!!! Since I am at my home I have just these 2 at hand right now. All my books rest in Kochi!
“Paula Rego” by Fiona Bradley is one of my faves as Rego is one of my favourite artists and the book really shook me from the core for so many reasons and particularly the way she painted the minutest of details!!!
Love “The Little Van Gogh Museum” for its pictures! Invigorating!! “Sonabai- Another Way of Seeing” by Stephen P Huyler says “The art of Sonabai Rajawar is entirely unique. It has no precedent. Her story expresses the capacity of human beings everywhere to meet their challenges head-on, and to draw from deep within their inner resources the strength and insight to change their lives. She was not daunted by oppression; she found ways to transform it into expressions of courage, beauty and joy in living.”
There’s a collection of essays in Edward Hopper(forgot the name!!!), read that a couple of years back which again is an interesting one. He’s one of my faves too!

Rest to be continued in my next post...do let me know your thoughts on the same - favourite painting, favourite books. the lesson you learnt etc.

Linking it to PPF & its Amazing ladies!

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.


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